The Power of Collaboration

As a real estate broker, you are no stranger to collaboration at many different levels. Building collaborative networks that are vibrant and mutually beneficial can be a catalyst for positive change and growth, when you have the right people on the other end. We live in rapidly evolving times and your ability to be successful can depend on getting the right guidance and advice, at exactly the right time.

Collaboration takes many forms in the real estate industry.

• We collaborate with clients to help them through the buying and selling process.
• We collaborate with vendors to obtain services and deliver them to our clients.
• We collaborate with other agents and brokers to create a win/win situation during a sale.
• We collaborate with the community, to be a positive influence and serve a greater good.

As a broker however, you also need collaboration at a higher level. You already know how to sell houses, but your challenges are more strategic, and business related. What’s the most effective strategy to get more leads for my agents? What technology will help me best run my brokerage? What CRM tools should I provide my agents for lead nurturing? What recruiting practices are most effective? How do I differentiate my brand? Collaboration and networking with other real estate professionals can provide good advice, experience, and opportunities in these areas.

Collaboration For Brokerage Growth Challenges

Broker growth issues and recruiting challenges benefit from the opinions and experience of other brokers, real estate coaches, and subject matter experts. For the independent broker finding people with such diverse experience who are willing to share, coach and consult is either rare, expensive, or both.  Still, you owe it to yourself to establish a network of professionals who have proven success in one or more areas so that you have a support system for your growth roadmap.

Consider some of the following activities to build your network:
Networking Groups – Get involved with organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, LeTip, the local Real Estate Board, or participate in state Realtor events. These are valuable opportunities to network and meet like-minded professionals. Consider getting involved with them at a leadership level if possible.

Complimentary business partnerships – Partner with related businesses or non-competing agencies. They will likely share similar challenges and can also serve as a resource for ideas or help you avoid mine fields they may have already encountered. Through your alliance you can refer leads or collaborate on events, such as a home-buyer seminar.

Social Media Networking – Facebook and LinkedIn are actually excellent places to connect with non-competing brokers, and mentors. There are established real estate groups on these channels that you can join and whose discussion you can monitor and participate in. This is one of the most efficient and least time consuming ways to build out your network.

Another Solution to Collaboration

At Weichert Franchising, we’ve found that the desire for collaboration is one of the biggest reasons many brokers seek out a brand affiliation. It turns out that an affiliation with Weichert provides networking, coaching and training opportunities most brokers never dreamed of. In addition to the instant help with lead generation and recruiting, having a team of like-minded peers and industry experts who are always available and invested in your success is a powerful thing. At Weichert our affiliates get collaborative support in a number of ways:

• Training Systems – designed to teach proven processes for success, whether it’s for a new agent, experienced agent or manager.
• A Regional Service Manager (RSM) who is available to train and guide offices on the tools available and how to get the most out of the Weichert® System for day-to-day business success.
• A Regional Director, who is like your own personal trainer and helps with everything from business planning to sales & marketing systems, recruiting and financial management.
• Broker Networking through formal events like local broker council meetings, regional rallies and exciting national conferences to our collaborative Weichert culture which encourages brokers across the country to just pick up the phone or interact on social media to get opinions and advice.

Having positive, expert collaboration with the right people around the right processes and systems can be a huge sigh of relief for today’s independent brokers. Call the Weichert Team today and see how we can help you do more.