Remembering all the things you need to do when you switch brokers can be overwhelming, so we are giving you the how to. In this episode we break down the steps to take before, during and after your switch. Starting from reading your contract all the way through changing your social media profiles, we got you covered. Making the decision was hard enough, let us help you make the transition as smooth as possible. The episode is filled with the exact steps you’ll need plus stories of pitfalls you want to avoid. Think you’ll just change your business card and for sale sign and be good to go, think again! Want our full resource for switching brokers? Grab it at hustlehumblypodcast.com/change.

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The following is a rough transcript provided by Otter.ai.

Alissa 0:01
I’ve been planning this for weeks. Yeah, I’ve

Katy 0:03
already packed all my stuff. I’m leaving and then your broker’s like, Ah, no, you’re not.

Alissa 0:10
Oh, this is so stressful and I’m not even you’re not even doing it I’m not even going anywhere

Katy 0:17
the grass is green where you moderate

Alissa 0:20
that’s still a you problem that you’re gonna have to fix somehow. The only people that pay any attention to those are other agent, other agent and we talk about you. And I confronted them they told me it was my fault. Hi, y’all, welcome to hustle humbly. It’s Alyssa and Katie. And we are two top producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market.

Katy 0:42
We work for two different companies where we should be competitors. But we have chosen community over competition.

Alissa 0:47
The goal of our podcasts is to encourage you to find your own way in business to stop comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. Hi, Alyssa Katie. Welcome.

Katy 0:56
And today we’re going to tell you how to broker change

Alissa 1:00
how to change brokers not why

Katy 1:03
not why or if you should know? Or how to pick one. No, we already have covered that we’ve already done all those things. This is the literal logistics on what do you do the checklist if you’re going to change? Correct. And there is quite a long checklist. In fact, I think the fact that the checklist is so long is why so many people stay at a

Alissa 1:27
toxic brokerage, the thought of leaving is so daunting. It’s like I can’t

Katy 1:32
I can’t do all this. But I think having a checklist, although it is long, we’ll be like I can do this. I know what the steps are. I think I always felt like I’m gonna forget something. And then it’s gonna be like, everything falls apart.

Alissa 1:48
And I have never done this. So

Katy 1:51
you’re you’re coming from a place of no knowledge, right?

Alissa 1:54
But you’ve seen people. And I’ve had I’ve, I’ve listened to stories I’ve listened to where the issues arise, the things that people don’t think about things that I had never really thought about. And we get so many messages of advice, which is what created this episode to come to be, which is also what created this list. Do you want to talk about the list?

Katy 2:19
Yes, I received for the I can’t remember what time someone saying. I’m about to change brokers, what should i What do I do? And I had started this list a couple of times in two ways. If you’re here and you’re like, I’m not changing brokers, I don’t need to know this, or I just wanted to see what we’re talking about. I do also think a lot of this is startup. So if you’re brand new, or not even in an office yet, these are the things you have to do when you start up.

Alissa 2:49
Yeah, I also think this could be a really great resource for brokers. Yeah, when you are getting a new agent, you need to help them through that transition.

Katy 2:59
You have no business recruiting agents if you can’t make this transition easier for them, right? Because if you’re just like, hey, come to my office, and then you’re like, here’s the for my sign. Good luck for everything else. No, you need to give them the checklist. We’re gonna give you the checklist. Yeah, we’ll give you a cheat sheet freebie. So I had already started this list many times because it feels like a system that you need. You don’t need until you need it. And then you really need it. You’re like, oh god, how am I gonna figure this out? The

Alissa 3:27
only time I had like a dose of this is when we went from CJ brown to ladder and bloom. We were always as long as I’ve been there. CJ Brown, and then under small was a ladder and balloon company. It

Katy 3:42
was too much too much.

Alissa 3:43
So then they just rebranded. Yes. And I did get a lot of questions like Did y’all get bought or what happened? And I was like, No, we just rebranded and I was glad for it right? I’ve color much better. Yes, it was fine. But I did have to get a new email address, but they took care of making sure that everything forwarded correctly. So it it worked out. But just that came with some things that needed to be done and updated. Yeah. So that’s the closest I’ve come to having to make a transition of sorts,

Katy 4:18
okay, when I’ve made it a few times, but when I was three months in and I changed from my original broker, I had never done any sales. So I didn’t have to worry about any of that logistics of what’s open and pending and whatever. Then I was at the small office fine and it was closing and absorbed by the REMAX. So there was still transition, but we were all doing it together. My broker was like, hey, don’t forget to do this. We have to do this. I’m changing over all of that. It was not too hard. The last one is the only time when I’ve ever switched of my own accord at like the time when I was like okay, well and I switched during right like the right after quarantine. So it’s 2020 me. I was the first time in I can’t remember how many years where I had no listings, no pendings. Like the last ones closed on April 1, you were like, now’s the time, everything had been quiet and I love I’m gonna go this is going to be the easiest, because I’m removing that part of the process, the transitioning my clients, because I think that’s the hardest part, I would agree. Do you have listings? Do you have a pending sale coming? Like? How are you going to get paid? Is your current broker going to be upset that you’re leaving? Do you what like, what basis do you need to cover? Okay, so let’s start with how we have broken out the checklist. And you also consulted with some other agents who’ve made a change here and there. And they sent over the checklist that they had found online, there were a couple. So they exist in the world. Like, if you need a checklist, they’re out here. But I’m gonna give you mine. I broke it into physical assets and digital assets. Because you have both, right? So under physical assets or forms, marketing assets, okay, under digital assets, its contact info, and then software and websites. And I know this is a lot. Okay, so we’re going to tell some stories as we go through the list. Yeah, right. And be so bored. Right? Let’s start with physical assets forms before you start any transfer process, please, please go find your contract and read it. Read your contract, maybe you’re not even allowed to change it. And then you’re really going to turn an uncomfortable situation. Extra uncomfortable. If you’re like I’m leaving and then your broker is like, No, you’re not read, write, here’s the fine print. Read the fine print. So read your contract know when it’s up know when it renews know when you have to say I’m canceling, because most of them automatically renew. And you have to give like it’s almost like an apartment lease, you have to give like a 30 day notice. Wow. So you better read your contract. And they’re different at every office. And maybe you did not sign one. Great. If you didn’t sign one you leave whatever you want. But a lot of people Most brokers make you sign one.

Alissa 6:58
I have heard some horror stories about people leaving their brokerage, the broker just totally turning on them on a dime. I think it’s so important to make sure if you are a broker listening to this episode, you need to have an open door policy.

Katy 7:16
I don’t want to I don’t want to hold a client hostage. I don’t want to hold an agent. Like if you don’t want to be here. I don’t think this isn’t a fit for you. We’re not jiving, I want you to go Yes. As a broker. Yeah, have to be. And I think that it’s a rejection. Yes. And so I understand that it would be like I mean, you if an employee leaves you you feel like her like well, I’ve put time and effort into you or I recruited you, or or maybe you think I’m no good. And that other place is,

Alissa 7:48
I think, and I’m not a broker, but I think that I would feel that way. If I had someone leave it’s like did I not do enough was I slacking because you are the broker So you’re sort of the the main reason you’re driving the ship. So if they’re jumping ship, what’s what’s going on? But sometimes it’s just you know, we what are some reasons you’ve heard people want to switch? I’ve the people that I have talked to, for example, like, one just wanted more in person sales meetings, education. Yeah, I’ve

Katy 8:23
heard training many times. I want more training. Yes.

Alissa 8:26
I’ve heard people switch for a bigger office. Yeah. I’ve heard people switch for a smaller Yes, depending on where you are in your season of what are in your career people

Katy 8:39
switch for financial reasons. Like is the split different is the you know, what are the fees there? So I mean, completely financial. A lot of people switch because they think it’s gonna get more business. Yes. Like, what how many leads do I get?

Alissa 8:54
I think that’s the worst reason to switch is they’re promising me these leads, right? The majority of the coffee dates that I had are people who were disappointed because they switched brokers because of what they were promised. They were promised the leads Yeah. And everything you know, looks greener when you’re not there.

Katy 9:18
Right? The grass is greener where you water it they say yes,

Alissa 9:21
yes. And whenever you do make that switch and the leads maybe maybe they are giving you leads but they’re trash leads garbage leads you’re not closing them like one coffee date in particular. She said you know I switched here because they promised me all these leads right promised a certain volume. Yeah. And when it didn’t happen and I confronted them they told me it was my fault that I was not converting correctly and that this was all on me. And she was so well spoken very driven. Like I just sometimes you can you couldn’t put it together. I couldn’t the story wasn’t making sense. But the point being is, if it sounds too good to be true, don’t let that be the only reason you’re making a switch, right? There needs to be other supporting reasons for that switch outside of just leads, leads are a huge buzzword right now has been for several years. And there are many ways that you can provide leads. And so making sure that those are leads you actually want to work and what does this really look like? Right?

Katy 10:33
And before you start going through this checklist, like just commit, I’m gonna go one, remember, you’re being recruited? Yes, someone’s trying to make money off of you whether they have the best of intentions or not. Your if your broker change was not even a something in your mind, and someone convinces you that you need to leave, you really better do some deep thinking about do you really want to leave? And I think you owe your current broker the courtesy of saying, let’s have an open conversation. I’m considering a switch because of XYZ, yes. Because I need more business because I need a different split. Like can we renegotiate? Like, I feel like I want more training? Do you have anything available to me that I’m not using? Like why? A lot of people? It’s just like a breakup, right? Yeah, just like a breakup. You let all the little issues build up and fester. And instead of telling the other person what’s going on, you’re just like, I don’t want to be together anymore. It’s too late. Too late.

Alissa 11:31
I’ve been planning this for weeks. Yeah, I’ve already

Katy 11:34
packed all my stuff. I mean, that’s basically what happens, right?

Alissa 11:38
It’s better if you can, you know, maybe try counseling first. should walk it out. Talk it out. Can this be salvage? We go to couples therapy first? Yeah. Like what can we do? Or we call this quits? What are you on? How

Katy 11:51
can you outta here how much work this is? It’s a lot of work. And I don’t know why it shouldn’t be. I would like to say you should not be embarrassed if you make a switch. Now at some you when you talk to agents are like, I’m so embarrassed. I’m switching brokers,

Alissa 12:05
what if you’ve switched like 10 times people like, right? There’s

Katy 12:10
notably an agent who I were friends with. But that has moved a lot of times and has said I don’t like being known as that thing like that agent that has switched a bunch of times. Yeah. And every switch had a reason

Alissa 12:24
or but yeah, maybe shouldn’t have been there at all it right, right. Right. Right. Right. And I also think I remember sitting in the meeting. So when they were telling us they were named rebranding the company. I was sitting in a room with people who had been at this company much longer than me. And there was, of course, some distress and what are we going to do about this? And how do we explain this to my clients? And I basically set up and was like, I don’t plan on making any huge announcements, not necessary. My buyers and sellers care not know, they don’t even if I were to switch companies, I don’t care. I don’t need to say Listen, Mr. Buyer. I know this is a big deal. But I am changing companies. They’re like, okay, they’d be like, do you still show me health? Right? How does it affect me? Right? Is all your clients care? About? None? Zero? Okay. Yeah. Doesn’t affect you at all. Yeah, like, Okay, thanks. Thank you. Now, I just feel like something bad should happen, but nothing is gonna happen. There’s no point in making these huge, outlandish announcements, right?

Katy 13:38
Unless you suddenly have new value to bring your sphere or clients because you’re there. Yeah. The simple fact that you have moved is not worth that announcement. I

Alissa 13:48
don’t think so. Not at all not required. If you’re creating your own brokerage and you’re doing a rebrand, that’s a

Katy 13:55
little excited. Yes, like a behind the scenes excitement. But unless people are literally calling you on your office phone at your current brokerage, they don’t, they won’t know how to reach out to, like, Sure, maybe your email changed, that I could see like, if your email is changed, and you need to be maybe or what, like, maybe some ways that they can’t, but if your phone numbers the same, yeah,

Alissa 14:18
they’re gonna find you, your cell phone doesn’t change,

Katy 14:21
but it brings up a good topic, and we’ll get to it on a whiteboard for digital assets. I mean, think about your email, you know, alright, so forms, get your contract, read it, figure out what the Board of Realtors requires you there’s a transfer form that probably needs to be signed by your new and your old broker, which is really weird and awkward. Yeah. And again, red flag. If your new broker isn’t willing to give you any list or help you in any way, figure this out, maybe they’re not going to be helpful with other things. Right? Like if they’re not even like, Hey, do this do this.

Alissa 14:54
And that’s a really good point. I mean, we I had an agent that recently was leaving their company to go to this other company, just because they were very pretty looking on, and they’re a good company, but like they were very pretty looking on social media, it was more like design. So they’re like, Okay, I’m going over here because it’s it’s prettier, right? signed up, received zero help on the transition did not had never moved companies before did not realize what goes into it right did not understand that the email at the previous company would be shut off effective immediately. No guidance or direction at all, just recruitment effort on you come here, the rest is your the rest is your problem. She was there for about three weeks, and then went back to the old broker. And I say that too, because the old broker did the right thing by keeping that door open. Yeah, instead of taking it badly, yes. And so personal that it affected the relationship.

Katy 16:02
When I was at my REMAX office for 14 years. Many, many agents went Yes, and came back. Because if you don’t let them go in a negative way, if that isn’t a bad part, like a bad breakup, a lot of times people come back, they’re like I went to I went to the other the grass was not greener. I really liked it. Here I am back. Yeah, if you say, Look, I understand your need to move for whatever reason. But if it doesn’t work out, this door is always open. Then they come back. They I mean, truly they do. Okay, so you’re there’s their form, you gotta get your form from whatever licensing body yet and you have

Alissa 16:42
to make sure that when you’re reading your contract with your current broker, what is do you have active listings, right? What do what does your contract say about your current pending or active files under that broker name? Yep. When they sign a listing agreement, it is not with Alyssa Jenkins, right? It is with the brokerage, I am not the broker. Yep. So those are the things that you need to make sure. That’s why it was such a good time for you to quickly make your shift. I didn’t have to worry about that have anything in

Katy 17:12
those clients? Like if I had had listings that I was allowed to take with me, there would have been some, like, sign this form for my clients? I didn’t have to do any of that, because I didn’t have any listings. Also, if you’re going to be kept like if you are switching and you’re allowed to keep yours, what are the forms you need your clients to sign prep those forms, make sure that you have the new contracts ready? And this is all

Alissa 17:36
at what point? Like have you talked to your broker yet? Have you?

Katy 17:44
You need to do the majority of this part behind the scenes but unless you look, if you want to have an upfront conversation, not the I’m leaving conversation, right? But if you want to have the upfront I’m thinking of changing can we work this out couples therapy situation great. But the rest of this we’re going to do as much behind the scenes. And we’re going to talk about why. Okay, so your broker transfer form anything that’s required as far as changing your contact info, and addresses you need to have that all prepped and ready to go. Because you almost want to flip it like a switch. Right? Like how much can we legwork? Can we do on the back end? Before we just literally send in the documents right? Okay, next up your marketing assets. This you could probably wait to do when you make the switch like after you tell your broker however you none of this signage. Do you have any current listings? Maybe you don’t need signage right now maybe you can borrow one from your new broker that’s like generic, not your name. Whatever your business cards, you don’t ever need these. So do you want to get new ones? Fine, but it’s not something you have to prep before you go? Yeah,

Alissa 18:51
exactly. We use them when I’m like handwriting letters to like to other agents or professionals. Since I

Katy 18:58
put my info on the back of the Thank You card. I don’t need them at all, ever, really. They’re not as big of a deal to throw them into a fishbowl and win a contest? No, thank you. That just puts you on an email list.

Alissa 19:09
Right? Right.

Katy 19:10
Okay flyers, print ads marketing, though, that stuff you need to be really careful with because I know in our market, the board’s pretty serious about enforcing those marketing rules. So you got to make sure all that information is up to date. So you can do that when you switch but just have it on your list. So

Alissa 19:26
would this be like your Canva templates that you’re using for your marketing? Like what?

Katy 19:31
Because you need to update your brokers info the address, you’d probably also need to make sure your broker approves because depending on the franchise, it doesn’t need to have independently owned and operated does it need to have the logo a certain way? Like maybe you were at an independent firm that didn’t care maybe now you’re going to like a bigger like what are the rules right? What are the rules now your new broker should tell you that so like again, this whole marketing section probably could happen right after the move or at least after You tell the first forms, you got to have that ready before? Sure. Alright, let’s go to digital assets because a lot of these need to be pre. Okay, contact info, let’s talk about your email address.

Alissa 20:11
I think that would be the most stressful part for me, because I do have a company business account through my company. I’ve had it since 2011 When I started, right. So if I was gonna switch, I guess I would need to create my own business account. Yeah, email address. Yes. This is also a good reminder that whenever you do make a new account, it can’t just be like Alisa at Gmail, or Alyssa at Yahoo, right? It has for our Eno insurance to protect us against wire fraud, and other scams, you have to have a certain level of security in your email. So just make sure when you’re setting all of that up, you are aware of that? Yeah. Okay. So I think you

Katy 20:58
need to have your new email dress ready. And in some cases, you might want to start having things sent there. And you’ve got to download all of the things you need out of your old email, because it is a button for most brokers, oh, you’re not here anymore. Email off off like

Alissa 21:13
once you and that’s not to be ugly. It’s just that you don’t work here anymore. So you don’t have access to these files to these resources that we provide for our agents. If all of your documents are housed in a platform owned by that brokerage, you no longer have access to turn it off, like with a button, one button, it is everything is shut down, closed, right? Yes, that does take one of my friends in the business, switched brokers and she said she prepped for four months. Oh my for making the transition because she just wanted to it to be she didn’t want to feel rushed. She wanted to make sure she was really being thoughtful and how she was communicating to people. But also

Katy 21:59
like you want to give it some thought like, we’re not just going to rush into the divorce. Yeah, let’s think this through. Do I still want to do this in four months? Yeah. I mean, right. Last one, email, your email signature, if you own your email, you’re like, oh, I have my email address. No problem. Well check your email signature. Do you have brokerage information there? You got to fix it. All right. What about your phone contacts? So anywhere that you’re sharing? Like,

Alissa 22:27
yeah, like when I’m like, Hey, let me send you my contacts. I have loved sharing my contact. I know that it’s sort of like a newer it’s like the new business card or like your if you will, it has your, like, mine is set up to have my picture and my name and my email and my social media handles like, it’s just

Katy 22:48
sent today share, like with a just just

Alissa 22:51
hit it’s texted? Yeah. Or you can like AirDrop it or how you can email it. It’s there. So however they want it. And then they just click Add. Yeah. My information. Is there exactly how I want myself to appear. Right?

Katy 23:04
So you need to change that. Yes. So

Alissa 23:08
that has links to Instagram, Facebook pages, email addresses, all of that.

Katy 23:16
Yeah. And then you have to think about do you need to change the usernames? Was your company somehow involved in your usernames on those social media platforms? What about all of the BIOS? What about your bio on any website and your update your info and take this opportunity to update your photo? Yeah, now’s a great time. What do you look like right now, we might as well change. But not just so your personal website, if you’re on something like Zillow, or realtor.com, or a Google business account, the Google business account is going to take some time because they need to mail you something, like to an address. Yeah, get all that started. But at the very least, don’t forget you need to do it. Some of those you could probably do after. And then we did update your social media. So that was all of the digital contact info. Now let’s talk about software and websites. So fun. Hey, y’all, what about your database? Where do you keep that? Hopefully, you

Alissa 24:09
keep it somewhere that you have control of. Right?

Katy 24:12
Right? And if you don’t, and you’re thinking about this ahead of time, at the very least you should be removing your personal sphere from any CRM that your broker owns. Yes, they because look, I will tell you people did leave my you know, because I worked a lot of online leads even through my REMAX website. Yes, I built up my website where it would get some, you know, organic traffic, I would get a lot of these leads. So my broker knew I would work on online lead, right. When agents left the office and the button got turned off. She would just dump all of their like lead into my system. Yeah. So y’all, if you have your personal contacts in there, it could be going anywhere. Write to anyone you don’t like. It also makes me laugh because I think lenders do the same thing. Like they have their CRM through their office. And I had I was on a lenders list actually someone I use personally for my own loan, and then they changed. And then I started getting messages from a different lender in that same office because I had your cell

Alissa 25:22
well, sometimes it’ll say, Do you want to unsubscribe from ABC mortgage? Or do you want to unsubscribe from Sally? IBC? Yeah, if your unsubscribe so you’re on two different email lists, Sally’s got you, but the company has you also. I remember like for closings, we always had to fill out a contract information sheet. Yeah. Hernan with our closings. And at one point, it’s not here anymore. But we were implementing like a new follow up software. This was like in 2012, okay. And it was auto sending things to my people, like, please stop. And I did not like it so you can opt out. So I did. But it was just a reminder to me that if I was to ever leave all of my clients contact information was an air company. It just sort of was a reminder that and I’m not saying it’s not right. It’s not right.

Katy 26:19
I don’t know. I’ll take a stance, okay. The broker doesn’t own the people that you have personal relationships with. If the broker gave you a lead, that is completely different if it came through a source, especially if it’s something they paid for, and then gave it to you, I can kind of get on board with that. But if I came to it with my Aunt Sally, and just because I used your software now Aunt Sally is somehow affiliated with you when I leave, absolutely not think

Alissa 26:44
about a broker. Okay, pretend you’re the broker. You’re building your own broker Katie Caldwell brokerage email list, right? Every time an agent has a closing or a client that they set up on one of the subdivision reports on a piece of software that’s owned by the company, right? Every time they do that you Katie Caldwell brokerage now has a new email that can go on your email list. I don’t want it I know but a lot of brokers do I use it, to add them to other marketing because

Katy 27:20
let’s let’s live in this world at the Katy Caldwell brokerage I would go Alyssa, I love having you here. I see you’ve had a closing your persons in the system? How can I help you reach out better to your clients? Right? It is not about me having your people it is about you doing it well, so that I make money the next time you sell to that person? Correct.

Alissa 27:40
And I think even with things like the follow up system, that was the intention is that we will automatically helping them a Thanksgiving car, right? When it’s their one year anniversary, we will honor it. And some of those things were good. But they also were not my style at all. Like I would never send this card. Yeah. And I don’t even care what things look like. Right. And I wasn’t you were like no thing. No, thank you. Thank you to do this. Well.

Katy 28:08
Yeah. Okay, so we have our people on the spreadsheet. And we still stand by that. Yeah, your spreadsheet is yours. And here’s the deal. If you don’t, and all your people are in your broker CRM and you’re panicking, whether you plan to move or not, you’re suddenly realizing maybe that’s not what I want. It’s usually a pretty easy button Download CSV file. Yeah, get all your people on to a spreadsheet. And

Alissa 28:29
if you’re not leaving brokers continue using your broker CRM, the tools are fine, the tools are not the problem. No. And if you plan to leave, yeah, you need to make sure that you have all of your people backed up to somewhere that you can take with you and keep what is turned off. No, there’s no going back. There’s

Katy 28:48
no going back. There’s no going back. And then if you export

Alissa 28:51
your CRM to a spreadsheet, if your new broker has a CRM, you can easily import it. Yeah, you’re not having to manually put in all of these names and email addresses again, it’s an import feature. Yeah, exactly. Oh, this is so stressful.

Katy 29:09
And I’m not even you’re not even doing it I’m not even going anywhere. All right, next up next up on the software websites How about your MLS? What do we have to update for logins your business info like what is it? Is it connected to your board? Are they going to do that for you need to get in there and do something? What about our new picture? Let’s

Alissa 29:26
say that every MLS login stayed the same because it’s just your MLS login, they just had to update your company name. Yeah. And your profile. It’s mine belongs to me, right? You pay your MLS correct.

Katy 29:38
The broker did not. Okay. That makes Yeah, okay. And then, of course, all of this has another layer on it. When you’re on a team. What if you’re on the team and you’re leaving the team, but you’re not leaving the broker? You know, like, maybe you don’t have to do all of this, but maybe you need to consider some of this.

Alissa 29:54
What I have heard from people is leaving a team, especially a team that right to do air quotes, leads, okay? They want their pay even after you leave. So if you got a lead from that team, and two years later, they finally close, you signed something most likely that says you owe that team later. But like,

Katy 30:17
I have so many questions about how do they monitor now who has time for that? I know as the team lead, do I have time to go snooping around, if you’re not going to automatically tell me like and figure out who the buyers and the sellers are? And if they were mine or not,

Alissa 30:35
I think you would be surprised at the resources that they put in place to keep track those things. It’s, it’s crazy, okay. It could be as simple as a questionnaire sent out to their lead database. This is what they used to do with the Dave Ramsey stuff. Okay, I’m getting these leads, along with two other realtors getting the lead. Okay, the best one with a client. Okay, the best agent when, but periodically, that email address is in the Dave Ramsey database. So they can send out correspondence that’s like, did you ever end up buying? Yes or no? Who was your Who was your agent? And so if they put, you know, Sally, Sue will Sally Sue wasn’t one of the three agents that Dave Ramsey gave it to they know nothing is, is owed. But if they say, Alyssa was our realtor, then I get an automatic message that’s like, hey, we gave you this lead. So you now Where’s our money? They also know to give them the money. Yeah, like when I closed I had to mail in a copy of the Closing Disclosure or copy copies of everything and then put in my contract information sheet. You know, this percentage is owed to this brokerage. So it was just like a normal agent referral. Now another thing that they did was if it was a seller lead, and the seller provided the address, because that’s usually what you have to do would just search to see if it had they would set up search like an auto like auto thing. So if this address got a stat got Yes, got a status change or something like that. They would know to follow up for it. It was much easier to track a seller than it is a buyer Lee. But they I mean, they have software that does that for the team leader because they’re protecting their money and the brokers Yeah, they’re investing in these leads. So they’re gonna have software in place to help track Okay, interesting. Yeah, I don’t understand at all, but I have witnessed it. And I know that it works. So you have to keep yourself honest. Yeah, even you know, I don’t receive Dave Ramsey leads anymore. But there were a few people that I still follow follow up with. And when I close one now even though I haven’t been a Dave Ramsey agent for a few years, if they came from that source, I I pay

Katy 32:57
them Yeah, yeah. Okay. Are we ready to move on on websites? Software? What about your showing service? Update your login, update your business info? How do you I mean, is it connected to your office or your like ours is connected to the MLS? So it’s easy. It’s when I switched my MLS switched, right? Document prep and storage, y’all. This is probably the number one. If your broker is currently housing your contracts there in Louisiana, they’re responsible for that? Yes, I don’t have to keep that I have to just keep my agency disclosures. If you only have yours online with that broker, you should probably download them and keep them somewhere else that you have access to because you need them. But what if you need to access the details of a contract? And they hit the button and turn you off? And you were like, you can’t even help your past clients figure out something from their deal? Or what if even worst case scenario, what if you get pulled into some kind of type of lawsuit and you don’t have access to all of that? So dot loop, instant net DocuSign, whatever you have, wherever your sky slope, wherever you’re storing things, like can you save things? What can you download them? I did it from dotloop. And it was pretty easy. But there was a system that my new broker gave me like it was like, you need this software, it’ll go into dot loop and it’ll take your files and copy them. It would have taken me hours and hours and hours if I didn’t know that. So bless her as

Alissa 34:27
a broker. These are services you should be providing to those that you are recruiting, how do they get their files? It sort of reminds me like I have this client right now that is working on possibly building in a neighborhood. Getting what we need from the builder has been such a nightmare that they are at the point where they’re thinking if this is how it is trying to get going. I don’t know that I want to be in this process with this builder, right. So if you are a broker and you’re spending all this time and money on recruiting recruiting, recruiting. Yeah. And then the second you get them design, you’re not taking care of them or providing resources. It could be very short lived,

Katy 35:08
I would think and whether they go back to their old broker or just find another one,

Alissa 35:12
yes. And what are they going to say to other agents? They might say, Oh, my gosh, when I made this transition, my broker gave me all the software I needed to transition. It was so easy. If you want to do it, you really don’t have to stress you should come join me. Yeah. Or are they going to be like, if you don’t have to switch? Don’t it’s so hard. This is all the things I’m never doing. Are you ever doing it? Yeah, like when people move? And they’re like, I’m never moving again? Yes, because it’s so hard. But it’s like, it’s sort of like when people spend so much time on getting new clients, I want new clients, I want new clients, but then they get new clients and they like toss them to the wind and keep trying to get new clients. Yeah, you will have the best business if you were taking care of the business you already have. Right. So brokers, please just make sure that everybody understands this. Right? Right, you are providing value,

Katy 36:04
you need to what’s the point of the move. Last on our software list Canva, update your saved logos, update your brand colors that are saved if you have Canva Pro and you need to save that it makes it easier to update your standard marketing stuff, right? And then your email templates. What wording is specific to your broker or their process? Do you need to change anything with your email templates? Obviously, update your signature on those. And any contact info that’s saved. That was our list. Yeah, use you got to some other lists from other places on the on the web. And I like that this one did it in before you announce three stages before you announce after you announce and spread the word we don’t really care much about spread the word but it did have like terminate listings, you know, resign with the new brokerage, that kind of stuff with your clients, but email campaigns and notes to your I don’t know that you need all that. And then I don’t this one, I mean, was pretty thorough, but it was everything we said set up everything in your new brokerage, all all the things we just talked about. It had links to like every single, like update your buyer and listing packets up like you got to update anything. Yes. But you know, this is a great time to clean house.

Alissa 37:21
Maybe they should go back and listen to spruce up your business episode. Just Google hustle, humbly spruce up your business. It gives you so many great checklists of what you need to go through to just clean house start fresh, what do you need to update? So that would be a really good one to accompany this episode.

Katy 37:41
I have seen some really unpleasant breakups. Oh, like really unpleasant breakups. And the worst ones, then become a money struggle, right? Yeah. Because they’re things still pending a sale comes in, you know, the agent that left doesn’t realize they have to keep paying that old broker or the old broker is gonna sue the new broker for not giving them money they’re supposed to like, y’all. I mean, you have to think this all the way through before you just jump into a change. Well, I

Alissa 38:17
think too, you know, this is a type of confrontation. People aren’t good with confrontation, they don’t like having hard conversations. So if they can just like sneak out the back without having adult conversations, they might prefer that yeah, that leads to a much bigger mess, right? You will feel so much better after talking to your current broker and saying, This is where I’m struggling, what are your thoughts? I’m thinking I need this in my life and see how it goes after that. And then if you feel like you really need to go start on the start on the back end implementing some some of these things. The biggest time of that I have seen people regret changing is when it was only looking at the numbers. Oh, yeah, I had an agent that was like, Hey, I created this spreadsheet of all the different splits at these different brokers that I’m looking at going to could you just review them? And tell me which one you think is best. And I looked at it and we are like really nickel and diming because I don’t care what the splits are. After maybe the percentages are different. But this one has a transaction fee or this one has an office fee or this one has a desk fee or this one has this or that maybe this one is tiered and maybe this one is not at the end of the day, they all came out so close to get over the same Yeah, like the total un that year, these differences are not worth switching over. So the question is not as much How does like once you know how it works, and you’re comfortable with it, let that go. Yeah, you don’t need to be like, Oh, if I would have been with the other brokerage, I would have made an extra $100 Yeah, let that go. Yeah, the question is, and I told her, I like crumpled it up. I was like no, no What are they providing you? What are they giving you? How is the broker? Can you call them? If you have a? If you have trouble? Yeah, if you’re going to arbitration, will they be there with you? Right? are what are they giving you? Do you have a desk? Do they have? What is their training? Like, I care not about the 100 to $200 difference between what your check is going to be? Yeah, I need to know the other reasons but the value, they focus so much on the money. And I actually wrote this down, because you said it earlier in the show, you are being recruited? Yeah, they will make money off of you. Yeah. That you because that is their business. If you think that switching companies is going to make you work harder, gonna make you do what you’re supposed to do. It is not, that’s still a you problem that you’re gonna have to fix somehow, right? You making money for you is your job, right? There is no brokerage that’s gonna, you know, make you a millionaire. Like you have to get to work and develop your own business. While they provide you some leads. Great. I’m sure you’re gonna pay heavily for that. What are you going to do to get your own business up and running? Right?

Katy 41:09
I think that’s great advice. Yeah, I mean, you have to you

Alissa 41:13
and learn from the people that we have seen email the show that had these regrets, or, you know, we’re switching strictly because of leads or splits or money, like that can’t be the primary driver. No,

Katy 41:27
I think it’s fair to take it all into account. And maybe money started you down that path. And then when you started to compare everything, you’re like, well, it’s even more than that. Or maybe just the amount I’m spending, I’m getting a different value, right? Like, well, I get these things, or I really want to be with this broker I need, you know, I feel like that’s the right person to mentor me, whatever. But you’re right, you have to work. Yeah, if you’re not going to work, it doesn’t matter. And again, you can go back to episodes. 194 is how to choose a broker, like from the jump. So maybe your are like, Well, I’m gonna make a switch. Before you get worried about your to do list. How do you choose one go to 194? And then should you even change is episode 56. Like, what’s it showed you? Maybe you’re, you’re thinking the wrong thing, right? And if you’re here with the to do list, maybe you go back to listen those and realize you don’t even need this list. Yeah. And

Alissa 42:19
as far as like the big announcement goes, the only people that pay any attention to those are other agent, other agent. And we talked about you, I know

Katy 42:26
why this is so funny. Got to the point in my phone where I started to put people’s brokerage when when I added them to my contact, so that I would know, because then you’d be like, Wait, where were they before? And like I couldn’t remember, I just be like, but some people change so much. Like with the seasons,

Alissa 42:44
this might be a good reminder that if you were in the hustle humbly community, and you were on the referral spreadsheet, if you switch brokers, make sure you update that we want to be able to find you still,

Katy 42:56
right? I mean, hopefully it’s your regular cut. But that’s a good point where other what other directories are

Alissa 43:02
you in who know your stuff is out there everywhere. Here’s

Katy 43:05
my other takeaway about this. If you want to make your life easier from right now start a document with every place that your bio is your photo is your contact info is every group that you join that makes you put your information onto a referral list. Where are you giving out contact and vote? And especially if it’s like client facing or like public facing? What if they try to reach you and they can’t write? What if only your old business email is on your whatever realtor.com account and you have a Aunt Sally forgot your last year, her phone doesn’t have your number and just types you into Google? And it’s like, here you are. And that’s not your email anymore. And she’s like, why didn’t you respond to my email? Yeah, it’s scary. You have to be prepared for all of the digital switchover is probably the hardest.

Alissa 43:58
Yeah, I think so. And even as you go, every now and then I’ll stumble across some random website that I’m like, where is this picture from?

Katy 44:05
Here’s a great story. Not long ago since we started the podcast. So in the last four years, I had the local state CRS reached out to me. So that’s the designation CRS. They’re like, just wanted to let you know, we featured you as our you know, agent of the month on our Facebook page. And, you know, thanks so much for being a CRS and blah, blah, blah, whatever. I go look at it. I’m like, where’s this picture? Oh, my gosh, where did they get this picture? It’s so old. It’s so so so old. And I was just kind of like, I won’t even share this. No. So instead of you being like, Great, I’ll share it to other No, I was like, I’m so embarrassed. Also. You could have been like, Hey, what’s your current headshot? I

Alissa 44:51
would have given it to them to surprise you.

Katy 44:53
I guess that’s the problem. Didn’t that happen? That’s happened to us on the podcast before? Yeah, they were trying No surprises, but we’d been like featured in an iMac like a magazine. Initially,

Alissa 45:03
it was a picture that we they just think they just grabbed like the picture off of the website. But I’m like, Yeah, but there’s no pictures of you that you don’t want, right?

Katy 45:12
Google yourself and hit the image search and then just see what pops up. That’s

Alissa 45:17
a great thing to do after like, after you have made the switch, and you’re done with your checklist, Google yourself. Yeah, see what else comes up? Where else are you being seen on Web? Because there are websites that pull from other websites that I never put my stuff there, no doubt. So see what those are doing as well. So much to think about,

Katy 45:38
which to think about I like though even if you’re just going to switch your headshot, not your broker, just Google Image yourself and be like, well, let’s let’s scrub. You know, when they talk about celebrities are like these reality star people, and they’re like, they scrub the internet of whatever I’m like, How are their software? You just have to have it’s work, right? A lot of work. It’s all work. Okay. Great. I’m gonna go Google Image Search myself, I need a problem to fix. I’m gonna fix it all all the same. So it’s consistent. Yeah. Any other thoughts on the how tos of the broker switch, even though you’ve never done it. So you’re basically useless to us.

Alissa 46:13
I just think it’s a decision that you don’t want to take lightly, lightly, and you don’t

Katy 46:18
want to be sued over it don’t want to be all it says is, brokers are gonna business. Yeah, they’re gonna come at you.

Alissa 46:25
This is not an emotional decision. This is a business decision. And that

Katy 46:29
can’t be a lot. It can’t be like today, I got in a fight with my broker or someone I’m office. And I’m just like, by leaving. But wait, I wonder about other states. Because in Louisiana, I have to get my old broker to sign that document in order to release my license to the new broker. And everyone’s got to sign it.

Alissa 46:46
I just remember when I served on the board of directors for our local market, the board is the one who has to approve membership, right? So we would have a list of new agents and that are asking permission to join and then we would have a list of people that are not renewing their real estate license getting out of the business altogether. And to see how many times like changes are made companies change your like companies, merge teams, new teams, think about the team turnover,

Katy 47:20
oh my God, even just in Inman or like other real estate news outlets, they’re always like so and so team has been absorbed by such and such brokerage,

Alissa 47:30
keeping up with all of that is a full time job and they don’t value doesn’t care that, like they don’t care. They don’t care. They just want to buy and sell a house and for you to help them and that to be your focus now to provide value. They don’t care what your brain colors are. No and you’re changing them. No, they just want to know that you’re going to be there for them. Yeah, and that’s the most important thing.

Katy 47:52
Exactly. Exactly. Okay, that’s a good way to end. Alright, are you ready for the toast? Yeah. From our friends at our next Oh, do you remember Kaylee? Okay, so Kaylee came to our our meetup Kaylee price. So Kaylee is going to toast to Carly Morlin. They’re both in Amarillo, Texas. And actually, Kaylee was I think on her board or her mom was the AE right? Yes, I will bear sweet Okay, so nice. So here let’s hear from Kaylee. Okay, Kay bio.

Speaker 1 48:25
Hi, I am Kaylee price from Amarillo, Texas. And my toast today is for Carly Moreland. Also in Amarillo. When I was a newly licensed agent Carly really took me under her wing and taught me a lot of things and encouraged me to learn more and be more involved with our local association. So just wanted to say thanks, Carly.

Alissa 48:46
Thank you so much for tuning in to the hustle humbly podcast.

Katy 48:49
If you enjoy this episode, please go to rate this podcast.com/hustle humbly and leave us a review or drop a comment if you’re listening on Spotify. If you

Alissa 48:57
have an episode topic or someone you’d like to toast on the show, please email us at team at hustle humbly podcast.com Find

Katy 49:04
us on social media at hustle humbly podcast. Don’t forget to find all of the free resources at hustle humbly podcast.com/resources See you next week.

Alissa 49:16
This is goodbye