Showing Assistant or Buyer’s Agent? EP 73

On this episode of the Realtor Fight Club podcast, hosts Jenn Murtland and Monica Weakley sometimes fight just to fight, but not on this one. This one gets ugly. Do you go with a showing assistant or buying agent when trying to expand and grow?

Episode Highlights: 

• Monica is a thumbs-down on teams in general because 99% of agents don’t know how to execute one.
• Showing assistants give agents more time without taking a chunk of the commission.
• Though Jenn is not pro buyer agent, she does not think showing assistants provide the value that Monica believes they do.
• Jenn would prefer another experienced agent to show a house in her place rather than a new showing assistant.
• Monica believes that the person showing the house is there to show while Jenn believes they are there to sell.
• A professional knows how to show up on time, ask questions, and translate information back to the agent.
• Don’t look like you just came from a bar or a workout class when you show a house.
• Jenn believes that peers provide more value to the agent and the clients than a showing assistant does.
• Monica appreciates showing assistants’ desire to learn and eagerness to show a house.
• By setting the expectation that the showing assistant isn’t a replacement, you take the pressure off the situation.
• By having a group of agents who are there to help with showings, agents can assure an experienced agent at all showings.
• Though Jenn does not think it could hurt to have a showing assistant, she does think there are better options.
• People tend to build teams for the wrong reasons and often do not have the right systems in place.
• Whoever shows the house needs to be adequately trained to provide the right information.
• At one point, Jenn had roughly 70 people that she was coaching and training.
• Because they are by themselves, most agents find it necessary to have a buyers agent.
• Agents need to ask themselves where their business is and which method is easier.
• While there are agents who run incredible teams, it’s very rare in the world of Monica and Jenn.
• This week’s tiebreaker, Jim Black, has built a large team, but it took a few failures before he got it right.
• Due to his experience with agents getting lost in the mix, Jim prefers to hire a showing assistant.
• Initially, Jim paid someone to show properties and gave them a large piece of the pie.
• Hire an admin, at first, when you are the one expanding the sales by yourself.
• When bringing on an agent, they are solely focused on how to get a paycheck.
• With a salary+bonus model, agents stay more hungry to learn and less hungry to eat.
• Jim believes that the best way to train someone is to bring them with you to all your appointments.

3 Key Points:

1. Most agents get into the business with the intent of handling all parts of their business which makes them bad at building and running teams.
2. While Monica would rather have a showing assistant to show the house and translate the information back, Jenn would prefer an agent with a similar level of experience.
3. Regardless, whoever shows the house needs to be trained in doing so, so at the end of the day, it comes down to who the agent trusts.

Resources Mentioned:

• Jenn Murtland (website, LinkedIn, Facebook)
• Call Jenn at (513) 400-1691 to discuss transitioning to eXp Realty
• Monica Weakley (website, LinkedIn, Facebook)
• Realtor Fight Club Podcast Facebook page
• Jim Black Website, Email: jim@jimblackgroup.com, Phone: (774) 280-0353
• The Millionaire Real Estate Agent