When you are a team lead, managing broker or broker-owner, you have a whole different set of time management challenges. Not only are you juggling more, you’re also managing a staff or team — and helping them manage their time as well.
We reached out to team leaders and brokers for some of their big, game-changing ideas you might not have considered. Whether you’re managing a brokerage or an admin — or are building your business with an eye on doing so eventually — you’ll benefit from their insights and expertise.
1. Training matters
Dave Nimick
Dave Nimick
Team Lead, The Nimick Team, Chicago
Until someone’s fully trained, the onus is on the head of the team to train them. When people come in, I have things set to go over in a logical order every day. You have to be diligent about prioritizing training daily, whether it’s a new admin or a salesperson.
After several weeks or a month, this systematic training might drop to three times a week, but there are still set times and specific topics to cover. I’ve seen more Realtors than I can count who just say “Follow me around” and don’t really focus on training. The new person feels like, “So you didn’t care enough to figure this out before I got here.”
Top-notch training in all of the aspects of being an agent is important. Managing a team of agents requires you to go into the office. Personally, I find that I am more productive out of the office, however, in order to help with lead generation and doing the job day-to-day, I have to spend time in the office. Once your team is experienced and they know what they’re doing, they may not need quite as much supervision.
Training takes time, but that structure makes the difference in the success of the new team member. Have their learning as the focal point.
2. Set expectations
Heather Embrey
Heather Embrey
Associate Broker at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Premier, Virginia
Set expectations with your client from day one. I tell my folks that I work seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., but Wednesday is my “off” day. I let them know they can reach me on Wednesday for urgent matters (contract negotiations, new listings, etc) but otherwise, I’ll get back to them on Thursday. I feel they respect my schedule.
Most importantly, do not stray from those hours. The first time you respond to a “quick text” at 9:30 p.m., you have set a new expectation. If we set normal business hours, maybe it will help our profession rise up to professional business.
3. Schedule the unexpected
Sandra Kirkland
Sandra Kirkland
Real Estate Broker/Manager at Plantation Place, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Ontario
Schedule a crisis hour every day (often from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.). If something goes pear-shaped, you’ve got extra time to deal with it. If everything is running smoothly, you have an extra hour to put towards a project that keeps falling down the priority scale, lunch with a past client or personal time to yourself.
4. Optimize travel time
Kyle Whissel
Kyle Whissel
Team Leader, Whissel Realty Group at eXp Realty
I’m on the road an average of two hours per day. By having a driver, I’m able to GSD while going to and from appointments. While I could make calls if I was driving myself, I wouldn’t be able to research past communications prior to calls or log notes after calls.
In addition, the majority of communication these days is done via email, text and chat. I can’t safely or legally do any of these while driving. Having a driver allows me to get all three of these done.
As a result of having a driver, when I put in an eight-hour day, it’s a true eight-hour day, not a six-hour day. My driver is also my personal assistant and does a variety of other tasks for me. He makes me money by freeing up my time in the car to be more productive.
5. Know what your time is worth
Alex Tooke
Alex Tooke
Co-Founder/Employing Broker, The Peak Properties Group, Colorado
Know the value of your time-blocked hours. Set out to know what it costs you when you skip that prospecting hour or meeting. It’s more than skipped time; it’s an actual dollar amount. When you add up what you wasted in a day you understand what you need to prioritize.
6. Follow the commandments
Kirk Simmon
Kirk R. Simmon
Founder and Head of Business Intelligence, Henry Ryan Group at Premiere Plus Realty, Pennsylvania
- Practice holistic time blocking starting with your life first.
- Outsource tasks: laundry service, Instacart, Uber/Lyft
- Maintain Inbox Zero (Do, Delegate, Archive)
- Read voicemail
- Hire a sign service or take a sign and lockbox to every listing appointment
- Send over a pre-listing package to cut down on time at listing appointments
- Schedule a buyer consultation to cut down on decision-making time and showings
- Hire a showing assistant
- Learn how to template all contracts and forms
- Copy agents or admins in esignature emails so that they receive the signed copy and you don’t have to re-send
- Set a timer for that “quick trip” to the office.
