Vanessa Rosenblum

Hello ActiveRain Community!

I am looking for a TALENTED accounting professonal to take on a key role in a Keller Williams office. Here is the job description and the link to my job board. Please forward this to anyone who might fit our needs.

Thank you!

Primary Objectives:

1. Accurate banking and accounting
2. Bookkeeping
3. Purchasing
4. Assistant Office Manager in managing agents and staff

Regular Work Activities

1. Computer input
2. Bookkeeping (A/R and A/P)
3. Systems implementation
4. Maintain office equipment and technology
5. Hiring, training and consulting personnel
6. Introduction of new products / services to existing agent associates
7. Manage office staff

Key Skills

1. Strong written and verbal communication skills
2. Detailed
3. People oriented
4. Happy, positive
5. Strong computer skills
6. Strong accounting skills

Prior real estate experience is preferred but not required. Training is provided.

Location: Carlsbad, CA
Compensation: $40K - $50K plus bonuses and benefits

If you meet the above criteria please submit your resume by going to: http://prorea.catsone.com/careers

Last week I wrote a gleeful blog post called Messy Database + Procrastination = ??? It was about how I successfully cleaned up and organized my Outlook database of 600 contacts in about an hour. In the article I mentioned that my client database is housed in Top Producer and that it is MUCH better organized than my personal database thanks to my talented and diligent assistant.

One of the most valuable and business-changing services we offer at ProREA Staffing is database organization and management. I am a model example of why this service is so incredibly necessary and today I want to share my Top Five reasons why I delegate the responsibility of managing my database and why you should too.

#1 - Just because you have the ability to type contact information into your database doesn't mean that you will.

I think a lot of people feel guilty about delegating a task that they are perfectly capable of doing. Data entry is not difficult, but it isn't much fun either. An old boss of mine was famous around the office for only doing the tasks that he absolutely had to do and the ones that he liked doing. Everything else was delegated. He was an extreme case but it was a good lesson learned. Be honest with yourself about what you really will do and delegate the rest.

#2 - Just because you have the ability to type contact information into your database doesn't mean that you should.

There are a lot of reasons why you and I should not take responsibility for database management. The most basic is this: we are not very good at it. I have seen a lot of Realtor databases and most of these typically have large amounts of missing information, nothing is categorized properly, there are few if any notes, and rarely are there reminders to follow-up. Basically, most of these databases are big fat messes. (Disclaimer Here: I know that not everyone has the type of database I describe here. If you have a shinning example of a functioning database and you manage it yourself GOOD FOR YOU!!! Go ahead and skip to reason #5)

#3 - If you want to feel busy, write a blog post.

Data entry is a great way to feel like you are working. Are you really working though, you are you just keeping busy? If you want to feel busy do something that can make a difference in your business that only you can do.

#4 - A properly functioning database requires that specific systems are followed....consistently.

Doing the same thing over and over again is a consistent way is really HARD for a lot of people. The mark of a good assistant is that they naturally and instinctively do this. They like systems, and order, and checklist. These things actually make them happy, and satisfied! Entrusting your database (the life-blood of your business) to someone who will care for it in a systematic way makes a lot of sense.

#5 - Data entry is not a Dollar Productive Activity.

This is really the most important reason why you should not spend your time on database management. Database management is simply not a smart use of your time. And, it is an opportunity lost because instead of doing hourly wage work you could be building your business.

It was close to the end of the day and I found myself with something I rarely find myself with: free time. I had made all of my calls, returned every email, updated every report and even perused ActiveRain for articles to comment on. I was out of things to do.

I went to my "Projects to work on when you have time" file. At the top of the list was something that I have been avoiding for literally years. "Clean Up Your Outlook Database!!!!!". This particular database was started in 2003 and 3 businesses ago and I have never bothered to officially clean and organize it. It totaled 603 contacts. (This is separate from my more organized and much better functioning Top Producer database that houses all of my client / prospect contacts which by the way, I don't manage, my assistant does.) (Another topic worth its own blog post)

Motivating our agent clients to actually sit down and go through their database is one of the most challenging tasks we face and ProREA Staffing. We don't know who their contacts are so the process of assigning correct contact types must fall on them. They are all about as excited about cleaning their databases as I was about mine. Right now I have several agents who have been "working on" cleaning up their database for many, many months and it is holding up the marketing programs that they want us to put in place for them.

Since I was going to finally subject myself to this very un-fun process I decided to time myself.

How long does it really take to clean out an old, messy database and assign contact types?

The answer:

A Messy Database + YEARS of Procrastination = Less Than ONE Hour of my Time!

That's right. One hour to combine duplicates with partial information, to delete people who I didn't need to talk to again and to assign contact types to everyone who remained. I reduced this database from 603 to 115 contacts. The only thing I didn't do was move about 50 agent contacts over to Top Producer. I delegated that to my assistant.

So, what's going on with those agents who have been "working on" their databases for months on end while I was able to knock it out in an hour? Something does not add up.

Now that I can cross this item off my To DO list I feel really good. I feel like I just cleaned out the garage and all of that mental stress about needing to clean the garage, seeing "Clean the Garage" on the To Do list every week, etc, etc is suddenly lifted from my shoulders. It's nice.

I guess the moral to my little story is this. If you are avoiding something on your To Do list stop making excuses and just down and work on it. It might not be as painful as you thought!

Imagine this scenario. Your assistant has worked with you for about a year. You like them and they get along well with your team and the office. At this point you trust them to complete all of their job duties and when necessary to go above and beyond to help you. You believe that they are loyal and you feel good about their performance.

Then, all of a sudden, or perhaps over the course of time, you notice that things are slipping through the cracks. Projects are taking longer to complete and your assistant doesn't seem as focused as they used to be. What happened?

Putting the possibility of personal challenges aside, and assuming that the two of you really do enjoy working together, there are a few common reasons why an employees' performance may diminish overtime. In this article we address the most common reasons for an assistant's decline in productivity and provide simple solutions for each.

Training

Really good assistants want to continue to learn and grow. So, if your assistant isn't performing at the level you should reasonably expect from them, take inventory of the training they have received since they began working with you. Have they received all of the training they need?

The training your assistant receives affects their performance in two ways. First, if an assistant is not properly trained they will struggle to perform up to your standards. Less obvious; however, is the fact that when a high performing assistant has mastered all of their tasks and responsibilities they may begin to under perform simply because they are bored and they lack new challenges. Most assistants don't become complacent on purpose; they may simply begin to lose their attention to detail because they believe they have reached mastery over their tasks, or because they now find themselves with too much time on their hands.

Solution: If you believe your assistant has mastered their current job responsibilities talk to them and ask if they are ready to take on new challenges. Ask them to identify classes they can take to master a new subject or send them to an assistant training course to help them refresh and update their administrative skills. A great class can be very motivating and may help to refocus your assistant.

Feedback

Your assistant needs to know how they are doing in your eyes so that they have a way of gauging their performance. As an agent you always know how well you are doing because your job produces measurable results. An assistant's job is not so cut and dry and therefore they need to evaluate their success in other ways.

Solution: One very important way assistants measure their success is through your feedback. Let them know when something isn't done correctly and hold them accountable to results. At the same time, let them know when they have succeeded in your eyes.

If fair and consistent feedback is not part of your management style try raising the level of communication you have with your assistant. Let them know that you are paying attention and that you care.

Career path

Very few people are content to do exactly what they are doing right now for their rest of their working life. Talented and engaged assistants need opportunities to learn, grow and make more money. If your assistant feels like they are in a dead-end job you may eventually find yourself without an assistant or at least an unhappy and underperforming one.

Solution: There are two factors to consider when developing a career path for your assistant. 1) Your goals for your business and 2) Your assistant's goals for their career.

Talk to your assistant; understand their goals and priorities and discuss yours. Create a plan in which both of your goals are met.

You may find that your priorities are not aligned. This doesn't always spell the end to the relationship. For example, you may be happy with the size of your business and not want to grow any larger. If your assistant wants continued growth and challenges then you may want to offer them the opportunity to bring in their own deals, or if they don't want to be in sales perhaps you can introduce them to other agents you trust who need part time or project help. Your assistant may enjoy the opportunity to help a newer agent set up their office and to make a little extra money.

Finances

Money is a big motivator for most people and feeling under paid is a common cause of underperformance. Many assistants are making thousands of dollars less per year than they did two years ago and like everyone else they face of ever rising costs. You may not be in a position to pay a higher salary and your assistant may not deserve to be paid more. However there are ways to help your assistant feel good about what they earn and to help them earn more over time.

Solution: Let's assume that your assistant earns a fair wage for the work they do but they would like to earn more. And, we will also assume that you have addressed any poor performance issues and now you want to motivate them to go above and beyond.

Sit down with your assistant and identify new ways for them to earn money with you. Here are some examples:

1. Refer business to you and earn a referral fee
2. Hold open houses and generate Buyer leads
3. Assist other agents in the office an hourly basis for additional income
4. Create and manage an expired listing program or other new lead generation program (pay an extra bonus per lead generated)
5. Set a sales benchmark and establish a bonus if that goal is met

If there is simply no way for you to provide your assistant with additional income you may want to consider rewarding their hard work and commitment to your business with a flexible work week arrangement or the option to work from home one or two days per week. With rising gas costs working from home one or two days per week could result in welcome savings for an assistant.

Summary

Like all relationships, agents and their assistants go through rough patches sometimes. A good assistant is worth investing in though. If you are happy with the person working for you take the time to coach, mentor and reward them. Done correctly, your guidance and support can nurture a relationship that will continue to transform your business.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are making things more difficult than they need to be?

In the frenzy of daily life it is easy to get stuck in the weeds and lose perspective over what you are doing.

When I work with agents and their teams to improve the productivity in their office, the first thing we do is look for ways to simplify what they are doing.

We work on three areas:

Communication – How does the team communicate with each other? Do people keep a record of what was accomplished and report back? How do people know what the priorities are? Does everyone involved with the team understand that agent’s goals for the company?

Systems – Is there one agreed upon method for doing each recurring task? Is it written down? Is this the most efficient way to accomplish this task?

AccountabilityWhen something is delegated, how does the agent know it was completed? Is the assistant held accountable to their responsibilities? Is the agent held accountable to theirs?

Here are four things you can do to reduce your stress level and improve the productivity in your office. These simple steps will help you gain control over your work, regardless of whether or not you have an assistant.

Write down your Daily / Weekly / Monthly recurring tasks

Everyone, agents and assistants, should have a record of what they need to do on a regular basis. Put these lists in your calendar or some other place that you refer to often. If you are trying to remember that bills need to be paid on the 15th, or that the newsletter goes out on the 20th you are not thinking about growing your business. There is no reason to keep recurring tasks in your head. Write them down!

If it is not a Dollar Productive Activity, have someone else do it

Just because you have always done something doesn’t mean you should be doing it. As a real estate agent your job is to generate new business, negotiate on behalf of your clients, and follow-up with past clients. These are the activities that directly impact your production. I’m willing to bet that you do a lot of other things that are not directly related to production. Stop wasting your time! Utilize your office transaction coordinator, lean on your Title Company or Escrow Company to handle some tasks for you, hire a college student part time if you don’t already have an assistant. However you decide to do it, make a conscious effort to minimize the things you do that are not revenue generating.

Stop trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing

Pick a marketing strategy that you can apply to all of your listings. Stop trying to be so creative. If you must, have two strategies, one for your ‘high end’ listings and one for everything else. The same thing applies to your personal marketing. Decide on a marketing campaign and stick with it for a while (at least 6 months). Many agents spend far too much time worrying about their marketing. Marketing might be fun…but you are a sales professional, not a marketing executive. Hire someone else to manage your marketing for you…and get out of the way!

This is my favorite….Eliminate the dumb things

We often continue to do things that no longer make sense simply out of habit and this can be a major productivity waster. For the next two weeks, pay attention to what you are doing, and think about why you are doing it. Is it necessary? Does it add value? Is there a better way? Systems and processes become outdated over time. What made sense 6 months or a year ago may be completely irrelevant today. If it no longer benefits you or your business, stop doing it.

I challenge you to implement these four suggestions. I think you will be amazed at how much easier it will be for you to stay in “production mode” versus “reaction mode”.