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[2]Author, Mandy Johnson, wrote an excellent book, Winning the War for Talent. It is a book that every leader and manager should read.
I spoke with Mandy recently about a challenge several real estate business owners had raised with me: salespeople resigning after working in real estate sales between eighteen months and two years.
Mandy said, “Sounds like a classic case of Brightness of Future“.
I had no trouble agreeing with this diagnosis.
Today’s employees want more than money, they want a LIFE. And if we are going to keep team members over the long term, we have to help them build a great life using their real estate sales career as a vehicle.
Sales can wear people down, even those who are ideally suited for a real estate sales career. No amount of real estate training, motivational training, time management, communication training, closing skills, listing ability; etc. will offset a lack of brightness of future.
Never assume that salespeople will stay just because they are making money.
Never assume that salespeople will leave just because a competitor is offering a bigger commission percentage.
People will leave to pursue a brighter future.
Think: what future can somebody expect if they work with me? It could be:
- Flexibility
- The ability to work from home on occasions
- Fulfilling and satisfying work
- The feeling of being valued and respected
- Possibility of a buying into the business
- Possibility of a partnership in a new real estate office
- Regular time off, without work following them home
- Opportunities for longer breaks, travel; etc.
Without brightness of future, people begin to feel frustrated, trapped and hopeless. And then they leave.
My friend, Michael Johnston, says, “People don’t fire the company; they fire the leader“.
Training real estate salespeople is expensive and time consuming. It can be heartbreaking for a leader to go to all this expense and effort only to have a salesperson, who is just getting ‘up to speed’ leave in search of a better opportunity.
If they want a brighter future, let’s do our best to give it to them.