There is a widely believed assumption that 80 percent of new agents don't make it in the industry. I am not sure if that is fact, but I do believe a high percentage of agents fail.

What is the manager/broker's role in this process? It seems that no matter what a broker does, its rarely the right thing.

One of my favorite theories is the "minimum standard" theory. This is where the broker has issued a production standard to the agents such as: "Our agents are required to have a minimum of three pieces of production in the first 60 days." Yet most managers tell me they don't get a good result from this standard. They are constantly wondering why their agents are not meeting the minimum. Well, it's quite simple. This method is not inspiring.

Instead, what inspires is the leader finding out what the new agent wants to accomplish in the business and insuring that the agent is specific on what they want to accomplish. A simple use formula is asking:

1. Where do you want to go?
2. How are you going to get there?
3. And, how soon?

Have the agent commit to the standard they have set for themselves.

Another approach is to "train them until they drop." These managers/brokers have the most comprehensive training on the planet. Agents go through extensive weeks of training, down to every little detail. But training doesn't equate with productivity. Productivity is a choice. Training merely creates the skill. Managers tell me that their agents attend all the trainings and learn the ins and outs of the business, but then often don't produce.

A leader's job is to create a condition for the agent to choose to be productive. Have accountability sessions with your new agents at least twice a week as a group. Each one declares their commitments between that session and the next. At the next session they report if they kept their commitments to themselves or not. Then they make new commitments that they are going to keep for the next session.

With this approach, you have created an accountable condition. Now they get to make a choice. When the next session nears, they have to decide to do what they said they were going to do or choose to get out of the business, because if they can't meet the commitment to themselves, they won't be able to make it in the business anyway.

Remember … training creates skill. Accountability sets the condition for production.

Published: June 8, 2005

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Rich Casto is the founder of The Real Estate Coaches, a recruiting and management solutions company that supports brokers, owners and managers in the management and recruiting solutions arena. He can be reached at 702 240-0908 or coach@therealestatecoaches.com. Visit his website at TheRealEstateCoaches.com.