How to you Keep Agents from Leaving your Real Estate Brokerage

Many brokers/managers have asked me how they can help their Real Estate Agents advanced with technology? Usually the answer is to have us come in for a group coaching session or one-on-one technology coaching. After today though I have another idea. Stop blocking access to technology.

Anyways, back to the story. Today I was helping a Real Estate Agent get setup in a new office after leaving another broker.

I had to take his laptop back to his old office to export his email from the company’s exchange server and while I was waiting I started (tried) to surf the internet.

So while browsing around I went to the OC Register website just to see what’s going on in my county and I wanted to click on an article.

What happens? I get a big fat freaking

And the screen told me I was denied access because it applied to the Social Network filter!

What the hell! You mean to tell me that your brokerage is so afraid of Social Networking that they block it outright at the firewall? Hmmm let’s just block our REALTORS from accessing? Social Networking sites so that way if that can’t get there they might not find out about those sites.

Blocking Social Networking sites is about as smart as locking your door and then putting the key under the doormat. People will figure out how to get what they want.

This agent has had many problems with this brokers IT department. He once had a program that he need to download an update but the company’s firewall blocked him because the maker of the program also created games so the “game site” filter blocked him and the IT department said they would never allow the site. So, to remedy the problem he unplugged from the network and plugged in his Verizon card. Problem Solved, and he has moved on to better opportunities.

First Team in Anaheim Hills better clean up their policies and stop try to hide technology from their agents or they might loose or never even bring on the internet savvy REALTORS.

If you want to keep your Agents, help them get up to speed on the internet and offer them the support they need to maintain their systems.

Loren Nason
Future of Real Estate Technology