When I transitioned from accounting to real estate in 2004 as a business development rep for Fidelity National Title, I knew no one in the business. A law in TX called “P53” had passed with the Texas Dept of Insurance outlawing title companies to buy business from REALTORS via lavish trips, dinners, parties, marketing ploys, etc. I got there right in time for the paradigm shift to actually earning the business. So, what I realized early on going from salary to base + commission is that there is a lot less supervision and more room for being lax on the job. That was just my observation in my own life; I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be full commission with no one ever reviewing your performance with virtually no accountability.
So, my method to the madness was to interview REALTORS, compile a business plan, and hold them accountable on a weekly basis to the tasks they had committed to. If I could make them more productive and efficient, they would do more business and be more successful. In turn for being their drill sergeant, they would send all of their title business to me. And it worked! After the first 2 months, I was the top sales rep every single month I was there.
In 2005, after I had mentored enough REALTORS and decided that I would give this gig a go as a single mother of 2 on ONLY commission, I realized I was craving “me” very early on. While I was in high spirits and very sure I had found my calling, I missed that sales manager accountability and camaraderie we had developed, always having someone to bounce ideas on. I had become a loan wolf. It was “crickets” all around me. Brutality…
While all of us (investors, REALTORS, loan officers, sales reps, insurance agents, etc.) are looking for the “secret sauce” to success, it really comes down to the duration of consistent trial and error. A buddy in the business becomes priceless.
So all this to say that I desperately yearn for accountability, not a job coach, just someone to keep my back side in gear. I even got to the point earlier this year where I put together an entire business plan for my little budding venture. I have too many ideas to count, but I lack in implementation. Someone just needs to stick me in a think tank somewhere… So 7 years later as a real estate broker, short sale processing co owner, investor, nonprofit event planner, single mama…I still long for someone to keep me on track, focused, on the mark…
What I envisioned was a group of independent professionals that got together once a month, bounced ideas off each other in different industries in order to get new ideas, and utilized a BNI component to exchange referrals from this tight knit group. The other 3 weeks would be accountability from their leader via a 30 minute phone call routinely on a specific day and time.
Anybody know of any service like this? Anyone want me to start a company like this? If you build it, they will come? Surely, I can't be the only one that feels like this… I would pay a good $200/mo for something like this for my own business, and it would be infinitely worth it. So, like most of my ideas, this has stemmed from a problem of mine. Companies with solutions that take on components of other successful companies (Blue Ocean Strategies) and don't try to reinvent the wheel are the ones that win.
Alright friends, I'm asking for comments on this entry. Don't let me down! I prefer brutal honesty at all times. 🙂
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