Motivate your agents
It takes more than money to keep agents and assistants productive.

by Ward Lowe

Put away your checkbook and save the Knute Rockne speeches. Successfully motivating your agents and assistants takes more than a one-shot bonus or thundering inspirational message. In fact, most people’s motivation comes from within—all you can do is facilitate that driving force.

“You really don’t motivate someone,” says John Baldoni, a leadership consultant, speaker, and author based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “You create conditions for them to motivate themselves. You create a healthy working environment, you communicate, you reward, and you recognize people’s work.”

Say it like you mean it

Show them more than the money

How you create an environment conducive to motivation depends on what each agent or assistant values. Money doesn’t always carry the day—Baldoni contends that motivating with money gets only compliance from agents, not commitment.

“Money is a satisfier,” he says. “You need a certain income to survive, but if you motivate strictly on the basis of money, over time no amount of money is ever enough. There are few people whose sole motivation from a job is money. For most, there must be some kind of enrichment from the job—maybe making a difference in the community.”

Silva Mirzoian, who runs workshops on REALTOR® motivation and empowerment based on her experiences from 22 years as a broker, agrees. “The best way to motivate agents is to get them to focus on their lifestyle, not how much money they can make,” she says. “Because when they focus on their lifestyle, it’s easier for them to develop their business as part of their life, instead of something they have to do because they have bills to pay.”

Find out what excites them

Whether you’re sponsoring a rookie salesperson or veteran agent, successful motivation of that person begins when you agree to do business together. At that point, you should have a conversation that enables you to determine what drives the person.

Ask them about their goals, suggests Baldoni, and find out how they like to be recognized. Encourage them to tell you how you can succeed together. Discover what gets them excited. “Is it recognition, financial reward, free time, their name in the paper? Find out what excites them and then reward them accordingly,” Baldoni says.

A reward system often works to keep agents focused on their goals. Whether you track the positive feedback from comment cards on agents or tally transaction sides closed in the office, creating specific, measurable objectives and rewarding those who meet them can trigger some people’s inner drives. You can include unlicensed assistants in such rewards by designing achievements tailored to their contributions in your office.

Say it like you mean it “Appreciation and praise are more powerful motivators than money,” says Mike Moore, professional speaker and author of How to Improve Staff Morale Using Humor Appreciation and Praise. Improve the way you communicate and deliver praise using these tips from Moore: Listen more than you talk. There is nothing more affirming than the undivided attention of another. Always use the first name of the person you’re addressing. Be generous with encouragement and affirmation. If you find it difficult to express affirmation and encouragement in person, write notes or e-mails instead. When you must correct someone or express disapproval, do so in private and never when angry. Ask about people’s lives outside of work.

However, such incentives only work if you know what drives your agents and assistants, and what types of rewards excite them. Since you discussed those topics when you agreed to do business together, you already know the those things, right?

Personalize any reward or recognition. Give amusement-park passes to the woman who wants to spend more time with her family. Buy theater gift certificates for the movie buff. Mention your most-improved agent in a newspaper ad.

Create a successful lifestyle

Mirzoian takes a holistic approach to motivation by inviting agents to envision and reach for their ideal working lifestyle. “Get them to list their interests, hobbies, passions—the causes they like to get involved in,” she says.

From that list, you as a broker can help the agent create a marketing plan that encompasses these interests. Then, the agent’s job incorporates things she likes to do and it’s less drudgery, less work. “It fits them like a glove,” asserts Mirzoian.

A salesperson who loves the outdoors might go after more rural properties. A golfer may concentrate on master-planned communities around golf courses. The plan enables the agent to be more genuine and enjoy work more—that comfort level and excitement acts as its own motivation, Mirzoian claims, and leads to more success.

After you set up a marketing plan based on an agent’s interests, break down the plan into short-term and long-term goals. “Try not to focus on a dollar amount,” she cautions. “Try to focus on achievements.” Then conduct a monthly, one-on-one follow-up to check on the agent’s progress toward his goals.

Concentrate on encouraging agents to reach the lifestyle they want, meeting their goals along the way. “You think you’re encouraging or motivating someone by telling them to be a top producer, but it’s a short-term success,” Mirzoian cautions. “After a while it becomes a burden for the agent to maintain that status. It takes away from teamwork in the office.” Competing with yourself instead of trying to out-produce your colleague makes for a better working environment.

Is something burning?

Whether an agent stumbles under the burden of past success or your attempts at motivation fail to encourage him, his performance will suffer. Be alert for these problems and catch them before they lead to agent burnout.

“The biggest enemy of a REALTOR® is burnout,” says Mirzoian. “When an agent comes into the business and is so focused on making money and works seven days a week … you burn yourself out.”

Baldoni recommends periodically asking your agents or assistants: “Are you getting enough support from me to do the job?” Sit down with them—even if their performance seems OK—and make sure you’re doing all you can to help them succeed. Personal attention like that will act as its own motivation.

And sometimes, just providing counsel or listening about an agent’s rough closing or rude client can make all the difference. “Being an agent is a tough job,” Mirzoian says. “Clients don’t see all the stress and emotion agents go through for every transaction.” But you, as a broker, know the ups and downs of the real estate profession. Use that knowledge and understanding to create conditions where your agents can motivate themselves.

For a look at what drives your fellow Texas REALTORS®, turn to “What’s my motivation?” on page 6.

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