We’re surging into Leadership Month this March on Inman. Join us as we deep dive into leadership fundamentals, culture, and even playlists.
Pulse is a recurring column where we ask for readers’ takes on varying topics in a weekly survey and report back with our findings.
When the whole world seems to shut down, the way it has over the past few weeks, it’s understandable that morale takes a huge hit. So, last week, we reached out to our readers with a very important question: How do you lift spirits during a global pandemic that’s breeding so much uncertainty?
If your answers taught us anything, it’s this — there’s a lot more you can do than a gentle (and most probably, virtual) pat on the back. It seems like, nowadays, a lot of leaders are focusing their efforts on growth and open communication with their teams.
By providing online education opportunities and fostering an exchange of information and best practices, leaders are raising morale and staving off negative emotions brought on by today’s crisis. To illustrate this, here are a handful of your thoughtful answers:
- Team video calls everyday.
- Every day, we do 15-minute meetings with our office staff members on BlueJeans. We host virtual sales meetings for our agents and often invite a local commissioner. Last week, for example, we also provided our agents with a digital open house kit. When negativity hits, we encourage them to focus on call, email and text. Staying in touch with their clients and getting ready for the next cycle is key.
- By getting agents to focus on solutions, positivity, compassion and education.
- I’m offering to reimburse agents for online courses. I’m buying them gift cards to local restaurants as prizes for winners of sales, listing and marketing competitions. I’m also offering showing assistance and closing assistance for agents who can’t meet people in public.
- I have a brokerage in Orlando, Florida, and I’m providing my agents online training via Zoom. I’ve also suspended the agent monthly fees that are due to the brokerage so agents can double down on their business and purchase more leads.
- Embrace leadership. Showcase leadership in your messaging and social media. Be a leader in your community, as well as in your home and with your family. Also show leadership with your past, current and future clients. We have been fully embracing G Suite and all of its tools to continue to have as much face-to-face experiences as possible.
- We’re doing multiple webinars on what the typical agent does with all of this panic and uncertainty versus what we’re doing. We’re also exploring what marketing systems our agents should double down on to come out on top when this all dies down. As Karlton Utter says: “Show leadership, and let them know that while it appears to be serious, there’s no reason why they should shut down and hide.”
- We’re posting multiple times a day on our private Facebook page — things like motivational posts, best practice tips and links to webinars and classes. Just set a challenge for them to call and log in 10 client calls a day.
- On Monday, we divided the list of Realtors into quadrants and each staff member is calling a quad a day — with a tip, marketing idea or word of encouragement from their respective departments. We’ve been hearing from the Realtors about how much they are appreciating these “touch points” so they don’t feel forgotten. I’ve been sending “good news” bulletins each morning to all! I’m trying to keep them as perky and positive as possible.
- I’m trying to maintain contact with everyone in the office daily. Text, video conferencing and phone calls. Whatever works.
- I check in with my team throughout the day. We have a few social hours planned during the week, and some group slacks/texts going where people are dropping in bits of joy they’re having throughout the day.
- I’m focusing on the things I can control, and respecting what I can’t. I’m doing my best to reach out to others who might be in need. I’ve delivered soup and hand sanitizers to people I know who are in need. I paid the wages of my cleaning service for three weeks while they’re out. I also made a master list of all local restaurants providing curbside pick up and delivery for my Facebook community page. Multiple postings on multiple channels aimed at uplifting and supporting people rather than spreading fear. Spending a lot of time reassuring buyers and sellers that in the end, everything will be OK.
What did we miss? Please share in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: These responses were given anonymously and, therefore, are not attributed to anyone specifically. Responses were also edited for grammar and clarity. Inman doesn’t endorse any specific method and regulations may vary from state to state.
