-rsh

-rsh

“If you're not growing market share, you're dying.”

The best firm of 10 great, productive, ethical agents could dominate a firm with 50 marginal agents.

Growing up I watched my father operate successful real estate offices in small towns with 8-10 real estate agents. Everyone of those offices profitable.

Now a 10 agent office is small, hell a 20 agent office is considered small.

With that being said, three facts of now.

Fact 1: There are less transactions being done.
Fact 2: There are still too many real estate agents based on Fact 1.
Fact 3: You can never have enough productive real estate agents in your company.

1. Yes, if you are big with turn over, you must grow or you will die. Not true with brokerages that are concerned with the quality of agents. If you don't have an overhead problem, you don't require constant growth but focus on retention and organic growth.

2. I hate Home Depot but love Ace Hardware. Ace has gotten it right with smaller stores staffed with knowledgeable sale people that you can actually find to answer your questions. You can wander around Home Depot for most of the afternoon never running into a sales associate.

3. Of course consumers want the best agents. My comment was the Brand or Brokerage claiming to have all the best agents – just another broad unsupported and more than likely false statement. The best agents can be found by driving around neighborhoods looking at for sale signs, on the Internet through blogs and interaction with consumer sites like Trulia and Zillow, and by asking friends and family. All more reliable methods than picking an agent because of the brand on their for sale sign.

That is why experienced established agents rarely refer business and friends via company relocation, but by personal knowledge or referrals – good agents can be found at large brokerages, small brokerages, and single practitioners.

I am looking forward to park 3 why all this is important and the big box brokerage will not go the way of the dinosaurs.

1. If you're not growing, you're dying.
2. It's not Big vs. Small; it's Big (Broker) vs. Big (Technology). Agents might not like the world without brokerages that much… think Home Depot.
3. And… yes, consumers are really looking for the best agents. How shall they find them?

-rsh