How You Can Have It All
While Doing It All:
The Effective Manager

Today, according to a recent National Association of Realtors'Æ survey, more than half of all managers and owners also sell. This is a distinct trend of the last ten years. Generally, these people are those who have been exceptional salespeople. They then buy a company, or are asked to manage a company. Suddenly, they are thrust into a management position, without the necessary training to manage. Not only that, they're expected to keep up their own high sales volume, while building the business through other agents. Often, these added tasks extract a heavy toll. Many times, the exceptional agent makes no more money, but actually ends up working harder to support unproductive agents in the office!

MANAGEMENT LIGHT

What these selling managers need is “management light” skills training. Why? Because they haven't time nor energy to go deeply into management niceties. However, they still must master the most critical activities needed in management to assure productive agents and healthy profits. In this article, I'll address four issues that these managers can tackle and conquer to become much more effective in their dual roles.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Issue One: Managers (including non-selling managers, by the way) don't know what they should be doing each day that will bring the biggest payoff. As I teach CRB courses, I poll managers. I find very few were given a job description prior to becoming managers. It was just “sink or swim.” Most of the time, they inherited a situation that required a great deal of “holding the office together.” They never had time to review and question whether the activities they dove into were the most critical activities managers should be doing. So, the manager's first challenge is to clarify his/her job descriptions.

If you're reading this as a selling manager, go back to your last month's schedule and count the number of hours you spent in identifiable activities. Where did you spend most of your time as a manager? Most managers would say “crisis management” or paperwork. Yet, those are only maintenance activities -- at best. You know that from your sales career. You've seen agents spend all their time getting ready to get ready; reviewing paperwork; shuffling the piles on the desk; organizing; attending classes, meetings. The “busy list” is endless for those failing agents! You also observe that the failing agent has cleverly left no time to work with buyers and sellers!

MANAGEMENT AND AGENT JOB DESCRIPTIONS SIMILAR

What do you do as an agent to increase your revenue? Prospect, qualify, show, and sell. It's no different in management. Just change the names. Your priorities are: recruiting, selecting, training, coaching, consulting, planning, financial management.

But, how will you do these and continue to sell? The same way you sell more. Systematize and delegate. Read on.

SYSTEMATIZE AND DELEGATE

Issue Two: Selling managers have not systematized their management activities. These managers need processes and systems. In their sales businesses, they've carefully systematized their businesses so they can delegate to an assistant (one or more). However, they don't see the parallels in their management position. Until they systematize each of the jobs they need to do as managers, they will remain unable to delegate these activities to be sure they are carried out.

I work with selling managers across the country. I have found that they have been successful as agents because of their personal attention to their buyers and sellers. They want to continue this, and can't see how they can expand their business as agents. The answer is systemization, delegation and training of those you delegate to. The same answer is true of your duties as a manager. Admittedly, you don't have time to personally carry out the duties of management. However, as you systematize and delegate, you can accomplish at least 200% more than you could have without systems and delegation.

MAKE IT OR BUY IT

I can hear you now. You're saying: How can I systematize when I don't even know how to do it myself? You don't have to create the system yourself. Buy it! For example, a good training system will cost you $300-$1000. It represents hundreds of thousands of dollars of the creator's time, talent, and test marketing. What's your time worth? Even if you were an expert writer of training programs, your main income source is sales, and helping those who sell with you become more productive. Let someone else create the systems. In the sidebar below, I've given you an example of the processes and systems you should develop or buy. Take this list and check those you now have. Then, prioritize the list and put dates to either create or buy these systems.

HOW MANY AGENTS BEFORE SYSTEMATIZING?

You need management systems if you have one or more agents in your office. I hear, “Carla, I have only 3 agents. I don't need a training program.” Shame on you! How are you going to compete unless you have systems -- no matter the number of agents! They're paying you to help them. Don't take the money without providing the services.

EMBRACING WHAT YOU WANT TO AVOID

Issue Three: Selling managers want to avoid the activities that make them effective managers: recruiting, selecting, training, coaching, and consulting. You don't need to avoid them! In fact, you can use your sales skill to embrace them, without spending much more time. Here's how:

Recruiting . . .

Buy a recruiting system and delegate its mailing/calling activities. Use contact management to manage your program, just like you do in selling homes. While you're selling, take the opportunity to tell good agents about your company. Practice your presentation, just like you practice your sales presentation. Have a personal recruiting presentation (visual) ready (just like you have your portfolio, brochures, and so forth available as an agent). Have a personal brochure, just like you have as an agent. You're lucky. You've already created these as an agent. Now, just change the target audience and you have the promotional materials you need as a manager.

Selecting . . .

Practice your presentation and systematize it, just like you have your sellers/buyers/qualifying presentation. You can buy ready-to-customize selection presentations for managers, too. (I'm not talking about company presentations!)

Training . . .

Buy a training system and use it! Your biggest problem is that you spend too much of your management time in crisis management! That's a training issue! If they were trained better, they wouldn't get into a crisis. Don't attempt to write your own training program. You don't have time, and, probably, that's not your area of expertise. Be sure your programs have the “how to,” not just the “what” of real estate practice. A good program is highly designed. It should include a detailed facilitator guide, to tell you what to train to, in the right order, what delivery methods to use (role play, discussion, and so forth), and what outcomes to expect.

LEVERAGE YOUR STRENGTHS

Issue Four: You're not using the strengths you have as an agent in your management activities. You're great at sales. Develop (or, better yet, buy) a coaching program and implement it, with you as the first coach. Caution: It must be a credible, real program. You can't use those new agents as your assistants! New agents desperately want to see how it's done. Combine your training program with on-the job coaching.

Let them go along and see how you do things. Make them accountable to package and practice so they could step in if you faint in the middle of the presentation! Use your personal coaching program in recruiting and selecting. You'll see the number of recruits you get shoot up!

Bottom line: Management is a science and an art. It won't work to cop out by saying you just don't have time! If Bill Gates can run a company the size of Microsoft, you can run your company and continue to do what you do best -- sell.

SIDEBAR

Packaging / Systematizing For More Fun and Profit

13 Systems to Make a Manager's Life Easier:

Training school information, pre-license

First visit package, recruiting

Manager's presentation book, recruiting

Orientation package, new to office

Letters, testimonials, referrals, recognition

Mission, values, marketing book in office, training room

New agent start-up plan, coaching

Agent's listing, buyer presentations, checklists

Agent recruiter and task force materials, for agent recruiting task force

Recruiting plan, contact management

Agent, agent communications, operations book

Prospecting systems

Experienced agent start-up plan, coaching