Hiring an Effective Inside Sales Agent (ISA) - Not So Easy…
So you’re thinking of hiring an ISA (Inside Sales Agent) and your team members have all decided it would be beneficial to have someone dedicated to not only nurture leads, but also call, prospect, and schedule appointments. You’ve setup an job posting, you’ve put together your qualifications and requirements (candidate must be systematic, organized, skilled on the phones, etc.), and you’re ready to begin the interviewing process!
The job is posted, you’ve decided on how to interview, and your admin/assistant is ready to schedule time for you to talk to potential candidates! Now it’s on to the waiting game!
*Crickets*..
It's not so easy is it? We know.
Most teams set up their profile and forget it. What we have found at Nurtured is the #1 reason why most teams don’t hire an ISA fast enough is the lack of resources to actively prospect and find someone. (trust me, your admin has enough on their plate and the last thing they want to do is try to find someone to fill the role!)
Now that you’ve hired your first ISA (after a couple of weeks), it is time to give them their scripts, train them, setup a phone system, make sure their 1099 or W2 is put together, and...did i forget something?
Exactly! The process is not only arduous but requires constant upkeep and maintenance! So the be sure you have a working system in place before you have your first ISA jump onboard. Here are a couple of key things you MUST have before they start dialing leads for you:
Phone system with call recording enabled
Now most providers like Mojo or Vulcan7 will provide a call recording feature. So having a physical phone setup might not be necessary, but it is highly recommended that you get a separate phone (not the ISA’s personal cell phone) so when your ISA goes away for the weekend, you have control of all callbacks & inbound calls.
CRM system or dial tracker
The most waste of resource is TIME/MONEY. Meaning, if for every hour your ISA is wasting away inputting data that is irrelevant to the lead, you are paying for that hour. Have a CRM system or a way to track dials/hour so you will know the efficiency of your ISA. This leads to our next topic…
METRICS & Trackabilities!
One of the most valuable data available to your team and ISA is their Metrics. Knowing the metrics from dials, contact, & scheduled appointments will be the key to determining the success of your ISA. This is great coaching and accountability material - it allows for consistent TRUE and HONEST feedback.
Consistent Coaching and Feedback Systems
The struggle of an ISA is imminent. The learning curve to not only learn the script but to also understand how to communicate with people over the phone (not just about real estate, but in general also!) is TOUGH. This is why most of us Realtors despise the phone if we can avoid it altogether. Having consistent feedback is not only very important for the ISA to get better, but it is also the keystone of building a very STRONG ISA team.
Scripts!
Last but never the least, having the right script is very instrumental to the success of your ISA. Now, most people are given very sub-standard, run-of-the-mill type of scrips. “Hi this is so-and-so, I am assistant to the local real estate team…” or “We are the best in the area, we have buyers looking to buy your home!”... I cannot attest to how INEFFECTIVE these scripts are. So making sure you have the right scripts for whatever you are prospecting for is very important. *TIP: Have a script that tells the story of your brand and how you plan to help your client is highly recommended*
Now if you have all this process setup and in place, be PATIENT! ISAs (generally new ones) will take some time to show results, this is due to a couple of reasons but the biggest one is the learning curve. Keep in mind, most sales funnels take awhile to build and managed--real estate leads and clients are a lot longer term. With the right feedback loop and systems in place, your ISA can even outperform some agents on your team. They can set the right meetings, build the right branding, and even keep you busy with appointments that you’ll never want to have to prospect again! The key here is finding the RIGHT ISA and giving them the CONSISTENT feedback to keep them growing.
Or you could just reach out to us, we always have ISAs ready to go. Your choice ;-)
Richard Lo