Real estate has always been different from a typical office job. Most agents aren’t spending their days at a desk. Instead, they’re out in the field—showing houses, meeting prospective clients, and laying the groundwork for successful sales. And with the ever-growing popularity of paperless transactions and e-signature tools, agents have fewer and fewer reasons to be in the office than ever before.
Yet, maintaining a strong culture within your brokerage is vital to creating a positive work environment and retaining your agents. So, how do you keep your team connected, motivated, and engaged when they’re spread out?
Strong leadership is at the core of any successful remote team. As a broker, it’s up to you to prioritize communication, accountability, and real estate team building to help keep your agents feeling confident in the brokerage and excited about being part of the organization. Here are a few practical ways to help you do just that:
Strengthen trust through accountability
By creating opportunities for accountability, you can empower your agents and build trust within your organization. Tactics like creating annual production goals and strategically delegating responsibilities are excellent ways to set clear, actionable expectations, while also increasing agents’ confidence in themselves and their teammates. You’re showing that you trust them to make the right decisions, while also providing the structure and support they need to succeed.
Another way to build accountability into your brokerage culture: Define roles and responsibilities through regular discussions and frequent feedback meetings for the entire team. Being transparent through constructive feedback is the best way to help your team learn and grow. And remember—it’s a two-way street. Brokers should always be open to constructive criticism and discussions around improvement.
Foster a culture of communication
Regular check-ins are the best way to stay on top of what’s going on at your brokerage. Encourage agents to participate in conversations about weekly goals and everyday challenges on a regular basis. Hold weekly in-person team meetings. In addition to communicating news and updates, use the time to have active discussions on common challenges and solutions, celebrate wins, share market updates, and provide education to help keep everyone’s skills sharp. Integrate tools such as Slack or Microsoft Teams for those who might have challenges participating in person to help your organization develop a communication cadence.
For your part, try to be as responsive as possible. Your team may have questions or need guidance. Having an open line of communication during the day and a quick response time will allow you to build trust among your entire brokerage. Truly listening to what your agents have to say and responding in a timely manner are skills that will keep your team on track.
Connect on a deeper level
Finding time to make informal connections at your brokerage is a challenge when working remotely. While online meetups are always an option, look for opportunities to facilitate fun interactions and real estate team building.
There are plenty of ways to informally connect in person outside of the office. Host regular happy hours or meetups, or schedule a group volunteering event that everyone can participate in. For example, this year, Weichert Realtors® – Cornerstone organized an animal supply drive to benefit Montgomery County SPCA. Team members collected around 150 pounds of pet food, towels, cleaning supplies, trash bags, and treats, which were delivered to the Montgomery County SPCA to support animals in need. Finding an event your organization is passionate about is a great chance to connect on a deeper level with coworkers.
Most importantly, take time to get to know your agents on a personal level—share things about yourself and ask questions about your team. Get to know what motivates them. Keep profiles of your agents with their backgrounds, likes, dislikes, and goals. Schedule regular one-on-one core calls with your agents and incorporate this information into your conversations.
Offer the right tools and support
Making sure your agents have access to the tools, training, and support they need is a critical part of helping them thrive. Whether they’re working from the office, from home, or from the field, agents need to feel like someone has their back. A solid onboarding program helps set that tone from the start. Then, continue demonstrating your commitment to their career growth by offering opportunities for training and development and investing in the right technology for today’s digital, AI-driven world.
When it comes to the latest technology, Weichert delivers a system for success you won’t find anywhere else. Our myWeichert® powered by BoldTrail platform combines AI, marketing automation, and complete mobile access to help you and your agents save time and sell more, wherever you may be.
We also offer a level of resources, support, and opportunity most independent brokers simply can’t create on their own. Agents will find everything from personal branding packages to yearly conferences and virtual training opportunities with our service and coaching teams.
Beyond that, we take care of our brokers, too—with business coaching, tools for recruitment, onboarding and retention, and, of course, best-in-class technology. Your agents shouldn’t have to go at it alone, and neither should you.
To learn more about the ways we help brokers and their agents, let’s connect.
