Helping foster strong agent-to-agent relationships is critical for team leaders and brokers, with practices and coaching in place, writes trainer and executive Suzanne Seini.
April is Team Month Here in Inman.Add nuance on a weekly basis team beat Through our email newsletter, we’ll provide top insights from the best team leaders in the country as we take a deeper look at how to build a team, scale a team, and even leave a team.
Drama among agents happens more often than we think. Resolving it effectively can lead to happy clients, successful agents, and increased revenue. But we have to bring this issue to the forefront and train our teams to deal with it.
We’ve seen this before: agents muscle their way into a deal. Client emotions run high, deadlines get pushed back, offers get rejected, and suddenly we lose another agent, or they pester us until we break up.
Now, with news of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement and the winds of change blowing toward past compensation models, there are sure to be differences of opinion on how to peacefully divide the compensation issue.
Here are my top four strategies for defusing drama between agents.
stress management
As leaders and innovators, the first things we want to read are simple facts, statistics, and steps to prevent and solve problems. That’s why most experts end their articles with soft skills like self-care and happiness. My strategy is guided by this.
Naming emotions when they arise can create space for better decision-making. Real estate can cause us stress, and stress can cause our bodies to go into fight or flight mode. Once this happens, the thinking part of our brain shuts down and we actually can’t think clearly.
If we want our agents to succeed, we have to teach them to acknowledge what their bodies are doing, name what they’re feeling, and give them the tools to down-regulate because they can only control themselves.
I’m not an expert in this area, so I invested in a health coach who came to our training sessions to teach my agents to listen to their bodies and identify calming techniques that work for them. I do yoga and practice breathing. Some agents journaled, meditated or sang in their cars.
The key is that they need to know how to stay calm in order to remain confident in any given situation. They can only do this if they are self-aware.
Pro tip: These are transferable skills, and your agent will thank you for your support for years to come. Loyalty helps generate leads.
Role Playing Personality Types
Many companies use personality traits to help employees identify their strengths and weaknesses. Our team uses them to role-play real-life conflicts.
A common situation is when the listing agent asks for a temporary removal and gets grumpy. We start by identifying personality types, trying different scripts and improved responses, and practicing how to move forward in the negotiation.
As leaders, we experience so many real-life scenarios that cause our emotions to run high. We can transfer the lessons we learn by practicing in a safe environment what we could have done to de-escalate intense conflict.
This is also a great opportunity to remind each other that we all make mistakes and we can offer grace and forgiveness to ourselves and each other.
Pro tip: Transparency builds stronger teams.
Understand the contract
While emotions may arise naturally, it is crucial to focus on the contractual aspects rather than personal feelings. I once had a client who couldn’t check out on time. Another agent told us that they would only move forward if my client paid them $200 a day. I might be offended, but I know it’s not in our contract. It didn’t matter how I felt about that agent, so I said, “Absolutely not.”
For new agents, understanding contract structure and reading legalese can be tedious. However, telling our agents about the contract can help alleviate the drama, which will motivate them to check the document thoroughly.
Emotions have their place, but they shouldn’t obscure the bottom line. Teach your agent to let the facts speak for themselves and leave the drama to the reality show.
Pro Tip: People perform best when they are intrinsically motivated.
over communication
Many times, lenders require two more items from the buyer, or there is a delay in the appraisal, causing surprises, but agents wait until the last minute to share these updates. Maybe they’re nervous about asking for more time, or they just don’t prioritize updating others.
But when it comes to maintaining a good relationship and your brand’s reputation, it’s important to set the expectation that new agents communicate changes to the coordinating agent as soon as possible.
You can prepare agents for common setbacks by providing a script: “Hey, we only need two days. Can you let your sellers know we’re very sorry and we’ll iron out the surprise quickly.”
Pro tip: “Clarity is kindness.” — Glennon Doyle
Building strong agent-to-agent relationships is critical and requires practice and guidance. Training your agents to be self-aware, work with different personality types, understand their contracts, and communicate fully not only builds a successful team, but creates harmony and prosperity for everyone involved.
Suzanne Seini is CEO and owner of Innovate Realty In Southern California.contact her Instagram.
