Several months ago, I queried a number of my colleagues around the country to construct a mosaic of the ideal commercial real estate salesperson. What started out as an earnest effort to find the traits, habits and characteristics that could be measured and then sought out in my own recruiting efforts revealed some rather odd and downright humorous outcomes. With the economy now entering its fourth year of this mess, it’s time for a laugh.
One needs to understand that commercial real estate sales people operate in an eat-what-you-kill environment. No base salary, really no boss in the traditional sense. Just heart, soul, 24 hours in a day, a world of properties attached to owners and tenants to serve and then earn a commission at the point of a transaction. You sell something, you eat. You don’t, you starve. It’s unlike sales in almost every other industry where a base salary and bonus are the norm.
The most common characteristic I found was a sense of self-reliance and hunger to compete. Said a colleague who owns a sizable firm in Chicago: “Male or female, they have to like to compete. I like athletes … football, soccer, basketball, golf.” Said another in Idaho: “My best salespeople have had a sports background and have been the ones that come off the bench. They know what success looks like, but have a chip on their shoulder. I give them the platform to go prove themselves a winner in real estate sales if the sports stuff couldn’t do it for them.”
The hunger to succeed comes from other places, too. The managing director of a firm in Indiana pointed out that her best salespeople have one common trait: a mortgage payment. “They’re committed to my market. It’s a monthly reminder that they need to squeeze out commissions somewhere to crack that nut.”
Other quirky characteristics seem to make up some. “No visible tattoos,” said a colleague in Southern California. “But it’s not a deal killer. I’m a USC grad. If a salesman had one that said ‘Beat UCLA,’ I might hire him-her on the spot.”
“I like the team captain or head-of-the-family types,” said another. “Male or female, they have to be willing to defend their teammates or brood. Working on behalf of a client sometimes feels like that. So I want the ones who are willing to stick their nose into a mess and sort it out.”
“I like hunters,” said the owner of a firm in Alabama. “The natural desire to outthink situations, adjust on the fly and measure success in pounds of meat translates very nicely to commercial real estate sales.”
“My preference is to hire geeks,” said the owner of a mid-sized firm in Seattle. “Today’s technology tools have moved to the point where the computer drives about 80 percent of communication.”
So there you have it. The ideal commercial Realtor is a scrappy, thoughtfully tattooed, slightly geeky hunter who played sports in his or her youth and has a mortgage payment.
Tom Hoban is co-owner of Everett-based Coast group of commercial real estate companies. Contact him at tomhoban@coastmgt.com or 425-339-3638.
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