5,583,278
new agents should be shadowing a seasoned agent before covering the phones....
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Brenda Mayette
Glenville, NY
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Inna Ivchenko
Encino, CA
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
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Fred Griffin Florida R...
Tallahassee, FL
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Mary Yonkers
Erie, PA
1,052,211
My first broker put the newest agent at a desk RIGHT NEXT TO HERS. So you were shadowed and hovered over by her. She was the bomb. And floor duty IS great for new agents. Not so good for the hapless caller who gets the new agent necessarily. But you learn about referrals that way. ;)
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
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Tony and Suzanne Marri...
Scottsdale, AZ
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
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Mary Yonkers
Erie, PA
1,844,301
Floor time is the company using you 'unpaid' to be a secretary & answer the phone. You will get business if your phone skills are good enough along with your scripts.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
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Fred Griffin Florida R...
Tallahassee, FL
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
231,224
in the olden days you FOUGHT for floor time, now not so much. it is STILL a good training ground for the exact reason you said, IF the broker is listeningand helping. very valuable if it goes down like you said
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
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Mary Yonkers
Erie, PA
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
290,969
I have seen where Floor/Phone Duty generated business, as in customers walking in with questions on a property or a community, or a customer calling in with specific questions, or wanting to List their property. It also depends on where your office is located, as some seem to get more traffic than others Tony Whiteside.
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
5,049,450
I got quite a bit of business from floor time when I first started but we were in a great walk-by location in Cambridge MA. It certainly won't be effective in some locations
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
628,814
Depending on the model of the Brokerage; opportunity time is a great way to generate business and for a new agent the best way to learn and practice your sales skills.
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
1,027,602
When I was a new agent, I loved floor time and did get business from it. It also gave me the opportunity to see what was going on in the office. As I got busier on my own, I gave it up because I didn't want anything scheduled that might interfere with showings, home inspections, etc. but it was time well when I did it.
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
1,513,143
Probably a little of both; it would also be an opportunity of helping one to learn about a work and business plan to help them later in their career.
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
1,725,996
Both in my opinion. Most brokers, however, do not seem to care and only want the phones answered and people greeted.
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Tony Whiteside
Martinez, GA
7,836,139
Our office does not have floor duty. Staff members answer the phones.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
5,216,409
In most cases floor time is a waste of time. Some offices, in great locations, have excellent floor time.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
634,482
In our office it can generate business but most brokerages don't get that much from their floor.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
1,622,432
I did know know that anyone still does them. Clients do not call offices anymore, they call specific agents they usually find online or via signs.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
321,564
Our office doesn't offer floor time. We have other options in the works. No one ever signed up phone duty. We now have someone, not agent, on the phones during working hours.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
1,090,872
Both. You will learn the company listings quickly so you can speak knowledgeably when you get a sign call or walkin. One broker had new agents sit with an experienced agent on floor to get a feel for the process and learn the phone system, etc before letting you go it alone.
Whether it will generate business depends on many things...is the office well located with a lot of foot traffic, are the listings marketed enough to provide great exposure, how is your sales background...do you come from a job where you are used to handling inquiries and dealing with the public?
The day and time of your floor shift can impact potential business and new customers. Try mixing up the days and times you do floor until you get a feel for which are the busiest. If you take the last shift of the day, ask if the after hours phones are forwarded to the agent on duty. That is a great way to pick up business and many don't want to be bothered at night and on weekends.
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Allie Angeloni
Oro Valley, AZ
823,579
I think floor time is only good if you have a great location and the possibility of walk-ins. Other than that, I think it is not a worthwhile way to generate business.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
2,684,109
If your company gets floor calls or walk-ins, go for it.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
582,106
If you work in a market area where there are walk-ins, floor time can be quite lucrative, but it requires patience. You do learn a lot by putting in floor time.
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
1,712,676
No but it could be a good way for a broker to be sued for acting like agents are employees to do as they are told.
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
763,883
Floor-Time is an excellent way for a new agent to learn how to speak with the public. It is also an excellent opportunity to begin a data base and get sales.
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
1,231,853
Lots of good responses here Tony Whiteside Whether it generates business depends on the training & skill of the agent taking floor duty.
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Diana Zaccaro Broker A...
Cocoa Beach, FL
1,466,207
Tony Whiteside Floor duty was always a tied and true way for getting clients. The Internet has limited the number of potential client calls into an office, but if someone does call, you want to be the one to take the call.
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Allie Angeloni
Oro Valley, AZ
1,502,998
It is a real good way to get familiar with your office's inventory and to pick up some clients. I've know people who did well with it and others that hated every second of it. Depends on your personality I guess. I say try it for a month and see what happens. Just don't make it your only means of getting new business in.
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Mary Yonkers
Erie, PA
4,882,355
I have a friend and that is all she did. If you could not work you shift she would cover for you. She has been in business over 15 years and probably makes 100K doing nothing but floor duty. I guess it just depends.
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
921,504
Tony,
The question must be asked, "What else would you do instead of floor duty to generate business?" In the clarity of the answer 'Nothing else" then floor duty becomes a good idea.
However, why not double duty that activity.
While lagging on floor duty use that time to mine the MLS to maintain your MIAM data base and update your CIS Score Market adjustments.
While lagging on floor duty explore the Q & A of AR or Z-devil and see if you can not identify problems that need solutions that other agents are ignoring or fail to recognize. I posted a question this morning to illustrate such an opportunity. Those who are solutions providers will see the opportunity.
When you have solutions, you also have something of value to talk about, and that changes everything.
When you can delineate yourself from the sea of smiley faces, by offering a solution it makes you walk taller when doing those meet and greets, knocking, direct response marketing....everything you do is more assured by the solution(s) you present and the clarity of the value you bring will not go unnoticed by the ones you have identified.
PS: do not allow the broker to use you as unpaid clerical help doing office admin supporting other agents. That when you can understand the value the broker has placed on your time. Floor duty should mean taking the calls of citizen buyers or sellers. PERIOD.
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Allie Angeloni
Oro Valley, AZ
5,868,554
When I started, floor duty was a great way to garner new clients. In our office today, there is no floor duty.
5,104,931
It's a way for brokerages to get free receptionist services as far as I'm concerned. My company does not allow it. Only the front desk person answers phones and greets people. If someone calls on my listing they are immediately connected to my cell phone. If it's a rare walk-in they get sent to whomever is on the roster for the next walk in or call.
And I've never worked at brokerage where the floor duty person was sitting anywhere near the broker.
4,572,183
It would depend on the office. When I was new, I did floor duty -- it was good training and yes it generate business for me but that was a different time.
4,434,127
3,071,489
2,538,633
Good morning Tony. You should definitely think of it as opportunity on your way to building a referral based practice.
851,242
3,727,873
It depends. If you are in an office with a sort of street store front and if the phone rings a lot, it could be great.
2,224,473
We still get a good percentage of walk in traffic and phone calls. I find floor time valuable. Each market is different and maybe you don't get many walk ins or callers.
3,988,007
My broker uses it to help agents get started. They seem excited about it until they have done it a few months and realize they haven't spent their time wisely.
6,393,609
If done right both are accomplished.
Make good use of your floor time, when you are not meeting with a new prospect or client, make sure you are marketing or learning.
3,986,258
4,160,899
1,525,616
Floor duty has brought me a lot of business over the years including two calls my first year that brought me a around two million dollar in sales. I also think that it helps the agent learn the business.
3,164,294
It's opportunity time in my office and I put out a sign up sheet and my agents flock to sign up. I use their sign up to make a "fair" schedule based on the days they want to work. I also call in back up from those sign up sheets on days when a walk in takes the agent out showing.
1,157,785
1) No. (2) It probably depends upon the location of the office and trading area.
797,457
Floor duty does not generate business but it's a good way for a new Agent to get comfortable with the flow of an office.
56,684
I'm actually jealous of agents who get to do floor time! I've heard of several contracts being made from walk-ins and phone calls. Since our brokerage used an admin girl, I missed out.....Boo.....
2,781,173
I have always answered the phone wherever I worked. Why? That is where all the action is. Added bonus? Humility visits with you and people respect U