Are you feeling trapped but hesitant about leaving your current brokerage office? Are you asking yourself, “What if it’s no better anywhere else I go?” Chances are you’re right. It isn’t better anywhere else.
That’s because the culture of today’s real estate brokerages are still operating under the same ‘ole antiquated system since the beginning of selling real estate.
The system is broken and what’s shocking is that it feels like nobody says anything. Alright, maybe they notice but nothing has been done about it.
Why real estate agents leave brokerages.
What are the biggest reasons you or your colleagues decide to switch brokerages? No, wait. Let me take a wild guess:
Lack of training. Getting your real estate license doesn’t suddenly mean you know how to sell houses. Sales is what your career is based around and if you aren’t being given the training on how to sell, you’re looking for someone who will.
Broker-centric culture. The environment of the office is centered around one thing only: your broker getting their share of your work and money. There is very little (if any) agent-centric perspective.
Lousy commission splits. It’s okay, you can say it out loud. The commission structure is awful. How is it not a travesty that you go out and find the clients, do all the work, sell the home and then have to pay someone half your commission for hanging your license on their wall? Wouldn’t it be nice instead to keep 100 percent of your commission? Maybe take your spouse out to a fancy dinner more than once a year just because you can? Or pay off that second vehicle a year or two early?You earned it, why shouldn’t you? (Ah, dare to dream)
Real estate brokerages are broken.
That’s right. Broken. Kaput. Done. Not gonna squeeze another ounce of life out of it. So if that’s true then why do most brokerages operate the same way? Because the system is frozen in time. It’s still advocating 1950s marketing techniques in a 21st-century world. Still using paper when the world has long since moved on to digital. And worse, it has brainwashed you into believing it’s the only way to sell real estate.
The belief systems we were taught years ago are no longer valid and must be questioned. It’s time to throw away every single principle that no longer works and start reframing our perspectives toward a life of service for our clients. We are in the business of changing lives.
So how do we do that?
Determine if your current brokerage supports you unconditionally. Sure, if you don’t sell anything then there is no firm that will put up with that, but if you are doing everything you can and you still close one house a month, are they still going to congratulate you for your hustle? Find a brokerage that will provide a supportive culture for all its agents.
If they invest in you, then invest with them. Training, training, training. You should be with a brokerage who understands that knowledge isn’t just power, it’s about sales. The more of it they can provide you, the better your chances are to succeed.
Don’t stay in the relationship if it’s no longer working for you. In sales, the only loyalty you should stay true to is results. Results will get everyone what they want. If your brokerage isn’t holding up its end of the deal, it’s time to move on without remorse.
This is YOUR business. Demand to be in control of it.
Get organized before you go: a checklist for changing real estate brokerages
Our friends over at Adwerx recently created a great checklist to help agents navigate changing brokerages with ease. There is so much to do that the little things can be lost in the shuffle. Click on the image below to download the handy dandy checking to help make sure you don’t miss a thing!
