- RJ Breeden started growing his team after missing out on some deals and realizing he lost more money than the salary he would be paying someone.
- Managing clients' expectations has been Breeden's biggest challenge in growing a real estate team.
- Ultimately, having a team and managing employees has been much more rewarding than being a one-man operation for Breeden.
Jason Balin’s guest today is RJ Breeden of Re/Max Sails’ The Breeden Group. Breeden got into real estate about six years ago, after working in the hospitality industry.
When he started out, he was a one-man operation, and he began growing his real estate team about three years ago.
He decided it was time to hire an assistant when he missed out on three great deals in a row because he was too busy. He now has four agents who work for him, as well as the same full-time assistant he hired three years ago, who he considers his right hand.
Breeden then hired buyer’s agents to work on his team who know the areas and inventories.
He needed people who would be as dedicated to his clients as he is and who would make the process as exciting as it should be when buying a home. They are experts in their craft from contract to close.
The delicate art of handing off leads
The challenges of growing a team, for Breeden, have mostly been managing his own expectations for his team.
He addresses the potential challenge of clients feeling “pawned off,” so to speak, as he grew his team. He talks about losing clients as a result of trying to manage everyone himself, even after hiring his agents, and the great process he came up with that involves his whole team.
The system not only qualifies them to the buyer but also the buyer to them. It’s also the best way to do a “warm hand-off” to someone on his staff, rather than having his clients feel he is too busy for them.
Breeden emphasizes that you must trust your employees to do right by you and your business.
He understands there will undoubtedly be some growing pains as you start to build your real estate team, but he believes it is ultimately worth everything you put in.
Contacting with care
What does a productive day look like for Breeden? He jokes that any day there’s a settlement is a productive day.
The most interesting takeaway from his routine is that he calls five people from his database every day.
Balin hits on the topic of databases, pointing out that when you contact people who just bought a house, they probably don’t need another house, but reaching out to them is like contacting everyone they know. Watch to learn more from this leading agent in the Baltimore market!
Chris Haddon is an entrepreneur based in Washington, D.C., a partner at Hard Money Bankers and a co-founder of REI360.net.
