This article shares insights on the secrets to doing an effective one on one. Inman News published the article by our Founder and Managing Partner, Chris Pollinger.
Effective one on one’s move the needle. Very few things enact positive change within an organization more effectively. Within real estate, you have two different groups of people.
The first is your administrative staff. These are the salaried folks, and you should be having a one on one with each of your direct reports on a weekly basis.
The second is your sales team. This group has three sub-groups. The first is your top producers. When it comes to one and one’s, schedule this group on a monthly basis. Or even quarterly if you are using a monthly mastermind group coaching system with them. The second is your active, productive agents. Schedule this group on a bi-weekly basis. Or bi-monthly if you are doing a mastermind group coaching with them every other week. The last group are your new agents and non-performers. These people should have a one and one set up weekly. Or bi-weekly if you are using a weekly mastermind group coaching system with them.
Mastermind group coaching becomes incredibly efficient and efficient as your organization grows. There are plenty of formats out there. Consistency is the key. If you are a multi-office broker owner, personally run one or two Masterminds with your top tier producers. The insights you gain from these meetings will be invaluable feedback. Both in terms of your company operations and the current market opportunities.
After doing thousands of effective one and one’s this is the formula I have found works best.
Be genuine. Ask about how they are doing as a human being. Professional issues usually stem from personal issues, especially with your top tier associates. The old axiom rings true here. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.
Ask about how they are doing. What have they done that has been significant since the last time you met? Remember (write down), what they talk about so you can circle back and ask how those things are going in the future.
As a side note, salespeople don’t leave when they feel cared about. Each one of us makes decisions emotionally then justify it logically. Your greatest asset for retention is to build loyalty. We do this best through a genuine care and concern for your people.
Effective One on One Secret #2 – Move to Professional
Start with their numbers. Each person should have metrics they are tracking. These should be top of mind. Choose one or two leading indicators that contribute to their most important goal. If they are off their numbers, move to attitude and tactical effort. What are they doing each day to keep their mindset in the right place? What tasks are they executing on each day?
Effective One on One Secret #3 – End with what’s next?
Here are five magic questions to define next steps:
- What do you want to get better at?
- Can you define a couple things that will impact that?
- What is something you can do in the next seven days that will have an influence on that?
- What is a quantitative measurement to know you have gotten better in this?
- How can I help?
When you start your effective one on one’s, you will want to dedicate one third of the time to each of the three areas above. As you do them regularly you will find fifty percent will go to personal. Twenty percent will go to the professional. Thirty percent will go to next steps. When done correctly and consistently, one on one’s can be a incredibly effective tool in the growth of your team. Both individually and collectively.
