Agents constantly call and ask me about teams – developing them, joining one, selling one, and many questions in between. Throughout real estate history, there have been times when teams have been trendy and times when they’ve been necessary. We’re in a time of necessity and I only see the need growing. Why? Simply because the cost of competing is no longer palatable.
Let’s address the obvious first, that no one human being is good at everything. Managing the day-to-day challenges of being a real estate sales professional is time-consuming and humbling alone. Now add technology & automation, transaction process & customer service, marketing – in all its forms – including digital, and now add the speed at which apps, software programs, CRMs and workflow automation is changing, then top it off with industry interrupters, continuing education requirement changes, and training on the tools. Small business owners in general, especially Realtors, are overwhelmed. Where’s that showing up? In their pockets and bank accounts.
According to Inman News, if you don’t have a CRM, real estate is a hobby, not a business. Virtually all successful agents have systems that include things like workflow automation, integrations, IDX websites, operational intelligence, power dialers, and artificial intelligence-assisted advertising. (Inman Connect, February 25, 2019)
No one brokerage can create a current-day to end-of-career tech platform that will meet the needs of all their agents doing business around the world, despite experience level. They just can’t. So, if an agent can’t survive alone, and the brokerage isn’t a one-stop-shop for all their needs – the solution is the TEAM: A smaller group offering specific tools that apply to top-producing, like-minded agents.
TEAMS are WORKING – Providing they are structured, and run properly. EGO aside, if you’re working to earn money and create wealth, the team model is efficient and profitable. On paper, as an individual agent, you’ll no doubt decide what you can or can’t do without, trimming the budget to necessity. Get ready, then, to only make necessary money for a while, and then watch it dwindle. Large teams and companies will continue to roll you over in market share, profit and – most importantly – GROWTH. Your ceiling is low as an individual agent. Leverage is imperative and inevitable. https://aressuccess.com/programs/build-a-team/