If you are looking to regain some free time with your family and increase your business at the same time, it's time to get quality help. Cultivating a quality assistant or team of assistants is crucial to long-term balance and growth in real estate.

For some agents, because of their organizational skills or systems, production levels can be quite high without the addition of staff. But no matter how organized you are or how much time you put in, you will eventually "hit the wall" of production increase.

The wall is the limit to what your one head and two hands can do; you are there when you can't break through to increased production. If you want to get over the wall, you must change your business model, and that is to increase your person power - hiring an assistant(s.)

It isn't enough just to add staff members; you have to make the best use of them, as well. You have to empower them, and the only way to do that is to let go of control. We all struggle with turning over parts of our business to an assistant; it's difficult to relinquish control of client listings or escrows to staff members. But if you hold on to control of the tasks that you have given to your staff, they will never have the chance to take ownership of their jobs. You will leave your assistants very little room for growth or for job satisfaction. Letting go and letting them do their jobs will empower your staff, and you will find that everyone will perform at a higher level.

Let me give you an example of a company that does give its staff ownership, with outstanding results.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is recognized as one of the best hotel chains in the world. Ritz-Carlton hotels are legendary for excellence in service and amenities, so much so that they were awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

The Ritz-Carlton hotels invest in their employees. They recruit quality people, coach them to succeed, and then manage them for the desired result. The one thing that sets the Ritz-Carlton hotels apart is the power they give their staff to serve the customer. Every employee of a Ritz-Carlton hotel -- including the doorman and the bellhop and the housekeeper who cleans your room -- has the authority to spend up to $2,000 to solve a problem with a customer without manager involvement.

Think about it: any employee can spend more money than many of them make in a month to solve a customer problem. What do you think the end result is for that housekeeper and that bellhop? They feel like they are owner-managers of their own businesses. They are focused on making sure that the room is always spotless and the bags delivered promptly. They feel empowered to handle a problem when it arises and to give a customer additional attention if needed. They truly are the CEOs of their own businesses inside the Ritz-Carlton’s business.

What if you were to place the same value on your staff and your customers as the Ritz-Carlton does? Do you have the trust and faith in your staff that the Ritz-Carlton has in theirs? If you empowered your staff in the same fashion, their enjoyment of their jobs and production on the job would increase dramatically. And customers and clients just might notice the difference. Truly, you would own the marketplace, and no one could compete with you and your staff.

You can have that kind of a business, if you start right now to recruit quality people, coach them well, manage them well, and reward them well. Empower them for success. Give them ownership of their own areas, and watch them grow as well as your business.

Published: January 5, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Dirk Zeller only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.

Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.