On this episode of The Byron Lazine Podcast, Eric Simon (aka The Broke Agent) and I sit down with my real estate BFF Tom Toole. 

With 21 years in the industry and 10 years as a team lead of the Tom Toole Sales Group, Tom delivers his top tips for becoming a top producer and scaling a team.

Accountability: The Love Language for Salespeople

There’s a reason I consider Tom Toole my best friend in real estate – and it’s not because of all the laughs we have. It’s because we speak the same language when it comes to accountability. 

Tom and I first started an accountability call years ago as a way to make sure we were getting up early to work on our goals. That has now turned into the 5AM Call, where we tune in every morning at 5:00 am to either listen to or moderate a call. Since then, our commitment to accountability has gotten stronger. 

If you are building a business right now – any type of business – accountability is your best friend. I think of it as the love language for salespeople. While having an accountability partner seems like a no-brainer, most people shy away from actually having the tough conversations accountability requires. 

Here are Tom’s top tips for making your accountability partner or group work for you:

  1. Set a specific, measurable target. Saying ‘I’m going to sell more houses this year,’ doesn’t cut it. Instead, set a specific goal that you can break down into smaller chunks: ‘I will sell X amount of homes this month.”
  2. Create consequences. If you don’t hit your target by the end of the month, what will happen? By setting a consequence, and having your partner hold you to it, there’s extra motivation to hit your mark.
  3. Have consistent check-ins. Your accountability calls should be on your calendar and on a set schedule. Keep your check-ins strictly about your target growth. Save the personal conversions for a different call, and concentrate on reporting numbers. 
  4. Make it a friendly competition. You and your accountability partner should be working to make each other better. As you push each other, you won’t want to fall behind.

The Meeting Hack that will Change Your Business

Your accountability calls aren’t the only thing that need to revolve around numbers. Meetings should follow a similar structure. A Level 10 Meeting (or L10 Meeting), which is outlined in the book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, changed both mine and Tom’s business. It’s also the meeting structure we’re using with Broke Agent Media.

Here’s how an L10 meeting works with EOS software Ninety:

  • Segway: Begin each meeting with a soft opening, where you celebrate personal and/or business wins.
  • Headlines: Review the company’s headlines that every member of the team should be aware of. 
  • Rocks: Take a look at your business’s quarterly goals.
  • Scorecard: This is where the numbers come in. Track your weekly and monthly numbers so you know where you stand. 
  • To-do’s: Organize a list of to-do’s with your team, review items that have been completed, and delegate any new items for the upcoming week. 
  • Issues: Review any issues and work to problem-solve them.
  • Conclude: At the end of each meeting, a recap email is sent, so each member of the team knows what they are responsible for.

Tune in here for the full episode, where Eric shares how he has stayed accountable to growing The Broke Agent for the past seven years. And for all of his tips on building social media platforms, check out Continuing Ed.