Expect The Unexpected!

What would you do if you walked into your company's office meeting tomorrow morning and were told that your company has been sold...or worse, was closing its doors?

Having been an agent for 20+ years with a large, international brand real estate company, imagine my surprise, while on a family vacation, to find out that my broker did not renew his franchise agreement and we joined a well-respected, local real estate firm.

Can you imagine the shock and confusion that over 200 agents felt when hearing about it for the first time? I kept wondering how could this be happening. Many of us agents were extremely loyal to the brand and it was part of our business identity.

What was I going to do...find a new company or join my "new" and "immediate" family? After returning from my family vacation, I interviewed several competitors and analyzed their strengths and weaknesses.

I don't wish this situation on anyone. Looking back over the past 2 weeks, it makes me realize that many agents had to each weather through the storm and make the best decision they could on whether they would stay or go. There's no right or wrong answer...each situation is different.

The lesson I learned from all of this is you need to have a contingency plan in the back of your mind for the possibility of your real estate company not being there tomorrow. Your focus and goals must be strong enough to withstand the turmoil that accompanies a scenario like this. It will also help you get back into the game of selling real estate faster and not mentally "shut down" your business in the interim.

In the end, I stayed with my broker and his office manager, who I believe is the top sales manager in the city. They have an experienced staff and the infrastructure like no other.

Are you prepared if something ever happens to your broker? If not, now is the time to make a contingency plan.

To your success,

Dan

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