I had the opportunity to speak with Rick Fuller, leader of the #1 real estate team in the San Francisco bay area, to talk to him about the importance real estate team coaching. Rick’s team recently won an award for the best small business of the year in their community — which is really an accomplishment.
I’ve been coaching Rick for years. It has been a great opportunity, and privilege, to work with him and see his team grow. His entire team takes advantage of our ICC resources and training modules. That, along with good real estate team coaching, has been key to their continued success.
In talking to Rick, several things stood out as keys to his real estate team’s continued success throughout the years. First, with nearly 1,000 5-star reviews on Zillow, Rick’s team is killing it. They leverage these online testimonials to not only attract more business, but also driven, talented team members. Second, his team is big on giving back to his community. And third, Rick focuses on providing his real estate team with coaching that will keep them learning and growing.
One of the keys to leveraging the internet to your benefit in real estate is harnessing the power of Zillow reviews. The Rick Fuller Team provides clients with a 5-star experience to attract more business. But, that’s not all. They also attract new team members who align with high standard of customer service. By showing this standard of excellence with their online presence, the Rick Fuller Team is able to grow to even greater heights.
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Rick reminded me of this ancient African proverb. When it comes to building a successful real estate team, this concept really holds true.
Rick mentioned that he and his team focus on raising money for local foster kids and homeless kids. In the last 17 years, the Rick Ruller Team has raised 1.2 million dollars for this effort in their community. This is incredible! As Rick’s coach, I could not be more proud of what he and his real estate team are doing.
Along with giving back to the community, real estate teams can also give back to clients through client appreciation events. It’s important to stay in front of your SOI, which includes your past clients, through an annual database contact plan. You want to always stay in front of them, but without spamming them! This is where the client appreciation event swoops in to save the day. You’re appreciating your clients with a fun event, and giving back to them … all while staying first of mind. Giving back is a win-win.
One thing that Rick credits to the success of his team is their access to our ICC Online Learning Center. Through these helpful courses, training modules, and downloadable resources, the Rick Fuller Team has been able to foster continued learning for their agents. “The ICC Online Learning Center is the defining resource for development in our industry,” Rick shared with me. Coming from him, this means a lot.
When it comes to coaching successful real estate teams, it is all about getting your agents to build their own business. Of course, this is done through each agent’s sphere of influence. The team leader becomes a coach in helping each team member succeed individually in this way. The Rick Fuller Team has managed to foster their team members’ success in working with their own SOI, and the proof is in the pudding. Each team member that has been on the team over one year averages $209,000 in GCI.
The statistics speak for themselves. 80% of all real estate transactions are done with a real estate agent that has some relationship to the buyer/seller. The real estate agent is either someone the client knows personally, or someone who was recommended by someone they know. Top agents tend to dominate with a huge book of business. This book of business is full of people who are conditioned to use them — they know and trust them already.
The importance of a team member’s sphere of influence is absolutely everything. It is essential to focus on this 80% because if you don’t, and you only focus on the 20% (business from people who are not in your SOI), it’s going to be harder. You’re competing with everyone for this small piece of the pie. It is important to focus on coaching your real estate team on the significance of building and growing a healthy SOI.
At Icenhower Coaching and Consulting, we are proud to coach many of the top real estate teams across North America. Our coaches help these top teams work on many of the elements we’ve discussed in this blog. We help teams build up an online presence, become beacons of light in their community, and continue learning and growing through training and real estate team coaching. If you’re looking to build your team, or take your team to the next level, talk to a coach on a free consultation today.
