Million Dollar Listing LA stars James Harris and David Parnes believe it’s critical, as team leaders, to take time to foster your newbies’ talents and provide guidance along the way. Here are five ways the duo instills confidence in new team members.

Fake it till you make it is an adage we’re all familiar with, and it’s sage, in theory — project confidence, until you’re confident. But, in practice, what does that mean when you’re the new guy or gal on the team? We believe it’s critical, as team leaders, to take time to foster your newbies’ talents and provide guidance along the way. Here are five ways we instill confidence in new team members. 

Stay connected

Consistently speaking and connecting with our new agents is crucial. We hold monthly one-on-one meetings with our 11 team members in person or via Zoom to touch base on any challenges they may be experiencing. 

Providing an encouraging and positive work environment is incredibly important to us, and we operate our business very much like a family where everyone is valued and supported. Staying aligned with your team and offering your support is one of the key ways you can instill confidence.

Build a business plan

One of the first things we suggest to our new agents is to develop a business plan. 

What areas do they want to focus and specialize in? What goals and objectives do they have for their business throughout the year? 

With that said, we encourage them to choose a farm area and go door-knocking, learn the ins and outs of the neighborhoods they choose to serve, and meet as many people as possible to help get their name out there. 

Setting benchmarks and milestones at a monthly and yearly level will also help to serve as a roadmap throughout the year, and having a clear plan in place will help build confidence.

Join listing appointments

We invite our new agents to join us on listing appointments as we feel the best experience you can ever acquire is on the job. Witnessing firsthand how your team’s leadership negotiates and interacts with potential clients to land listings is where you pick up techniques and nuances you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to. 

We also encourage our new agents to join us at open houses and showings to hone their skills further. The more exposure you have, the more confidence you will gain.

Offer support

We have an open-door policy at our office, and we are always available to jump on the phone or attend a listing meeting with one of our new agents if they need extra support when working on landing a listing. 

Lending our expertise whenever possible allows the client to feel comfortable signing with one of our new agents and for our team members to know that we have their back and are there to help and guide them 100 percent of the time.

Hold them accountable

We strongly believe that holding our agents accountable breeds confidence and success. Taking responsibility for the goals and objectives you set forth for yourself and your business will provide a true sense of purpose and bolster your confidence as an agent. 

Staying committed to what you set out to accomplish is incredibly important in this industry and one of the key ways to succeed in this business.

All in all, building an infrastructure around your team that is encouraging and supportive is the best way for new agents to build their confidence as they break into the industry. Implementing these tools will provide new agents with the confidence they need to succeed.

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