Fifty years ago, American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first humans to land on the moon.
Not a single proud American who can recall that moment doesn’t associate Aldrin and Armstrong for that landmark accomplishment. And there is no doubt that, as Armstrong put it, he took that one small step as a man, but the mission itself was a giant leap for mankind.
And behind that mission was a team of engineers, designers, rocket scientists and mathematicians who made it all possible, which brings me to the point of this article.
As a Realtor, one part of our job is to establish ourselves as a leader in our fields of expertise. But we don’t get to where we are without our teams. Where is the fine line between recognizing those who helped you reach your moon? And if we do recognize their efforts, does it make us any less of a professional if we give credit to a great team or company that stands behind us?
My answer is “no.” The balance is found in incorporating subtle and professional reminders into our daily business practices that create a healthy balance between the promotion of self and the expression of gratitude for support.
I call it the “6 steps of great agents who remember the who in their career.”
These great agents:
1. Create a team
The universal law of creation proves that the combined effort of many is much more effective than the sole effort of one.
Therefore, a great agent understands the importance of creating a team, or being part of a team or company — but not just a team of random individuals; it is a team with a synergy, vision, slogan and name, and each member has a specific seat on the team bus.
2. Recognize their team
Certainly, it is not professional to place an acknowledgement list on every full-page ad. And we all know it would look silly to list our entire team by name in our social media.
That said however, you can hashtag your team name and team slogan, and by doing so, you recognize everyone who has contributed to your success. (#Surterre),
3. Make their team feel visible every day
Great agents take the time to make each of their team members visible. This means, addressing them by name, making eye contact when they have questions, developing a habit of going out of your way to say hello and acknowledge them in words and writing when they do a good job.
4. Show their appreciation by acts of service
Great agents make a point to show their appreciation by investing back into their team. This can include small gestures, such as buying lunch or providing pastries on a scheduled date every week or month. Or this can mean holiday bonuses or small gift cards for birthdays.
Always keep in mind that your team makes a very small fraction of what you do, yet their contribution is immense. And small acts of service are a big way to offer ongoing recognition.
5. Are team players themselves who live by example
Great agents not only pay recognition forward to their team, but they are also pay it upward. That means they show by example recognition to the company that invested in them first. Without that investment we might not be where we are today in our careers.
6. Take the right time to publicly say thank you
And then at the end of the day, a great agent sometimes takes the right opportunity to publicly thank the important members of their team in writing at landmark moments.
So at this point, I would like to use this platform to thank Surterre Properties and their amazing staff and leadership and my excellent public relations agency Sterling Public Relations and Paula Steuer and her team for creating this opportunity for me to have my real estate voice heard on Inman.
I realize that statement did come back to the “me factor.” Yet I know that I wouldn’t be here, without you.
Spyro Kemble is a Realtor with Surterre Properties/Relegance Group in Orange County, California. Follow him on Instagram or connect with him on LinkedIn.
