Historically, real estate agents worked in one of two ways – as individuals, or as a two-person team. Typically these teams were married partners, although every once in a while you would run across a parent-child team, or even a team with siblings. And even less often, you would see non-related colleagues teaming up, often women who had other responsibilities in life (managing their households, running kids to soccer practice, volunteering at school) that didn’t allow them to participate full-time in the business.
And then, in the early 2000’s, we began to see the emergence of teams as a business model. Gary Keller, of the real estate firm Keller Williams, was a champion of this model, which has spread to many other companies in various forms.
If you think about it, teams really make a lot of sense. Not just for the team members, but primarily for consumers.
There are nine reasons that I feel a team is the only way to go when you are buying and selling real estate. Here they are:
- Increased efficiency. Let’s say you have to build a car. Would you rather have to know how to build an entire car by yourself, or would you prefer to be an expert at attaching the wheels, knowing that the person next to you is an expert at installing a drive shaft, and that another person would add the spark plugs? When individual team members can devote time to working in their area of specialty, they have the opportunity for deep learning and development of skills.
- More ideas = better results. Four heads really are better than two!
- Drawing upon natural skills and abilities. Each of our team members has things they’re naturally good at. No more trying to do our best at something that doesn’t come easily and delivering less-than-optimal results! Instead, we turn to the team member best equipped to help.
- Improved access; speedier turn times. In a traditional sole proprietor model, clients often have to wait for help and/or answers if their agent was on an appointment with another client. That rarely happens in a team model.
- Can be in 2, 3, or 4 places at a time. One of the huge benefits of a team is having the ability to accomplish multiple tasks at the same time. For example, one team member can be showing homes, one can be back at the office preparing a purchase offer, and yet another could be helping a seller prepare their home to sell.
- Each person can showcase and shine in their area of specialty. Everyone has unique skills and things at which they excel. A strong team allows everyone to feel great about the value they bring and increases their chance to be a superstar in their area of expertise.
- Having a team promotes – and actually forces – you to look at things from a different perspective. That often leads to improvements in how you perform your work … and that means a better end-result for clients.
- Well-defined structures and processes eliminate confusion. When you manage a team, it’s absolutely critical that there’s a clear process and workflow. Clients benefit from the structure and a “no surprises” experience.
- Coverage when “life happens”. We’ve all had those days – you wake up sick (or worse yet, your kids are sick), the car won’t start, or your phone gives up the ghost. Without a team behind you, any one of those things could grind your day to halt and force you to cancel your client appointments and/or work time. But with a team behind you, someone can step in to cover.
- It’s simply more fun! Life really is more fun when you’re surrounded by a team of great people. It’s one of my favorite things about teamwork.
After many years of working with my amazing team, I can assure you that it is the most rewarding way for me to work. And based on feedback from my clients, they love the fact that there are four skilled and caring professionals helping them achieve their real estate dreams.
Want to know more about the Team Marti experience? Reach out to us at: teammarti@johnlscott.com | 253-246-8938