It goes without saying that building a staff that supports the vision, mission, and values of our company is one of the most important responsibilities of our broker owners. That is why I have spent so much time refining the Agent Service Manager job description. That one person alone can make or break our business.
The cost of staffing, especially when an office offers property management services, is one of its largest expenses. Our goal is to define the job we need done, and hire an individual with the specific skill set, and conative drive, to excel. That is the essence of building a unique ability team.
Successful staffing requires:
- A shared company culture where leadership walks the talk every day.
- Each team member knowing what success looks like in their job.
- A detailed job description focused on a specific set of responsibilities. As with the Agent Service Manager job description (SEE BELOW), it is often appropriate to make clear what their job is not.
- Knowledge of everyone else’s job descriptions so they know how their role impacts everyone else. This reinforces accountability throughout the team.
- A formal review and recognition process.
- A pre-hiring assessment procedure to help ensure a right-fit hire.
What Staff Member Success Look Like at ROOST and Lucky Town
One of the ways to hire the right person is to tell them up front what we expect. We look for people that display the following mindsets and behaviors:
Have an Ownership Attitude
When there is a problem, step up and take responsibility. Never report a problem without bringing a solution along for the ride.
Create Value
Continuously look for new ways to be of greater use to our clients and fellow team members. Look for new ways to contribute and help our clients realize their goals.
Take Initiative
Don’t wait to ask permission to do the right thing when it comes to exceeding the expectations of a client. We expect you to do what is right.
Focus on Results
The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. We trade on performance, not promise.
Have Patience and Compassion
We serve a diverse client base with varied educational and socio-economic backgrounds. Not all of our clients will handle problems and conflict the way you or I might. Regardless, we will treat everyone we serve with the utmost dignity and respect.
Take a Partner
Some of our challenges are bigger than we are or at least seem that way. Take a partner with another team member or team leader. Don’t hide bad news thinking it will go away. If something feels wrong, it probably is.
Never Give Up
Mistakes and breakdowns in performance are learning opportunities in disguise. You will make mistakes – our hope is that you will do all you can to never make the same mistake twice.
Staff 4 X 4 Reviews
Each team leader should do a REBL 4X4 Review on an annual basis, or as needed based on performance, with each of their direct reports. The 4 X 4 Review form is divided into four boxes. The four boxes or categories of review are Performance, Results, Being a Hero, and What Drives Me Crazy.
The Performance box is broken down in such a way that a team leader can review a team member’s performance based on being Alert, Curious, Responsive, and Resourceful. I think it is safe to say these are qualities we all want in a team member. The form encourages the team leader to think critically about team member’s performance and document examples of past behavior that illustrates these qualities.
The second of the four boxes is about Results, or the lack thereof. How did the team member make something, or do something, Faster, Easier, Cheaper, or Bigger? Again, an honest assessment requires both critical thinking and real-life examples.
Boxes three and four are more subjective in nature. Box three forces the team member to look for the positives in a team member’s performance. Often this exercise alone changes the nature of the conversation. The What Drives Me Crazy box is designed to promote an open and honest dialogue with the team member.
Pre-Hiring Assessments
First of all, when we have a job opening, we try to be very specific about the duties the job requires, and the skill set we are looking for. We have had success attracting applicants for office staff positions on www.indeed.com. Here is a past post.
Agent Service Manager / Receptionist
#1 Priority is to support the sales and property management teams in the office. The ideal team member will bring consistency, quality control, and creativity to our client experience. Daily duties may include:
- Maintain a professional atmosphere in the reception and office areas at all times. Keep office tidy and keep trash removed.
- Answer the phone by third ring each time. Good Afternoon ROOST Real Estate Co. how may I help you?
- Greet walk in traffic
- Accept rent and turn in to accounting.
- Collect rental applications and application fees.
- Support and assist every agent in the office to the best of your ability.
- Make copies, send faxes, scan, and email, cover other team members as needed.
- Maintain files to Ohio Division of Real Estate standards. (We keep three years + the current year.) -Assist agents with marketing
- Assist agents with Dotloop use and compliance.
- Assist with new agent onboarding and Quick Start Game Plan checklists.
- Assist with Client Appreciation Events / Parties, meetings etc.
- Schedule showings for agents and complete random tasks as requested.
- Input new listings and duplicate listings for agents in WRIST and / Cincinnati MLS.
- Process listing and purchase files, make deposits and write commission checks to agents using QuickBooks Online.
This is a part-time position. Hours are 1pm to 5pm Monday – Friday. This could become full-time in the next few months. Applicants must have basic internet, email, and Microsoft Office skills. Candidates must complete a pre-hire assessment of basic math and problem-solving skills. We will run a criminal background check. $10.00 to $12.00 per hour pay range to start with a 90-day probationary period. We offer one week of paid vacation and six paid holidays a year based on the average number of hours worked.
Email resumes and/or a cover letter with a summary of qualifications to Gretchen Mitchell. No phone calls please. Job Type: Part-time. Salary: $10.00 to $12.00 /hour.
As applications come in, our team leaders review them and schedule interviews. The initial interviews usually take no more than 20 minutes.
Promising applicants are then asked to come back later to complete a Kolbe A assessment (www.Kolbe.com), and a pre-hire test we have refined over the years. The Kolbe A gives us a picture of how an applicant approaches their work which we can compare with former successful team members in that position. Moreover, we can look at the Kolbe A results relative to the applicant’s prospective team members’ results and see how they may work together.
Our pre-hire test is essentially a story problem math test. One job that I have failed to automate over the years is breaking down, and charging back, the hourly work done by our property management maintenance staff.
Each week we must break down the work documented on the timecards, by the addresses worked at, totaled by owner. The owner totals have to match the timecard totals, so we can be reimbursed for the payroll we paid out. It sounds easy, but it is not. Barely half of the people who try the exercise can complete it.
It Works!
Nothing is perfect but I can tell you that the team members we hire today are far more successful than those we hired a few short years ago. I cannot tell you how proud I am of our team.
The Self-Managing Real Estate Brokerage
Would you like to have a Self-Managing Real Estate Brokerage of your very own? Check us out today at www.PartnerWithROOST.com, reach out and schedule a call. I’d love to hear from you.
