Most of us have written dozens, if not hundreds of offers on behalf of our buyer clients, but I’m going to show you a new twist, and one that you may have never even considered.  Let me ask you this: Where does it say that the buyer must be the one to write the offer?  What if a seller wrote the offer?  It’s perfectly legal.  Just not traditional.  Hmmm.  That’s a new twist, now isn’t it?  Here’s how it works.

Suppose you have a listing and the market is somewhat crowded.  I know, that never happens, but just try to imagine it (HA!).  There are lots of other competing listings, and your client’s home is just another in a virtual sea of similar properties.  Here’s a simple technique you can use to generate some additional interest and often secure a buyer for your client’s home.

Get your seller to write an offer and present it to a buyer.  It could be a buyer of yours, or it could be another buyer.  It could be someone who has seen the home before, or it might even be someone who has never seen the home.  It might be a way to get a buyer customer off the fence and turn him into a client.  Or it might just be what’s needed to take a buyer client who can’t seem to make up his mind and get him focused on one home — your client’s home.

At a minimum, it gets the conversation started and gets things moving.  It’s a lot easier to steer a moving car than a parked one!  What’s the worst thing that could happen?  The offer is rejected?  Okay.  But maybe it will be countered.  People purchase by emotion, and if you can bring some of the right emotion into the sale, you might just put together a deal.

Let me give you a scenario.  You help your seller write an offer to a buyer, detailing some of the concessions that might be considered.  For example, the seller is willing to paint the entire interior with the paint of the buyer’s choice and re-carpet allowing the buyer to choose the carpet.  The seller wants their home to go to someone who they think will take good care of it and someone they feel would make great neighbors for their friends.

Now imagine you are the buyer?  Do you like this seller?  Of course you do.  Does part of you want to help them?  Sure it does.  As a buyer, don’t you want to move into a neighborhood when the seller wants to make sure and find good neighbors for their friends next door?  Absolutely.  It puts this home on a totally different plane than the other nameless, faceless, blind properties they are considering.

So have the seller (as part of the listing process) write out a personal letter naming the neighbors and detailing the great things about the home and the area, understanding that you will then use that as a cover letter when writing an offer to a future potential buyer.  Even if nothing comes of it, you win three ways:

First, the seller loves you for your creative sales ability and because they think they are doing something rather than just waiting.  The buyer (who often has not listed yet) thinks, I need this agent to list my home for me.  Finally, the other agent loves you because you have helped turn his “looker” into a serious buyer.  He may have been trying to get his client to write an offer for days, and you finally broke the ice for him.

Okay, so what’s the down side?  There isn’t one.  This strategy costs you nothing and allows you to position yourself uniquely, and you might just sell your client’s home quicker.  Now that’s cool.  That’s Max-Bang!

Here’s a great way to find new customers, and it costs almost nothing.  It works best if you have a pickup truck or mini-van, but that isn’t necessary.  You will be working out of your vehicle, so it is important that it be clean and nice looking, whatever it is.  Here is your investment:  Go out and buy some magnetic signs that say “New Home Sales” and your company name as required by law.  Contact local builders and tell them you are specializing in new construction sales, but would like to represent buyers.

Almost all builders (regardless of their listing agent) will be happy to supply you with floor plans, feature sheets, subdivision maps, pricing, etc. that you can put together into a three ring binder.  Now all you have to do is be driving around in those new construction neighborhoods about the time people come by to look at homes.

You are an “expert” since you have the specifics on every home, you have a builder key, and you have your sign on your vehicle telling the world you are!  So every evening (from about 4:00 to 7:00, you troll for new home buyers.  You have a mobile file cabinet with all your forms and supplies, and you can write an offer from the home or from your vehicle.

The listing company will often not appreciate your trolling for buyers in “their” neighborhood.  Tough!  You are not representing the builder, they are.  But you have every right to represent buyers of new homes.  What’s particularly cool about this strategy is that at about the same time most agents are going home from spending the day in the model home, the traffic in the neighborhood begins to pick up as buyers are cruising around after work looking for their next dream house.

You have the expertise, the key, the flashlight (if need be), and all the paperwork to make it easy.  Your lender is on call.  Nobody else is around to help them, and you just got an easy sale by being in the right place at the right time.  Plus, it’s new construction so there won’t be problems with appraisals, inspections, or unmotivated sellers.  Better yet, the prices will be higher, and your clients will be thrilled!  How cool is that?!  That’s Max-Bang!

Our company, FavoriteAgent.com, is the global leader in real estate virtual office technology, and we believe very much in the independence of agents and in lowering the high cost of overhead in today’s brokerages.  I’m about to share an idea that will be of more benefit to brokers than for agents, but even for an agent, it will result in a huge benefit in building market share and generating new business.

Imagine if you found and listed a nice home in a very busy residential area.  Maybe it’s near the entrance to a large subdivision, or maybe it’s on a busy street.  For this strategy to work well, the home must be in a high traffic area, it must be vacant, it must be attractive, and the seller must agree to a few basic terms that will be in his best interest.

The seller must agree to have the lawn maintained weekly (whether blown for leaves in the fall and winter or whether mowed in the spring and summer).  He must also agree to keep the utilities turned on and to provide you with high speed internet.  Most of the time, when you list the house, the utilities are on, and it already has internet so it shouldn’t be a tough sell when he sees what’s in it for him.

You agree and put it in your contract that you will set up a permanent sales office in the home and will man it every single day until the property sells. Think of a sales center for new homes.  You promise to keep the interior clean, vacuumed, mopped, and windows clean. Then you put up several open house directionals and yard signs in prominent locations, and you put streamers in the yard like a model home.

Voila, you have a brand new real estate office, rent free, utility free, and without problems with zoning, signage, etc. because it is not a business location but rather an “open house”.  For less than a hundred dollars, you can buy a couple of folding tables and chairs, although it might be feasible to work from the kitchen counter.  You will need to purchase a plastic mobile file box (or maybe two), and some basic office supplies, but otherwise your laptop and a printer will be all you need.

If you are the broker and you are thinking this might just work, it will.  Think about it.  The seller wins because he has your entire company focusing on selling his home.  He has a tremendous amount of exposure for very little more (if any) investment.  He also has someone ensuring the home is not being vandalized.   You win because you have your entire team working from that location and you have automatically created new leads for your agents, increasing sales and revenues, all while lowering your expenses.

Here is one of the really cool advantages though.  Now all of the neighbors will start asking their agents why they can’t have a full-time open house.  You will have the ultimate brand building opportunity and soon other sellers in the neighborhood will want you to do it for them!  How cool is that?!  Sure, you move your offices every few months, but so what?  It only takes about 30 minutes to move and your overhead is completely free!  Meanwhile you are that creative company that will host an open house until it sells!  That’s huge!  That’s Max-Bang!

I digress.  Why are they leaving the industry?  Primarily for one reason:  They can’t afford to stay.  In other words, the real estate business as it is today is not profitable at all for many of us, and only marginally profitable for the very fortunate.  What a shame.

Let’s talk about profitability.  You have revenue.  You have expenses.  What’s left over is profit.  Simple enough.  Now for those of you that don’t have a business background, increasing profitability is really a function of only two things:  1) increasing revenues; and 2) minimizing expenditures.  I know, there’s no big mystery there. But for many of us, increasing revenues and decreasing expenditures is easier said than done.

Many feel that they have little to no control over revenues, and that they are simply stuck with their current expenditures, but I believe that many of those assumptions are wrong.  In fact, I believe it is time to challenge some of those basic assumptions.   I believe that in today’s climate you must think outside the box if you are to gain a competitive edge and still do a great job serving your clients.

And that’s why I decided to share this series: The Max-Bang® Series.  How to get the maximum bang for your buck!  As you read the various installments, I would only ask you one thing.  Read them with an open mind.  Much of what I will present will be very different.  Very creative.  Very outside the box.  While I realize that no single idea will apply to every agent, I believe that all of them will help you, if only as an exercise in thinking outside the box.

While we are on the subject of “outside the box”, let me also offer this brief disclaimer.  Many of the ideas I am going to share will not be popular.  These ideas will not make you the next president of your local board.  They are, however, ethical and in the best interest of your clients.  A few of them may have to be slightly modified to be legal in some jurisdictions, as state and local laws vary.  But any idea I share should be able to be tweaked so as to fit within the laws and ordinances.  Outside the box?  Yes.  Outside the law?  No.

When you evaluate one of these ideas, I’ll ask you to do it based on its viability only — will it work to bring you more business or lower your costs?  Don’t worry about whether your competitor down the street will like you for it.  In most cases, he won’t.  He doesn’t want you to have an edge.

But why should you care anyway?  This is a business.  The only one you need to keep happy is your client.  Your very survival today depends on your ability to out-perform your competitors and do a better job serving your clients than they do.  Don’t think for an instant that making your fellow agent like you means he will send business your way.  He won’t.  Don’t worry about your competitors.  Keep it creative and keep it legal.  They’ll like you when you win.

There’s one last thing I’d like to share before jumping right into it is the series.  Many of you reading or watching by video have your own unique and creative ideas that could benefit the rest of us.   If you do, please send me an email and share your idea with me, and I will be happy to pass those tips along and give you credit.   Remember, whatever we sow, we’ll also reap, so do share with your fellow agents.  I can tell you from experience, it will come back to you.

I believe this Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010 is going to be phenomenal!  We have what I believe to be some truly great contestants who are ready to see transformation in their businesses!  What’s really cool is that the majority of the applicants are seasoned veterans who have come to realize (probably due to this current industry meltdown) that old-school real estate just isn’t working like it once did.  In case you’ve missed the previous articles about the contest details, here are links to bring you up to speed:

Enter the Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010
Thinking of Quitting Real Estate? Help!
Don’t Quit! Let Us Help!

Now, let me share a few excerpts from emails we’ve received.  I’ve omitted anything identifiable in the letters so as not to embarrass anyone, but if reading these doesn’t break your heart, nothing will.

“Well I’m not a “zero” but I am certainly at it!  My husband and I run this little company, now down to three lowly agents. Our company has been in business since 2003, and I have been licensed since 1994, having worked for several companies, both franchise and independent.  We attempted to open a second office in the Phoenix in 2007.  We spent time back and forth between the two areas, thus our personal production dropped and I was focusing only on broker duties.  We pulled out of Phoenix for good in the fall of 2008.   At that time my husband began looking for other sources of income due to the condition of the economy (still looking for the most part!).   I didn’t do any business in 2009 due to an illness in our family.  My daughter (27) was diagnosed with lung cancer.  I was her caregiver when she needed it.  She passed away in November.  We’ve cleared our heads and need to get back in business.”

“My wife sells residential real estate and I sell commercial and residential.  We have been top producers the past five years, but now we are not covering our expenses and having to dip into our IRAs pretty heavily to make expenses.  We are both working harder than ever, but falling further and further behind.”

“In all I had two transactions my first year (2006) and left the company with three listings (I lost them all).  My second year I had two transactions (one of them was a rental), and one listing that I did not sell (2008). My third year I had one transaction which was a listing (2009).  I feel I’m just spinning my wheels going nowhere fast.  I have no money, my motivation is about nothing.”

“I have been an average agent for the past two years. I know real estate transactions, but getting your foot in the proverbial “virtual door” has been somewhat of a perfect real estate storm.  I just wanted to be a listing agent where everyone comes to me.  I love real estate, and theoretically it will give me the freedom I desire, but for now I ‘m just looking for it to pay the bills.  This is why I am intrigued by your proposition.  I believe given the right tools and guidance a person can achieve great things.  I am ready to achieve great things and I would like to apply.”

I could go on and on, but I won’t.  As I read emails like these, I am truly excited about playing a small part in some new beginnings.  But I know that there are many more of you out there who are in a similar place.  It’s okay to struggle, and it’s probably not even your fault — the people who are supposed to be leading you are for the most part just as lost as you are.  But, knowing there is a solution and not at least giving it a try is your fault.  That’s why I’m writing this last appeal.  Let us help you turn your business around.

It costs nothing to be a part of the contest and our company is even covering your actual technology operating costs until you get some money coming in and can afford to pay your own bills.  Now how cool is that?!  So come on and be a part of this year’s Zero2Hero Agent Challenge.  Not only will it help you, but you’ll be helping other agents who are too shy to enter the contest but will follow along in your footsteps in private.   So send me an email to Matt.Jones@FavoriteAgent.com and let’s get you enrolled as a contestant!  You really will be glad you did!

The letter was what is known in legal circles as a “cease and desist” letter.  For the uninitiated, a cease and desist letter is a formal demand that is typically sent to another party warning them to stop doing something, or else! I’ve included a link to the actual letter at the bottom of this post.

Here’s what they said in a nutshell: Our company (Re/Max) has a trademark on using red-over-white-over-blue on a yard sign.  Please immediately discontinue the use of red-over-white-over-blue on all your company’s yard signs, worldwide.  In fairness, it was very cordial.

My thoughts were, are you kidding me? There are a total of three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.  Two of them contrast well on white.  (Any idea what those two might be?)  They asserted that consumers would be confused and unable to distinguish our companies’ respective signs.  I thought it might be fun to run an experiment.

After giving it some thought I replied to their request and have included a link to my reply at the bottom of this post.

Now I would like your help.  If you were confused (i.e., you chose Sign 2 above) please post a comment below and help me understand.  If you weren’t confused, please feel free to comment as well.

Click here to view the letter.  Click here to view my reply.

The Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010 contest will consist of 10 phases or evolutions.  During the contest the contestants will each blog and record video for every evolution, sharing their victories and struggles for others to learn from.  But, even more importantly, those watching the contest will be allowed to vote for their favorite agent (pun intended) for each evolution.  The agents’ fellow contestants will vote for their favorite with the completion of each evolution, and finally, the Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010 staff will also vote.

We will then tabulate the results and choose the evolution winners and ultimately the overall finalists and the contest winner.  But the fact is that every contestant wins!  Not only will each gain valuable training and experience and likely have a phenomenal year, but all the finalists will be featured in a large media spread by NewsGeni.us, our media partner, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars of free publicity.  Then the winner will be the focus of a feature article and interview, detailing the entire event.  Additionally, the overall winner will be given a free Virtual Office License and the opportunity to partner with FavoriteAgent.com to open his or her own FavoriteAgent.com brokerage.

Now, let’s talk about the ten phases or evolutions each agent will compete in.  Remember, the overall purpose is to learn real estate “the new way”, so we will begin at square one and move step by step, methodically through all the essential phases of real estate practice.  By the end of the final evolution, the contestants will have learned how to truly prosper in today’s Internet based real estate climate.  Here are the evolutions.

Evolution 1–  Getting Your Tools Together. This evolution will involve getting and setting up the state-of-the-art technology platform that will be the basis of all customer generation and client management.  Coaching sessions will include training and orientation on the technology, importing existing contacts, and becoming familiar with all the technology.  It is critical the each contestant get comfortable with using and relying on this new technology bundle, since it will be the very heart of real estate success.

Evolution 2 — Becoming the Best Agent. In the next evolution we will help each contestant with doing local market research and learning the key metrics for their own market.  The objective is to build a real knowledge base and a confidence level so each agent can become a top producing agent in their own market.  We will cover calculating true days on market (DOM), the absorption rate, sale probabilities, current inventory levels, average sale price, the market’s “sweet spot”, and finally, the market share and identity of the top agents in the market.

Evolution 3 — Building Your Business Plan. Now that each contestant is a very competent agent, it’s time to get down to business.  This is the section where we build a very specific business plan, from marketing, to time management, to what to do each day.  We will help each agent develop a vision for their success and then teach them how to develop their own business plan.  We will cover the entire process of reverse engineering their dream practice and show each contestant how to systematically make that dream a reality.

Evolution 4 — Marketing and Lead Generation. Next we will need customers, and this evolution will teach each contestant exactly how to get them.  Each will discover precisely how to evaluate any advertising or marketing idea and how to set up their own advertising campaign.  By the end of this evolution, each agent will have a steady, unending flow of new customer leads or opportunities.  They’ll learn how to effectively do pay-per-click advertising using the Google and Yahoo PPC networks, and how to generate free leads from the internet using sites like CraigsList.

Evolution 5 - The Art of Prospecting. Now that each contestant has a steady flow of business coming in, the next step will be learning how to turn that business into closed deals.  In this section, our coaching staff will cover prospecting, understanding the real estate buying cycle, the sales funnel and the prospecting numbers you can count on, how to establish a relationship with new prospects, as well as what to do and what not to do.  This will be the most important evolution and most likely the one most agents will struggle with.  Look for some real drama on this one!

Evolution 6 - Referrals for Dollars. After finally finishing and mastering the art of prospecting we will take a little bit of a break and touch on making money with little to no work at all.  Each agent will learn how to make steady money referring overflow business and out of town business to other agents, and collect a nice fat commission check in the process.  Items covered will be generating referral leads, finding good referral agents, and writing a referral agreement.  Many agents today make a good living without doing any real estate, simply by being great at referring business.

Evolution 7 - Learning to List. In this evolution, I will teach our contestants my Ultimate Listing Presentation that I’ve taught to over one-hundred thousand agents world-wide.  Each agent will learn how to list at a premium commission rate — several points higher than their market average — every time.  They’ll also learn the secret to get their clients top dollar and sell their homes in half the time of the average agent in their market.  And more importantly, they’ll learn how to keep from having to spend tons of money on advertising just to keep their sellers happy.  This evolution alone will change their real estate practice forever!

Maybe the idea of admitting to being a “Zero” was humiliating.  It’s my fault.  I probably didn’t explain it very well.  Let me try again.  There are many agents today — you may be one of them — who either realize, or are coming to realize, that the traditional way of doing real estate just isn’t working any more.  Many of the techniques that have become “staples” in our business, simply aren’t producing results any more.  That’s leaving many agents frustrated and many agents broke.  And frankly, it’s not their fault.

Others are realizing that they just picked a bad time to start into the real estate business.  Or at least they think it was a bad time.  Today’s economy, the tightening of credit, and the flood of distressed properties on the market, make it a tough time — even an impossible time — to start out in what in the best of times is a tough business.  But I say it is an awesome time to start this business, if you’re doing real estate the new way.

I know there are some of you who are maybe thinking of quitting the business, or going out and getting another job — not because you want to, but because you just can’t pay the bills doing real estate.  I spoke to an agent yesterday, who just left the business and started a 9-5 job doing something he has no interest in doing, simply because he’d gotten to the place where he couldn’t continue to support his family doing real estate.  It was very sad to hear him pour out his heart.

But before you give up, I want you to consider this:  Let us help you learn to do real estate the new way.  It’s easier than you think, and for those agents doing real estate this new way, times are not just okay — they’re great!  One agent in my office closed eleven transactions last month and took home over $63,000 in one of the worst months of one of the worst years our market has ever seen.  How?  He’s doing real estate the new way.

Have I piqued your curiosity?   Then think about entering our contest.  What have you got to lose?  We believe, and more importantly, we want to prove, that we can take agents starting from scratch or starting over, agents from markets all around the world, from big cities and from small towns, from low priced markets and from high priced markets, and by equipping them with the right tools and the right coaching, make them very successful.

So we had the idea for holding a national contest.  By having a national contest, and allowing other agents to watch over the contestants’ shoulders following the individual stories and even getting involved through voting for their favorites, we could challenge and help thousands of agents around the world.  Now how cool is that?  Not only would the contestants have the opportunity to turn their practices around, but they’d be helping other agents do the same thing!

Here is what we are planning for the contest.  First we want to select two teams — one team of all rookie agents and one team comprised of veteran agents who are ready to start over from scratch learning real estate the new way.  Of course we will want to verify that the contestants are truly starting from Zero (or near Zero).  We don’t want someone who is already a top producer.  So the selection process is very important.

Next, each contestant will be set up with his or her own website, telephone lead capture gateway, website lead capture gateway, client management application, and virtual assistant and mobile application.  This is precisely the virtual office technology package we believe every agent needs to be successful in today’s real estate industry.  And after putting all the technology tools in place, each agent will receive technology training and coaching until they are proficient with their new tools.

Then each agent will be given his or her own personal blog so they can journal, and post their photos and videos, sharing with their fellow agents about each step along the way.  And we believe that watching real agents, learning real estate the new way, in real time, with real struggles, and real problems, and real successes, and real emotion, will make for very compelling and very high quality training for those thousands of other agents who follow along.

We also believe that each contestant will develop his or her own agent following who are pulling for them.  And we also expect that many other agents will compete alongside our contestants, only privately.  We believe that having the right tools, the right training, and a little friendly competition thrown in to add a little pressure, will be the recipe for turning Zeros into Heroes.  And that’s what we want to accomplish!

So, are you interested in getting a fresh start?  In turning your real estate practice around?  We’ll supply you with the right tools, the training, and the motivation.  You’ll have to provide the super-human effort.  But if you do, your practice will never be the same, and you will make a lot of money along the way.  And if you win our competition, you’ll be featured in NewsGeni.us, the largest national real estate trade publication, resulting in a great deal of national exposure.

What do you say?  Want to turn your practice around and help other agents at the same time?  Then send me an email to Matt.Jones@FavoriteAgent.com.  I’d love to hear from you and I’d love to be a part of helping you learn real estate the new way.  Come on… let’s do it.  Don’t be afraid to give it a shot.  You’ll be helping not just yourself, but thousands of other agents who will benefit by watching you do it.  Come on.  You know you want to do it.  So go for it!  Send me your email right now!  I’m looking forward to talking soon.

Yes, it’s Agent Hero — one frustrated agent who, only months ago, was either starting from scratch or thinking of quitting real estate altogether.  A total “Zero” in the eyes of other agents, and even in her own eyes.  But then, just a few short months later, with the help of only a few super-technology gadgets, some super-agent training, and some super-human effort, she annihilated her competition to become the top Agent Hero of 2010!  Now she fights the never ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

This story could be your story!  Today, Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010 begins looking for its first class of “Zeros” to begin an incredibly awesome agent challenge. Many Zeros will begin, but  only one will become the top Agent Hero of 2010!  So… do you have what it takes?  Are you down in the dumps?  Has life kicked you in the pants?  Do you have the lowest production of any agent you know?  GREAT!

You may just qualify to be one of our Agent Zeros for 2010!  But, you must act now! In only a few short days, we will begin to select the saddest stories… the very worst agents… the most incredibly helpless, sad sacks who honesty want to improve their practices.  Who want to learn how to do real estate the new way!  Who want to become the top Agent Hero of 2010!

So, if you have what it takes to be one of our Agent Zeros, then send us an email to Zero@FavoriteAgent.com.  Tell us why we should select you.  Tell us your production numbers.  And send us a recent photograph that we can use if and when you are selected.  Then we’ll call you and tell you the specific rules and conditions, and send you the contest entry documents.

If you are selected, your transformation will be videoed and posted to our Zero2Hero Video Blog.  Don’t worry, we’ll provide you with $1100 a month in state-of-the-art productivity tools, the training, and the support.  Best of all, there’s no cost to enter — after all, if you’re really a Zero, you don’t have any money!  But, you’ll have to supply the super-human effort.

If you win, your incredible story — your complete transformation from Zero to Hero — will be a national feature in NewsGeni.us, the top real estate news and best practices website, with over two million page views every single month!

So what do you say?  Are you ready to turn your practice around?  Are you ready to learn real estate the new way!  Are you ready to become the top Agent Hero of 2010?  Then act now!  Send us your email and send us a photo.  Then start eating your Wheaties and doing your push-ups!  The Zero2Hero Agent Challenge 2010 is right around the corner!

To be perfectly honest, my company didn’t know the answer to that question, so we conducted a survey.  We queried half a million real estate professionals and discovered that the vast majority of agents choose a brokerage for only five reasons, and we’ve made it our mission to excel in all five areas.

1.  Your Company Should Find You Customers. Join the right company and you’ll immediately solve the number one problem facing agents today: not enough customers.  Some companies give their agents leads, while others don’t.  Our company doesn’t.  You’ve probably heard the adage, “Buy a man a fish and feed him for a day.  Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.”  So instead of giving our agents leads, we teach our agents how to find their own customers.

We provide our agents with both our telephone and our website lead capture technology, enabling them to produce as many customer leads as they can work.  The typical agent who uses our lead capture technology spends about $250 a month in advertising and generates between 80 and 90 customer leads, or enough leads to complete about 3 deals a month.

However your company goes about getting you business, make sure and select a company that solves the “no-customer” problem or you likely won’t survive in this business long enough to choose another company.

2.  Your Company Should Provide You With Productivity Tools. Today, most agents spend a fortune on various tools and software.  You should look for a company that will provide you the tools you need to do your job.  When I say tools, I’m not talking about a fax machine and copier.  I’m not talking about a computer that the agents can come in and use.  What I’m talking about is tools like a website, lead capture technology, and a full-featured client manager application.

Our company’s agents each get their own state-of-the-art LCM Web Gateway, their own LCM Phone Gateway, their own personal Agent SimpleSite website, their own integrated Pipeline Client Manager, and Pipeline Virtual Assistant and mobile applications.  They also get access to our productivity calculators, business planning modules and much more.

If your company isn’t providing you these basic tools then I hope they’re providing you with a much better split so you can buy them on your own.  Today, real estate is virtual, and not having the basic technology tools to practice in today’s virtual environment is like trying to run a foot race in combat boots: You start out at a huge disadvantage in a highly competitive business.  Don’t do it.

3.  Your Company Should Train You to Succeed. Many companies talk about training, but few actually provide it.  Look for a company that will help you get better at being an agent.  Our industry is constantly changing and successful agents are always learning.

Having the best tools and having an endless supply of new inbound customers won’t help you at all if you don’t have the basic skills needed to turn those opportunities into closed transactions. That’s where training comes in.  I believe that there are several fundamental things that a REALTOR® must have if he’s to become a mega-producing agent. Just as technology is crucial to success today, so also is training.

Let’s be honest here: most of us haven’t done a lot of studying since we left school, and the temptation is to try to get by without having to do the work. I know that. But that’s all the more reason to make yourself do it. Average agents won’t. You want to be a top agent!

I’m going to make a confession here. I don’t really like to study either, but that’s what gives me an advantage. My peers never crack a book, while I read about two books a week. Do I do it because I like to read? NO! I do it because I need to continue to push myself to be the best I can be.

If I am to be at the top of my game — if I really want to be the best — then I have to make myself do those things that I don’t necessarily want to do. Remember how your mom used to make you eat spinach? Well, I say eat your spinach.

I realize it’s a hassle to continually take training, but this is your profession.  Be a professional.  I promise you that there are agents calling me every day asking for help because they really want to go to the next level and the help they need is not available at their own brokerage!  What a shame.

Find a brokerage that encourages a learning environment and find a broker that will help you grow.  Frankly, that is part of what you should be getting for your agent split, and if you aren’t, you’d better be getting enough additional money to find your training elsewhere.

4.  Your Company Shouldn’t Waste Your Time. At the end of the day, the only thing you have to sell is your time.  That’s precisely why our company doesn’t waste our agents’ time with sales meetings, caravans, floor duty, or other non-productive company meetings.  Find a company that won’t waste your time.  Find a company that empowers the agents to be productive while maintaining the support, community, and structure that many agents crave.

When I was a brand new agent, I was in a very traditional Century 21 office.  We had a company meeting every Tuesday afternoon.  We had “sales meeting” on Wednesday morning, followed by a two-hour caravan.  We had no less than 2 half days of floor duty, and another 2 half days of sitting in a builder’s model home.

Add to that the wasted time of dealing with the bureaucracy of the office structure, and about one other hour-long meeting a month and we are talking about over 20% of my available time! If you want to make $100,000 this year, and work a forty-hour week, then your time is worth $50 per hour.

And all the wasted time adds up quickly.  Those time-wasters would have cost me $400 per week or $20,000 per year!  That is like paying over $1,600 a month in rent!  Is there any wonder I only stayed for two years?  I couldn’t afford to stay!  And that brings me to the final concern:  money.

5.  Your Company Should Pay You Well. Ask most agents what their commission split is, and they won’t have a clue.  It depends on whether it’s a cross-sale or in-house sale.  New or existing.  January or December.  Most company commission plans are a shell game.  In my company, our agents keep a minimum of 80% and any agent can make 90% by being a top-producer or a top-recruiter.  Period.  And that’s 90% with no office rent, no transaction fees, no administrative fees, no nickel and dime fees, no fees period.

If your company split needs an MIT graduate to calculate, you can bet it’s because they don’t want you to know how little you actually make.  Find a company that pays you well, that doesn’t have a complicated and elaborate compensation plan, and make sure and factor in any rent or other charges.

For example, if you pay $1,400 a month in rent, in a market with an average commission of $5,000, and you do one deal per month, your effective split needs to be adjusted downward by 28%!  So if you think you’re at 100%, you’re really at only 72% before factoring in any copies, faxes, and other fees!

Let me sum it all up like this: When you choose a company to work with, make certain that they solve your customer problem.  Make sure they provide you with the basic tools you need to be successful in today’s virtual real estate climate.  Make sure they provide training to keep you at the top of your game, and make sure you invest your time to take that training.  Finally, make absolutely certain that they don’t waste your valuable time and that they pay you well.

Finally, after looking at all five of those areas, you need to choose the one you like and respect, and that’s my quick answer.