You may have noticed I’m talking a lot about teams lately.

And for good reason… I strongly believe that’s the best path forward for today’s truly committed real estate professionals.

As I’ve said before, it doesn’t mean you have to build a giant – what we call “mega” – team to succeed. Teams come in all shapes and sizes, and no matter your ambitions or desires, forming a team is going to allow you to blow past your production as a solo agent.

And the first step toward building a successful team is figuring out where you need help most and hiring your first new team member.

Today I’m outlining six possible roles you’ll want to consider for that “first hire.” Let’s go!

 

Option 1: The Obvious ‘First Hire’ – Real Estate Assistant

The safest and most obvious option for your very first hire is to bring on an assistant who can do a little bit of everything to help your business:

  • Personal/schedule management
  • Transaction coordination
  • Lead follow-up/appointment setting
  • Business tracking
  • Marketing management, and much more!

Pros: Broad title allows you to assign many, wide-ranging tasks and responsibilities. A good assistant can free you up to focus on dollar-productive work – the stuff you do best – by taking care of all the necessary tasks in your business.

Cons: Who you hire needs to be extremely flexible and will likely not be an expert in any of their many responsibilities. Will require lots of training to get up to speed in all the different areas. It might take a while to find someone who is the right fit for the role.

 

Option 2: Getting More Specific – Transaction Coordinator

If you’ve ever felt like you’re spending way too much time doing paperwork and talking on the phone, you’ll want to consider making a Transaction Coordinator your first hire.

This position becomes your key contact for client phone calls and handling all transaction details from contract to close. (Sounds good to get that off your plate, right?)

Pros: Gives you a specialist to handle lots of “busy work” that gets in the way of you creating more business and strengthening relationships with your clients. Also, this role will bring greater overall organization to your business.

Cons: This person will interact with your clients A LOT, so it’s essential that they possess impeccable customer service skills and are effective problem solvers. The wrong person in this role can do serious damage to your reputation – not to mention cause deals to fall apart.

 

Option 3: Work Smarter, Not Harder – Marketing Director

Ready to go all-in on your brand and a marketing-driven business? Then you’ve got to consider a Marketing Director as your first hire.

This role can create your lead generation strategy, execute on all of your lead generation systems, manage your social channels, and more!

Pros: Full-time role dedicated to building your brand and differentiating you from your competition. When this role implements effective marketing strategies, you can really take off with a significant increase in business naturally coming your way. Also, having in-house marketing makes you more nimble.

Cons: This role does not come cheaply. You’ll want someone with a proven track record and varied skill set to handle all of your marketing efforts without having to outsource their creation.

 

Option 4: Clone Yourself – Sales Agent

If your lead gen and conversion is a well-oiled machine and you just wish you could clone yourself to handle all the business, perhaps your first hire is another Sales Agent.

Responsibilities for this “next in line” agent may include:

  • Open Houses
  • Door knocking your farm
  • Calling FSBOs and Expireds
  • Lead follow-up
  • Showings

Pros: Having an experienced, licensed agent by your side means you can multiply your efforts without significant training or a steep learning curve.

Cons: This quickly puts you in uncharted territory of managing/overseeing another agent when you’ve handled everything yourself up to this point. If you’re not careful, this new role can undermine the whole reason why you brought on another agent in the first place – to get more work done.

 

Option 5: Make Yourself a Star – Videographer

You know I’m a huge proponent of all things video.

But here’s the rub… Shooting and editing video is extremely time consuming and requires some serious skills.

A few highly successful “video-first” agents I know handle it all themselves. But to do so, video editing needs to be a hobby you enjoy doing during “off” times so you can do it WHILE ALSO devoting sufficient effort and energy to your real estate career.

Or you can make your first hire a Videographer to handle it all for you… I’m talking about planning, shooting, and editing videos, plus maximizing your YouTube channel.

If you go this route, I strongly suggest you create a mix of shows and content you create to justify hiring a full-time videographer.

Regular shows you might consider include:

  • Real estate news & market updates
  • Behind the scenes – “How we did it” storytelling, tales from inside a meeting, etc.
  • Community-based content
  • Listing home tours
  • Q&As + educational content
  • Short-form video – Fun stuff to build your audience on TikTok and Reels

Pros: Never again worry about your video quality when you give that responsibility to a true professional in the field. Free yourself up from the time-consuming task of video editing.

Cons: If you’re hiring an in-house videographer, you’re committing to extra costs such as professional camera(s), lighting, and other equipment including computers and software for editing. These aren’t necessarily “cons” but they add up quickly, and you need to be prepared for these additional costs should you decide to hire a videographer.

 

Option 6: Free Yourself from Phone Duty – ISA

An ISA or Inbound Sales Agent is someone responsible for all incoming leads, phone calls, and inquiries.

This person can follow-up, vet, and pre-qualify potential clients while also serving as the “face” of your initial touch and customer service.

Hiring either an individual or a “virtual” ISA is a cost-effective way to free yourself up and ensure “speed to lead” in responding to prospective clients.

Pros: Good usage of spending money to save time. Frees you to do what you do best. Potential to hire a “virtual” ISA.

Cons: Script training can take time getting your ISA up to speed. Also, depending on your local real estate regulations, there may be limits on what an ISA can discuss. Be sure to know your rules and abide by them.

 

So… which role is your priority? Which would unlock your growth the fastest? Which matches your budget or willingness to invest in your business? Let me know your answers in the comments below, and be sure to join me at my next BluePrint event for even more insight – including detailed job descriptions – for all six of these positions.