Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Wright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
When I started my company, I knew I had the long term goal to grow beyond just being a “one woman show”, but truly had no clear timeline or hard plan on paper. I’ve been in real estate since 1998, and can humbly say I’m an expert in my field when it comes to listing and transaction management. But running a successful business and growing a team? That is a different ballgame!
I have a wonderful core group of people who work with me, and am constantly tweaking the hiring process as I learn what makes people stick and what doesn’t. I’ve definitely made a few hires over the past couple of years who were great people, but ended up not being the right fit for my company, and I recognize now that each time that happened, I was feeling rushed to fill a need, instead of sticking it out and really searching for the right person. The phrase “hire slow, fire fast” has helped me hone my hiring process.
As business owners, we invest so much time onboarding, training and supporting our team, it’s worth it to make sure we’re hiring for the right reasons, and the right skillset to meet our needs. My best hires have always been by referral, including by members of my team. Even though everyone on my team works independently, they have a vested interest in maintaining our reputation for quality, attention to detail and professionalism.
I try to let the interview process happen organically. Yes, I ask a few of the prerequisite questions – “What did you like most/least about your role doing *blank*? What most attracts you to doing transaction management work? Give me an example of when…”; but most importantly, I try to get to know the person and really understand what they’re hoping to both contribute and get out of this role. I’m also not going to say there are no wrong answers in the interview process, but I’m looking more at how they handle the question, than what their answer is.
When I hire someone, they don’t work with clients or handle their own files for the first month. Instead, they shadow and support any files I’m personally handling, so I can train them on all of the backend systems we use and give them a feel for how to best handle communication. Once they do start handling their own files, they cc me on all communication for the first few transactions and send me a daily recap, so we can quickly address anything that needs tweaking.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I started in real estate in 1998 as office staff, then transitioned to a corporate office role, and finally found my niche as a licensed assistant for a luxury Realtor. In 2017, I took the leap and started my transaction management company, closHUB.
We support real estate agents! closHUB provides listing and transaction management for real estate agents who need support but don’t want a full or part-time assistant.
For listings, we help with scheduling photography and sign installation, listing input in the MLS, and making sure all the required paperwork is in order for their broker’s records.
Once an agent has an accepted contract for their buyer or seller, we communicate throughout the transaction with the client, other agents, Title company, lender and any other necessary parties – from scheduling inspections, managing contract deadlines and coordinating the final home walk-through before closing, to managing all required internal paperwork for their broker’s records, scheduling closing and making sure everything is done to get everyone to closing.
Similar to having an assistant, an agent always works with the same transaction coordinator. We are involved from listing-to-contract-to-close. Unlike having an assistant, agents pay per listing and/or transaction instead of having to pay someone a constant salary.
My team goes above and beyond when it comes to taking care of agents and their clients! There are other transaction coordination companies out there, but I am proud of what we offer and how well we do it. My favorite thing to hear when I’m chatting with a Realtor about what we offer is, “wow, I didn’t realize you’d take care of that for me”. Each member of my team establishes a true working relationship with each agent they work with – they understand and support the nuances of each agent’s business and how they specifically want to care for their clients.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Tony Robbins Inner Circle has become an ever-expanding resource for me! It provides so many great coaching sessions and interviews with successful entrepreneurs, as well as connection to other members with like-minded goals. It’s been a game changer this year with my mindset and how to approach my next level of growth, both personally and in business.
Any advice for managing a team?
Talk to them! Your team is so much more than a statistic or data on a sheet. They have goals, dreams, struggles – they deal with real life, and it’s important they know you care about all of the things that contribute to their life.
Everyone on my team does annual goal planning – I use a specific questionnaire that covers personal growth and contribution, achievements and experiences, and financial freedom and rewards. I take the time to review their goals with them one-on-one at the beginning of the year, and then check in quarterly to see how they’re progressing toward those goals, which goals have maybe changed, and how I can support them to better reach their goals. It’s so exciting to see the diversity of what they want to achieve – from taking up a new hobby, learning a new language, reading more, fitness challenges and family vacations, to volunteer opportunities, buying a first home, saving and investing. I value their trust in me to share their goals, and I honor them by supporting them in anyway I can.
Make sure they know you have their back! Not every moment in business is sunshine and roses; issues come up, and your team will be honest with you if they know you will support them. They will make mistakes; use those moments as opportunities to teach them how to better handle a situation or conversation, avoid conflict or confusion, or learn a new skill that remedies the issue.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closhub_transactions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClosHub/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/closhub/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@closhub
Image Credits
Maria Lord, Melissa Wright