Agent-Centric Offices or Consumer-Centric offices?

By Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

I am reading a lot of articles which say that 2019 is the year of the consumer-centric real estate office. Let’s evaluate that.  I’ve always believed in managing from the top down, one layer at a time. Leading from the top down, one layer at a time, with the right people, is still the most effective way to be a profitable and dominant real estate organization. Nothing that I’ve seen in the past year or two has changed that belief.

What that means is that the owner, the person at the top of the pyramid, needs to be a visionary. They’re the rainmakers. They create opportunities. They create the atmosphere. They have the vision and they share it with the builders of the organization. That’s what they love to do! Here’s the catch — every good visionary needs a person to keep it all running and to keep it together. The Leader needs a person with great people skills and lots of patience. Sometimes this is a general manager. Sometimes it’s a manager. If the leader of the organization chooses the right individual, who cares about their people and gives them the support, that’s the best recipe for success.

Next, empower that person or persons to hire the right agents. When you take care of your agents and give them what they need, emotionally, physically, and professionally, they will take care of your clients. Ours is a relationship business which means that the client needs to have a relationship with the agents for repeat referral business and long-term business relationships. When everyone from the top down embraces and empowers those in their care to do their job to the best of their ability, everyone wins. Well-trained, well-educated agents who care for consumers. I think that is when the consumer wins.

What is a consumer-centric organization? That’s when the person at the top jumps over the agent and focuses on what the consumer wants and needs. From my viewpoint, 20% of consumers would like to handle every aspect of the transaction. They love all the new technology as well as the control that they now have to be involved if they choose to do so. However, 80% of consumers still prefer to have an agent they know and trust to handle the details for them. Agents-centric or consumer-centric? My money’s on agent-centric. Not only today but as we go into the future.

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