Every principal asks this question sooner or later.
Usually later. Usually after the third salesperson in two years has cleared out their desk and taken a database with them.
So let me ask you something. When you hired that person, what were you looking for?
Be honest. For most principals, the answer is uncomfortable. They were looking for someone available. Someone keen. Someone who could start sooner rather than later.
That's not recruitment. That's reaction.
And reaction is how the wrong people get into good businesses.
Here's the truth. Building an effective sales team doesn't start with hiring. It starts before that. It starts with knowing exactly who you're looking for, long before you place the ad.
At Smartre Training, this sits at the heart of our Culture System. Four foundations every salesperson in your business should build upon.
Goals. Attitude. Learning. Opportunity.
Let's take them one at a time.
The first foundation: Goals
Think about the best salesperson you've ever worked with. What made them different?
Chances are, they knew where they were going. They were ambitious. Driven. Focused.
That's no accident. A salesperson who knows why they're doing what they're doing has something the others don't. Drive. Purpose. A reason behind their daily behaviour.
And daily behaviour, done consistently, leads to results. Listings and sales. That's the name of the game.
So, when you're looking at your next salesperson, don't just ask what they've done. Ask where they're going. If they can't tell you, be careful. A person with no destination will drift. And they'll drift on your time and money.
A goals-focused individual is who you want beside you.
The second foundation: Attitude
What's a good attitude?
Sometimes it's easier to say what a good attitude is not.
It's not blame. It's not victim mentality. It's not "poor little old me" every time a sale falls over or a seller chooses another agent.
You've met these people. Nothing is ever their fault. The market was slow. The leads were bad. The vendor was difficult.
They are not the people you want in your business.
The person you want treats your business like it's their own. They have an entrepreneurial spirit. They take initiative. They take ownership. When something goes wrong, they look at what they could have done differently, not who they can blame.
And here's what happens when you work alongside people like that. You get consistent results. Not just consistent results, but the right results, for the clients within your business.
That's the test of attitude. Not what someone says in the interview. What they do when things get hard.
The third foundation: Learning
At Smartre Training, we're big on developing salespeople. And we do it two ways.
The first is professional development. We've built a systematic approach, 277 pages of it, that takes a salesperson from no experience to a winning level within twelve to eighteen months.
What's a winning level? A minimum of $500,000 to $750,000 in gross GCI. From a standing start. Follow the system, and that's what's achievable.
But here's what many principals miss. Professional development is only half the job.
The other half is personal development. Because as a salesperson's success grows, the person needs to grow with it. The two are symbiotic. Skill without character becomes arrogance. Character without skill stays broke.
Get the right person, with the right character traits. Show them how to list and sell properties, effectively and ethically. That's your long-term salesperson. A joy to work with. Someone who looks after your business, and more importantly, looks after their clients.
The fourth foundation: Opportunity
Real estate, done well, opens doors. Not just for your business. For your salespeople and their families too.
So picture what you've built when the first three foundations are in place. You've got the right person, focused on their goals. They've developed the right attitude, working alongside you. They're committed to learning, professionally and personally.
You've got a good human being beside you, looking after clients the way clients deserve.
What happens next? Opportunity takes care of itself. They build an income for themselves and their family. And your job as the leader is simple. Give them the infrastructure to thrive within your business.
Do that, and you won't be re-advertising their desk in eighteen months. They'll have too many reasons to stay.
Four foundations. One question.
Goals give your people drive. Attitude gives them ownership. Learning gives them capability. Opportunity gives them a future.
Miss one, and the cracks appear eventually. Get all four right, and you stop managing a revolving door. You start building a team.
So here's the question worth sitting with. Of the salespeople in your business right now, how many tick all four?
Want to go deeper?
If this topic has resonated with you, we've put together a one-hour webinar that takes a deeper dive into this subject. How to spot these traits before you hire. How to build them in the team you already have. And how to keep the right people once you've found them.
Click here for the details.
Because the right team is never an accident. The right team is built.
Every principal asks this question sooner or later.
Usually later. Usually after the third salesperson in two years has cleared out their desk and taken a database with them.
So let me ask you something. When you hired that person, what were you looking for?
Be honest. For most principals, the answer is uncomfortable. They were looking for someone available. Someone keen. Someone who could start sooner rather than later.
That's not recruitment. That's reaction.
And reaction is how the wrong people get into good businesses.
Here's the truth. Building an effective sales team doesn't start with hiring. It starts before that. It starts with knowing exactly who you're looking for, long before you place the ad.
At Smartre Training, this sits at the heart of our Culture System. Four foundations every salesperson in your business should build upon.
Goals. Attitude. Learning. Opportunity.
Let's take them one at a time.
The first foundation: Goals
Think about the best salesperson you've ever worked with. What made them different?
Chances are, they knew where they were going. They were ambitious. Driven. Focused.
That's no accident. A salesperson who knows why they're doing what they're doing has something the others don't. Drive. Purpose. A reason behind their daily behaviour.
And daily behaviour, done consistently, leads to results. Listings and sales. That's the name of the game.
So, when you're looking at your next salesperson, don't just ask what they've done. Ask where they're going. If they can't tell you, be careful. A person with no destination will drift. And they'll drift on your time and money.
A goals-focused individual is who you want beside you.
The second foundation: Attitude
What's a good attitude?
Sometimes it's easier to say what a good attitude is not.
It's not blame. It's not victim mentality. It's not "poor little old me" every time a sale falls over or a seller chooses another agent.
You've met these people. Nothing is ever their fault. The market was slow. The leads were bad. The vendor was difficult.
They are not the people you want in your business.
The person you want treats your business like it's their own. They have an entrepreneurial spirit. They take initiative. They take ownership. When something goes wrong, they look at what they could have done differently, not who they can blame.
And here's what happens when you work alongside people like that. You get consistent results. Not just consistent results, but the right results, for the clients within your business.
That's the test of attitude. Not what someone says in the interview. What they do when things get hard.
The third foundation: Learning
At Smartre Training, we're big on developing salespeople. And we do it two ways.
The first is professional development. We've built a systematic approach, 277 pages of it, that takes a salesperson from no experience to a winning level within twelve to eighteen months.
What's a winning level? A minimum of $500,000 to $750,000 in gross GCI. From a standing start. Follow the system, and that's what's achievable.
But here's what many principals miss. Professional development is only half the job.
The other half is personal development. Because as a salesperson's success grows, the person needs to grow with it. The two are symbiotic. Skill without character becomes arrogance. Character without skill stays broke.
Get the right person, with the right character traits. Show them how to list and sell properties, effectively and ethically. That's your long-term salesperson. A joy to work with. Someone who looks after your business, and more importantly, looks after their clients.
The fourth foundation: Opportunity
Real estate, done well, opens doors. Not just for your business. For your salespeople and their families too.
So picture what you've built when the first three foundations are in place. You've got the right person, focused on their goals. They've developed the right attitude, working alongside you. They're committed to learning, professionally and personally.
You've got a good human being beside you, looking after clients the way clients deserve.
What happens next? Opportunity takes care of itself. They build an income for themselves and their family. And your job as the leader is simple. Give them the infrastructure to thrive within your business.
Do that, and you won't be re-advertising their desk in eighteen months. They'll have too many reasons to stay.
Four foundations. One question.
Goals give your people drive. Attitude gives them ownership. Learning gives them capability. Opportunity gives them a future.
Miss one, and the cracks appear eventually. Get all four right, and you stop managing a revolving door. You start building a team.
So here's the question worth sitting with. Of the salespeople in your business right now, how many tick all four?
Want to go deeper?
If this topic has resonated with you, we've put together a one-hour webinar that takes a deeper dive into this subject. How to spot these traits before you hire. How to build them in the team you already have. And how to keep the right people once you've found them.
Click here for the details.
Because the right team is never an accident. The right team is built.
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