One Big Decision You Need To Make To Shape The Future Of Your Business

They say the only constant is change.

That’s definitely true for the real estate industry, and especially in this moment of time.

At Success Summit earlier this month, I talked a lot about where the industry is headed and what it means to embody the Agent of the Future (A.O.T.F.).

Because there’s no question about it… your role is changing.

And that’s not just my opinion. Lots of industry heavyweights I speak with believe we’re approaching the end of the solo agent as we know it. You simply cannot do everything yourself anymore and deliver the level of service that today’s consumers expect and deserve.

I don’t say this in a “the sky is falling” way, and I want to make one thing crystal clear: I do NOT foresee the elimination of real estate agents from the process of buying or selling real estate.

But it is time for you to make a big decision about your future. Let me explain…

Which Way Will You Go?

Hear me out here for a second without jumping to conclusions…

The trend toward teams has been prevalent as long as I’ve been in this industry.

The great thing there is that teams can – and usually do – have specialists.

When people specialize, they’re able to provide a higher level of service and a better experience to the consumer.

Without a doubt, this is a good thing. The real estate industry needs to raise its perception when it comes to customer service and satisfaction.

Teams are one way to achieve that objective.

But that’s not really the point of this blog.

The reason I asked you not to jump to conclusions is because I’m not necessarily saying you should build a team.

I actually see two ways you can go here.

Let me present to you an alternative: Declaring yourself an artisan… and living up to that standard.

How I Define ‘Artisan’

An artisan is someone whose passion for what they do virtually guarantees delivery of exceptional quality.

Artisans are obsessed with delivering the highest caliber product or service (actually, both!) possible. All of their joy and satisfaction comes from the process and the experience, and what those things mean to their customer.

Think about the artisan woodworker, or potter, or bread maker, or winemaker. Or pencil sharpener.

Artisans aren’t in it to mass produce results. They’re in it to provide an extraordinary product or service to an intentionally smaller group of people who appreciate their craft.

The Decision: Artisan or Total Team Domination?

Some people simply aren’t comfortable with the idea of having to build a “mega team” in order to compete in today’s marketplace. It’s not who they are.

If that’s you, then you need to accept some trade-offs…

The artisan is making the choice to be extraordinary, not just big. In fact, you’ll be intentionally smaller – constrained by your own design – focused on serving fewer clients, while delivering an exceptional experience to every single customer. Without fail.

Hold on, there’s more.

Artisans can’t keep themselves a secret. They also need to be masterful at telling their story in their marketing and on social media, creating a buzz-worthy brand that elicits lots of referrals and attracts new clients in the process.

For an artisan, the money is good, but the genuine satisfaction comes from providing an over-the-top client experience.

3 Qualities of the Artisan Agent

Here are three traits every artisan agent possesses and demonstrates on a consistent basis:

1. They know the ins and outs of their community, going deep not only on real estate matters but the community as a whole.
2. They make a habit of studying the daily sales and market stats so they know everything from current trends in their marketplace, to local zoning ordinances, to price per square foot in various neighborhoods, to average days on market to… you name it!
3. The big one is they are uber-focused on the experience they deliver for their clients. They are constantly asking themselves the questions, “What’s the problem consumers have but don’t want?” and “What would the ultimate buying or selling experience look and feel like?” Then, together with their small but mighty team, they do everything in their power to create that experience and proactively resolve the problems consumers face.

What Do You Think?

I know framing the dilemma using this term “artisan” helped many agents at Summit finally gain clarity for how they want to do business moving forward.

It doesn’t mean you do it all yourself; but it does mean you step up your game and surround yourself strategically with maybe one assistant, plus outsourced partners who share your values. Or maybe it’s three assistants and a marketing coordinator? Design your team to meet your goals and your needs to ensure you can provide that extraordinary experience.

Having said all this, not everyone is meant to be an artisan.

You can always go after that total team domination… building and scaling a business with outstanding culture – with dialed-in recruiting and onboarding processes, incredible marketing, sales support, performance tracking, and operational excellence.

One More Option, Then Time to Decide…

So the way I see it, if you really want to excel in this industry for the long run, you have three viable options.

You can:

Declare yourself an artisan.

Or, you can build a team that suits your ambition to scale extraordinary experiences for your clients.

Or, the third option, you can join a team that’s client-centric. So your clients get the experience they deserve, and you do what you do best.

Whatever you do, don’t stick to the status quo, hoping that you can still compete without upping your game to better serve your customers.