Since 2005, I’ve been taking notes in every opportunity I’ve been lucky enough to experience. Having owned and operated another small business, held positions on the local real estate board, national brand advisory council and served as President of a local volunteer organization, each experience has helped shaped what Local Realty will become. Most recently, I completed a Graduate Certificate in Workplace Innovation from Royal Roads University. This allowed me to test concepts and ideas with my peers and mold what would become our strategic plan. While Coldwell Banker Local Realty is a new brokerage, it’s been several years in the making, with plenty of experience behind it. We believed there was a better way. A better brokerage for both agents and our clients.
Below are highlights of the five pillars of our brokerage. We hope you find they align with what you think is important from your agent and the company they represent.
Brin Werrett, Broker
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L is for the long way.
There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
Our reputation will come first. We will do business right over right now. As broker, I’ll stand behind every transaction we do, as my name is on it too.
We will start by:
- recruiting strategically. Good people that align with our pillars, no matter how much business they do.
- pursuing continuous improvement and addressing when we fall short on our goals and make mistakes
- sharing knowledge and best practices with our colleagues
- implementing processes and tools so each transaction follows a proven path. Always improving the process
- always learning
- listening and asking for feedback, from both our clients and agents we work with
O is for One.
We’re all in this together. We believe a brokerage should be one family and one team. We should all work together and collaborate to be the best agents we can be.
Most of all, our clients should expect a minimum standard level of experience, no matter who they choose to work with. Just like when they order their coffee, no matter which Starbucks they visit.
We will start by:
- having standard branding and lawn sign templates
- developing that standard for customer experience and always working to raise the bar
- leveraging each other’s talents and learn from each other’s experiences
- implementing failure meetings. Where did we fall short and how can we be better next time
- introducing a profit share and conference credit program
- developing an intense on boarding program through our new agent guides and our brand’s “agent university”
- Implementing a shared goal with agents. If we are confident in our systems and programs, they will be successful. If we fall short, we invest even more in training and mentorship
- Ubuntu
C is for Community.
Support local folks. Work with good people.
This is a big one. Realtors should be active members in our community, and most are. But there’s always room to do more.
We will start by:
- spending locally and purchasing the things we need from our neighbours and stores with doors. It won’t be perfect, but we will always aim to reduce the money we spend online and will share our progress
- promoting new businesses, spotlighting old favorites and collaborating with brands we love
- promoting and supporting community events (and creating our own)
- sharing our city’s history
- discovering local secrets and spotlighting neighbourhoods
- encouraging agents (and providing incentives) to be active leaders in our community and volunteer organizations
- putting our office right in the middle of the community ✔️
- building a small local market in our office
- promoting local pride through our new locally-focused clothing line (with proceeds back to the community)
- and much more
A is for Authentic.
It’s about you, not me.
We’ve been saying this for a long time, but there’s still a much needed shift in the way we approach this business.
The truth is, you’re the ones buying and selling homes. We’re just here to help.
We are going to shift the focus from our agents to our clients, and even more, our community.
We will start by:
- eliminating Top Producer posts
- spotlighting our real clients in our marketing.
- measuring success by client satisfaction and the number of clients we have helped, not by the commissions we have earned
- celebrating our awards internally and helping each other reach our goals
- letting our clients tell their stories about home ownership
- say thank you as much as possible
L is for Life Balance.
Our pillars will be the foundation of our programs and affect the way we serve our clients and the company we become.
In 2021, I spent one month away from real estate. While I was busy building this new brokerage, I can’t believe how refreshing it was to just take a break, especially from this phone.
After that month, I was excited to be back. I felt refreshed and ready to start working with my clients again. More importantly, my break stressed the importance of implementing some programs that support life balance in our new brokerage. Depression, divorce and substance abuse rates in our industry are too high. We need to find a balance so we can be more present with our families and be better agents when our clients need us.
We will start by:
- implementing a mandatory “black out” days where we encourage our agents to take a break. The rest of us help to ensure their clients are well taken care of while they do, at no cost to them.
- Implementing technology that makes sense and reduces tasks and the amount of running around
- implementing flexible work schedule and remote options for staff
- Reduced office hours around the holidays
- Additional training and optional services to help agents manage their business. Help them be efficient with their time and be not only great agents but great business people
- educate agents on the mental health services available to them from the Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association
- broaden learning opportunities to include health education
- spend time together as a team outside of the office