The document outlines a commercial real estate brokerage firm's five core beliefs that have transformed the company culture and improved employee satisfaction and retention. The five beliefs are: (1) adapting to changes in technology and client needs, (2) obsessively focusing on client happiness, (3) fostering a fun and engaging work environment, (4) heavily investing in employee training, and (5) ensuring employees feel financially secure. The firm has received positive employee reviews, been able to recruit top talent, and positioned itself as an industry leader through embracing these beliefs.

1. Our
Five Core
Beliefs
and how it will change the
firm and commercial real
estate brokerage
5

2. We Studied the
Best Places to
Work...

3. Companies like..."

4. We took the best practices of
the best companies and built a
GREAT
commercial real estate
brokerage firm.

5. We built a culture where
employees and brokers
LOVE
the firm!

6. Surprised?

7. Reviews From Glassdoor..."
(a website where employees anonymously rate their employer)
“I love it here because it’s fun,
challenging, and I’m building new
skills.”!
!
“The superstar brokers are good
guys. They’re not arrogant like at
the other firms.”!
!
“I can’t imagine ever working for
another brokerage firm.”!

8. Reviews From Glassdoor..."
(a website where employees anonymously rate their employer)
“From day one, I could tell the firm wanted to
invest in me.”!
!
“I’m making more money than I thought was
possible. That’s awesome, but the best part
about working here is that the firm does a lot of
good things for the community.”!
!
“My friends are totally jealous. I’m constantly
introducing people to the hiring manager.”!

9. Here’s how we did it.
We started with these...

10. Five"
Core "
Beliefs
5

11. 1. We had to change to grow.
2. We became obsessed with making
CLIENTS happy.
3. We love what we do and don’t dread
Mondays or say TGIF.
4. We invest heavily in training. Nothing
provides a higher ROI.
5. We believe every employee should feel
great about his or her financial
situation.

12. 1We had to change
to grow.

13. The world had changed, but our
firm hadn’t changed with it.

14. We were stuck in the past. A time
when...

15. • Brokerage firms were controlled by a small group
of guys 55+ who wooed clients while playing golf,
drinking at lunch, and partying in strip clubs.
• Brokers didn’t talk to brokers outside their team.
• Arrogance was a common broker character trait.
• Brokers would do anything to win a client;
including sabotaging another broker’s pursuit.
• The average age of brokers rose while
recruitment and retention of young, smart,
talented candidates was becoming increasingly
difficult.

16. In the NEW world...

17. TECHNOLOGY
Destroyed the barrier between
WORK &
HOME

18. EMPLOYEES
FOCUS on work when they want to and
wherever they want to
LIKE their colleagues
BRAG about their employer
FEEL proud of how their office looks
PREFER working in an open space
EXPECT their employer to focus on
societal or mission-driven problems

19. “The balance of power has shifted from
employers to employee, forcing business
leaders to learn how to build an organization
that engages employees as sensitive,
passionate, creative contributors. We call
this a shift from improving employee
engagement to a focus on building an
irresistible organization.”
Deloi&e
Review,
Issue
16,
2015
“Becoming
Irresis.ble.
A
new
model
for
employee
engagement”

20. BEFORE we initiated changes, we
needed buy-in from the
rainmakers. We explained...

21. • Our brokers were aging and losing touch
with our younger clients and prospects.
• Our out-of-touch culture reflected the
industry. If we changed, we could lead the
industry.
• We needed to recruit a new class of
brokers; smart, talented, diverse
Millennials.
• We could restore pride in our company.
... they agreed with us

22. 2
We became
obsessed with
making our
CLIENTS happy.

23. Solve the
client’s
problem.

24. Solve the
client’s
problem.
The right real estate
solution is no longer
about just saving
money and finding
the best locations
for the executives.

25. Solve the
client’s
problem.
The right real estate
solution helps clients
grow their business,
retain employees, and
recruit talented
candidates.

26. Working
with
clients.

27. Working
with"
clients.
We won’t work with a prospect unless we
know they’ll be delighted with our service.
We don’t compete on price. We are
partners, not technicians.
The relationship is more important than
the deal. A happy client (whether or not
the deal closes) leads to more business
and referrals.

28. Working
with
clients.
We openly discuss how we are
compensated.
We disclose any special incentives offered
by landlords.
We explain how high commissions help
offset high risks (deals not closing) and
costs of salaried employees supporting
the transaction.

29. Working
with
clients.
The broker becomes the face of the firm.
Brokers refer to the firm as “we” or “us,”
never “they” or “them.”
Brokers take ownership of any problems.
If something goes wrong, they apologize
and fix it so it doesn’t happen again.
Our goal is for our clients to love working
with our brokers.

30. Working
with
clients.
We MEASURE client satisfaction for all of our
work. We do this before, during, and after
the assignment.

31. 3
We love what we
do and don’t dread
Mondays or say
TGIF.

32. When we interview candidates,
we look for these character
traits...

33. • Effective. Gets it done. Resourceful. Always
looking to leverage their work.
• Curious. Asks if there’s a better way. If there’s
no answer, they pursue the answer.
• Hungry for MORE. More knowledge. More
skills. More clients. More deals. More money.
• Honest. Never lies. Admits mistakes.
• Humble. Does not brag about success.
• Helpful. Loves helping colleagues.

34. work space
OPEN
we believe in an...

35. work space
OPEN
Our offices look and feel high tech
There are NO private offices* (if
Mark and Sheryl can work on the
floor with their employees, so can
our leaders)
*
Well,
there’s
one
excep8on;
a
62
year
old
broker.
His
6
person
team
works
on
the
floor
and
they
tease
him
when
he’s
in
his
“cage.”
They
even
painted
bars
on
his
window.

36. Our office space is very
cool, but our employees
decide where to work.

37. at the office.
Work
at the beach.
at a coffee shop.
at home.

38. It’s up to them. "
We care about results.
It’s pretty simple.

39. That’s also why we offer"
UNLIMITED"
vacation and sick days.

40. We all work really hard,
but we love it.

41. We love the challenge of
complex deals and
pursuing clients.

42. We are proud of being
industry leaders.

43. We are improving the
reputation of brokerage.

44. And we have fun. We
laugh a lot. And about
once a week, we laugh
so hard we cry.

45. Diversity
is a high priority. We
are embarrassed how
much catching up we
have to do. But we
are determined to
build diversity into our
DNA.

46. We measure
employee happiness. This is
how we learn what needs to be
improved. We also measure
PAST employee happiness. We
ask former employees to rate
their experience at our firm.

47. 4
We invest heavily "
in training. Nothing
provides a higher
ROI.

48. Training
makes our employees more
productive and happier. It’s
also a great recruitment
tool.

49. We agree with "
Richard Branson...

50. “Train people well enough
so they can leave. Treat
them well enough so they
don’t want to.”
Sir Richard Branson

51. Some of our training...
• Sales. Getting in front of prospects using
social media.
• Personal Branding. Build your brand and
control how the world sees you.
• Relationship Building. How to turn prospects
into life-long clients and referral sources.
• Advanced Real Estate Transactions
• Building Authority Through Public Speaking

52. Types of training...
• One-on-one coaching/mentoring
• Moderated Private Facebook Group
• Live Classes
• Webinars
• Video Courses
• Periscope (live video broadcast)
• Podcasts

53. Types of training...
• Certification Programs (CORENET, BOMA, CCIM)
• Accountability Meetings (Small groups of 4 to 6
people meet weekly to discuss business and
personal goals and hold each other
accountable)

54. Two-thirds of Millennials
believe their employer
should provide career
development
opportunities for them
to stay.

55. 5
We believe every
employee should
feel good about his
or her financial
situation.

56. Compensation. !
Brokers choose how
they are paid. There’s a
sliding scale ranging
from 100% commission
to 100% salary.

57. Financial Education. !
We want to help our
employees feel good
about their personal
finances."

58. Financial Education. !
We don’t want them
worrying about having
enough to retire, how to
pay off their debts, or
how to fund their kids’
college.

59. Financial Education. !
We offer free
comprehensive classes
and coaching on
budgeting, paying off
debt, and saving for
retirement and college. "

60. Financial Education. !
When we help
employees eliminate
financial stress, they are
much happier and their
job performance soars. "

61. That’s it.
Let’s recap...

62. 1. We had to change to grow.
2. We became obsessed with making
CLIENTS happy.
3. We love what we do and don’t dread
Mondays or say TGIF.
4. We invest heavily in training. Nothing
provides a higher ROI.
5. We believe every employee should feel
great about his or her financial situation.
OUR 5 CORE BELIEFS!

63. Intrigued with what we’ve built?
Want to learn more about us?
Want to be part of our team?

64. Sorry. This firm doesn’t exist. I
made it up.
I wanted to share my thoughts
about what is needed to improve
brokerage.
Please take these ideas and
make them part of your firm.

65. Thanks for reading the slide deck.
I’d love to hear from you. Send
me your candid comments or
give me a call (908.917.7926)
richard.hopen@gmail.com
Twitter: @rhopen
Rich Hopen!