Let’s face it. None of us are perfect and neither are the agents we work for.
It could be that your lead agent has never had an employee before she hired you. So maybe her leadership skills could use some improving.
You can help her do that by asking questions in order to gain clarity about yourself and the work you are doing.
Here are a few to get you going.
- Is that how you wanted me to handle that?
- What did you think about the report I put out to everyone?
- What do you think I can do to improve this system?
- How can I improve my leadership skills?
Keep asking until you get an actionable answer.
An actionable answer is one that you can do. It’s a next action on your to-do list. It’s a “if this, then that.”
For example, your agent tells you that instead of telling the seller which repair items he should do, you instead ask the seller, “If I could recommend fixing only the most pressing things on this list, would you like to know what those are?” That’s a “if this, then that.” If you get a list of repairs requested by the buyer, then you ask the seller this question.
Now it is something you can do. It is actionable.
If your agent tells you, “No, that’s not how I want that handled. You were too direct on the phone with the seller,” then that’s not actionable. Ask more questions such as, “Can you give me an example of what to say?” or “What’s a better way to say it without spending all day on the phone with this seller?”
Really get to the meat of the matter. Your communication with your agent will improve immensely in this manner.
The same is true in reverse. If you have suggestions for your agent, speak up.
Try, “If I saw there was a way for you and I to work more efficiently, would you want to know what that is?”
This is such a powerful question! No one likes being told what to do, but if you get her permission first, then you have license to do so.
I promise, your agent will not say no to this question!
Make your suggestion in the form of another question such as, “What if we had the sellers fill out an information sheet with their phone numbers and email addresses while you are at the listing presentation? That way, I have all the information I need to write up a listing agreement for you if they decide to put their house on the market. During what part of the listing presentation could you put that in front of them?”
And now you have a dialogue going about something that, once implemented, will make your job immediately easier.
These kinds of questions improve the relationship you have with your lead agent. You become a better leader when you ask questions that improve how you work and how your agent works.
And what agent doesn’t want a leader at the helm of their business?
What questions are you using with your agent to make yourself or the business better? Leave them in the comments, or drop me an email. I’d love to connect! egilbert@kw.com
