David Sherfey

What you measure you improve, and how well you measure determines how motivational your measurement system is. The tracking board is a great measure for each agent to measure their own business, but as a measure for many agents at different levels of experience, it becomes less effective, as you have written. The real estate sales industry (as I have seen it) has not been very forward thinking in their ability to measure quality, stopping way short at just measuring quantity. Number of listings, number of sales, blah blah blah. Choosing a process characteristic, such as on-market time to sale, or amount of price reduction before sale would cause agents to do critical activities better, improving the overall business. For instance, a measure of percentage of price reduction before sale, while a little more complicated to understand than counting quantity of activities, would eventually motivate agents to properly price listings, cause them to sell faster, and generate more profit at less expense. Once people understand the impact of a measure like this, training, culture, and all that stuff will change to support it, causing a continual improvement in the business. All from one simple change in measurement. I think that this current market "shift" will cause smart companies to look deep into the mirror and begin making business management changes that are long overdue. David Sherfey - Associate Broker http://ResidentialPropertyMarketing.com

Congratulations, Kris! I think that you are at the front of the wave. This business of real estate is going to change dramatically over the next several years, and it is talent like yours that will cause that to happen. David Sherfey - Associate Broker http://ResidentialPropertyMarketing.com

Steve apparently misses this important point, "No one wants to become a lead, or be captured. Internet-savvy consumers see through our tricks and deceptions." Lead "capture" systems rely on scooping up large quantities of "leads" that must dripped on over a long period of time to yield the one percent who finally give in and respond. That one percent statistic, which I have heard from several such system trainers is proof to me that what Teresa is saying is true. Just because those drippy lead "capture" systems work for less experienced or less caring sales agents does not mean they are the only, or the best way to find new clients. People, when given a choice, want to be treated like people, and drippy does not do this. Not one bit. Well, maybe one percent, but that number will be dropping in this market. Me, I would rather work on the other 99. When you give people what they are really looking for, you get people who are REALLY looking.