In my work as a real estate agency profit consultant, I have heard all the excuses. It’s twenty years since I heard a new one. The complaints remain the same. The same conversations we had in the nineties are still around this century.
One of the top complaints is from leaders: “I can’t get salespeople to focus!” Two others are “It’s different in my area” and “I can’t get my people to prospect”.
Getting salespeople to focus is a topic all on its own. To get salespeople to focus there are seven major actions that leaders must tackle with each team member, in one-on-one meetings. If you would like to learn more about how to do this, contact us for the next screening date of the webcast Prospecting: how to get salespeople to FOCUS.
But what do you do when salespeople won’t do the actions?
In profitable agencies, leaders hold their salespeople accountable for actions.
These leaders set action expectations with their team members, and then record and monitor those actions with a Weekly Call Report.
The Weekly Call Report measures the level of actions for each salesperson in a number of areas, including:
- Prospecting calls – people spoken to
- Listing appointments
- Properties listed
- Number of listings on hand
- Number of listings sold
- Property Inspections with buyers
- Sales made
When leaders gather statistics and interpret them, it becomes very clear who is doing the actions becomes very clear. Remove the uncertainty around the numbers – count actions and hold your people accountable for them.
While monitoring actions and determining ratios are important, there is one big question leaders should always consider:
What are the consequences in your agency when people do not do the actions?
The consequence of doing the actions is results. The consequence of a lack of action is mediocrity. But is that the only consequence? It shouldn’t be.
Great leaders never tolerate mediocrity. They train their people and set action expectations. If those actions are not performed, they counsel the salesperson and retrain if necessary.
After that, however: no more chances. The consequence for inaction, then, is dismissal. This is fair enough. If they won’t do the actions, what are they doing there?
I love the saying, “If you can’t change your people, change your people“. If you have “Won’t Do’s” on your team, and they won’t change their ways, PART WAYS.
Invest your time, energy and money into the right people. Profit will be your reward.