I’ve watched countless real estate professionals hire an ISA, expecting a game-changer—only to be left frustrated, out thousands of dollars, and back to square one.
ISAs work—but only if you set them up for success. Most agents don’t.
Instead, they unknowingly sabotage their investment from day one, failing to provide the systems, training, and incentives an ISA needs to thrive. The result? Wasted time, missed opportunities, and a business that’s stuck instead of scaling.
After hiring and training hundreds of ISAs, I’ve seen the same mistakes over and over again. If you want your ISA to be a revenue-driving machine rather than a costly mistake, follow these four critical tips.
(For more on the benefits of an ISA, check out this Stay Paid podcast episode.)
1. Evaluate your structure and systems
Without the right tools, your ISA could easily become more of an administrative assistant than a lead-generating cold caller. To avoid wasting time and money, first consider these questions.
Do you have a well-integrated CRM?
- Leads can fall through the cracks, which results in missed opportunities and wasted marketing dollars.
- Your ISA may dedicate excessive hours to manual data entry, searching for lead details, or task administration with spreadsheets or disconnected tools, leaving little time for direct prospecting and outreach.
- It becomes nearly impossible to track data on lead sources, conversion rates, and your ISA’s performance.
- There may be a lack of stored information on previous interactions with leads or updates from agents. This creates disjointed communication, repetitive outreach, and missed critical follow-up steps, potentially damaging relationships with prospective clients.
When shopping for a CRM, you might consider evaluating LionsDesk, Follow Up Boss, Wise Agent, Top Producer, or Real Geeks.
Do you have a dialer?
Dialing takes time that could be spent engaging with leads, resulting in a lower call volume and inconsistent follow-up. This slows down the lead generation process, increases the risk of mistakes (such as dialing the wrong number), and makes it especially burdensome to get through large lists of leads.
Additionally, post-call processes, like tracking lead progress, logging calls, and scheduling follow-ups, become cumbersome. And lacking a dialer’s reporting features, you’ll lose insight into performance metrics, rendering it difficult to evaluate and improve your ISA’s effectiveness.
While researching potential dialers, check out JustCall, Mojo, Vulcan7, or Smart Dialer.
What are your business development processes?
Ultimately, an ISA can only be as effective as the tools they use and the structure they work in. If either isn’t up to par, your ROI will suffer.
2. Put thought into setting up a commission structure
Generally, there are three ways to compensate an ISA, each with its pros and cons. You want to pick the one that best incentivizes your ISA to produce the results you’re seeking.
Option #1: Base salary + commission tied to closed deals
Con: Real estate is a relationship-based business, requiring nurturing leads with lots of follow-up. But if you only pay commission to your ISA based on whether a deal closes, they may ignore this essential element in favor of seeking out the dollars.
Option #2: Base salary + bonus for confirmed appointments
Con: You’ll probably end up with meetings with poorly qualified leads or ones that don’t happen at all. But to avoid the latter, I suggest bonuses only when appointments actually occur—that is, when you have a bona fide chance to close a deal.
Option #3: Salary or flat hourly rate
Con: I believe that if an ISA isn’t driven by the potential to control their income, then they’re not going to be sufficiently motivated to do what is admittedly a high-pressure, repetitive, isolating, mentally and emotionally exhausting job. The only way to know for sure, though, is to diligently track their KPIs.
3. Use assessments to identify the right candidates
The best ISAs are not only skilled on the phone but also a cultural fit for your team. At ReminderMedia, we use the Predictive Index assessment to evaluate candidates, looking specifically for those who score high in dominance (A) and extraversion (B) and low in patience (C) and formality (D). Here’s why:
- High A and B candidates tend to be assertive and likeable. Personally, I prefer those with an A score even slightly higher than their B score. This signals they may demonstrate more interest in pursuing the close rather than potentially “bothering” a lead.
- Low C and D candidates exhibit a drive to move forward and less concern about adhering to details. Lower patience is a plus when speed to lead matters, and it helps to keep an ISA pressing forward to the next call. Meanwhile, lower formality minimizes excessive research and overthinking before picking up the phone.
4. Conduct your initial interview over the phone
Take action
Hiring an ISA can help you scale your business, improve lead conversion rates, and free up time for high-value tasks. However, success depends on preparation. Without the right systems or clear processes in place, you risk wasting time and money on an ISA who can’t deliver results. A well-structured compensation plan and strategic hiring practices are also essential to maximizing your investment.
Avoid costly mistakes when hiring an ISA—use the tips above to set yours up for success and ensure that they produce the results you desire.
