Expanding Your Team Strategically-with Mike Perna-EP37

During this episode of the Lab Coat Agents Podcast, host Tristan Ahumada speaks with Mike Perna about all things expansion and the opportunity to maintain culture while creating the freedom to succeed at the highest potential. If you are considering creating a team, expanding into multiple markets, or as a single agent want to hear about the proven structure and behaviors that generate success, you will not want to miss this episode. Episode Highlights:  Mike Perna has had a team since 2000 that focuses on the Detroit area. He has over 700 reviews on Zillow. His number one challenge in hiring was the culture disconnect. His number one hiring source is Craigslist. Past clients help him find agents as well.  Right now it takes him 48 resumes to get to one hire. The first thing he looks at is the grammar on their resume. Job hoppers are a huge red flag to him. He generally calls twenty people for one position, will have three come in, and make one hire. Mike uses Gary Keller's six personal perspectives during his phone interviews. He looks for applicants that speak positively of their former employers. He has them sit through a team meeting. He asks them how much they want to make and explains how many properties they'll have to close. Agents go through a 90-day training program. On Day 1 they dump contacts and they're dialing through their contacts multiple times. Three out of four agents usually remain after that and then they become  rockstars. Next he trains them on open houses and then lead ponds and pre-set ISA appointments. Mike describes the structure of his team. They discuss working remotely vs. coming into the office. Mike describes how he goes about offering leads to his agents. Getting tight on his hiring has made the biggest difference in the growth of his business. It's the B and C players that need the systems because they need structure. You're forcing your A players out. Tristan and Mike lament A players they lost. The Perna Team will sustain consistent growth by hiring the right people and not forcing the growth. He makes three calls five days per week. They are half the size that they used to be but they're doing more deals. His team has a call day once a month. They also try to have a fun outing together monthly to maintain connection. One of the biggest struggles he had was getting the right leads to the right agents. Be particular about who you hire all around. 3 Key Points:   Be very particular about who you hire as you expand your team.   Provide your prospective agents with clear expectations from the outset.   Be willing to say no 49 times to get the right yes.  Resources Mentioned: LCA Marketing Center: LCAmarketingcenter.com Lab Coat Agents: LabCoatAgents.com Mike Perna website, LinkedIn   Mindset by Carol Dweck (book) Contacts to Excel (app) MyOutDesk Good to Great (book) Firepoint  Connect with Lab Coat Agents: Lab Coat Agents on Facebook Lab Coat Agents on Twitter Lab Coat Agents on Instagram Lab Coat Agents Facebook Group