Vogue Victims? When Dealer And Agent Fashion Decisions Conflict

On this month-to-month column, Anthony Askowitz explores a hypothetical actual property scenario from either side of the dealer/agent dynamic. Anthony is the broker-owner of South Florida’s largest RE/MAX workplace, and a working agent who sells greater than 100 houses every year.

This month’s scenario: The usual for acceptable enterprise apparel is at all times a shifting goal, particularly in actual property. The standard go well with and pink energy tie for males and nylons with closed-toe footwear for ladies are not often seen, as a extra informal sense of fashion has grow to be the norm.

However maybe the road has shifted too far in that route, with a rising disregard for any semblance of knowledgeable gown code. How ought to residential actual property brokers navigate this ever-shifting enjoying discipline, one stuffed with landmines in each route?

Agent perspective

After 5 years of struggling on our personal, my new associate and I’ve determined to kind a crew, depart our old-school brokerage, and be a part of a nationwide firm that has the instruments and assist we have to maximize our talents. We’re excited by the probabilities of this new route, and to proving our former colleagues mistaken.

Our market is a serious US metropolis famous for its youthful power, worldwide aptitude and variety of tradition — hardly the place for formal, boring gown codes. However that’s precisely the type of vibe our former dealer and colleagues tried to instill in our workplace, by no means lacking a possibility to chastise us for making fashionable, trendy, but skilled trend selections.

Most of the time, we might mirror the type of our clients and prospects, whereas these brokers would current themselves like each different cookie-cutter wannabe on the market. Our type variations deliberately set us aside, and observe the brand new ideas about making a model for your self.

We’ve each confidence that forward-thinking brokers from the main nationwide places of work will agree with our philosophy and eagerly recruit us to hitch their places of work.

Dealer perspective

Whereas our market is actually style-conscious and fashionable, there’s a line between skilled and informal apparel that newer brokers typically cross with reckless abandon. Blame it on the pandemic, social media, hyped-up actual property actuality reveals, poor mentoring or all the above, however the lack of gown code requirements has gotten means uncontrolled.

I used to be excited to interview this new crew, comprised of two brokers with 5 years of particular person expertise. Each introduced themselves professionally and had been well-groomed, clearly knew the market, and had a superb plan for reaching the subsequent degree of manufacturing.

But when I’m being trustworthy, I had a tough time getting previous their garish trend and accent selections, which appeared higher suited to a neighborhood nightclub than displaying property (a lot much less a “first-impression” interview).

At this level of their careers, nobody ought to have to be advised that this look doesn’t encourage belief and respect in a enterprise the place they are going to be coping with a buyer’s most beneficial asset. I’m positive the hairstyles had been the most recent developments and took hours at a salon to create, their designer-name garments price a whole bunch of {dollars}, and their jewellery and make-up selections could be good in sure settings – however an actual property workplace isn’t certainly one of them.

Don’t get me mistaken – I understand skilled trend has grow to be way more informal lately. I’ve grown completely snug with type selections from each genders that will have made me blush 10 years in the past. However there’s a line of appropriateness, and sadly this crew didn’t even understand that they’d crossed it.

That is actually a disgrace, as a result of – in these fleeting moments after I may get previous their type selections — I actually beloved their attitudes, their expertise and their confidence. How can I take into account hiring brokers missing this diploma of self-awareness?

resolve 

The disconnect between the dealer and these potential new members of his crew will not be as far aside as he thinks. On the one hand, the dealer is appropriate about an agent’s look and gown needing to encourage belief and confidence, and about skilled apparel shifting in a  typically extra informal route.

However there are different elements to think about relating to appropriateness, and totally different markets and conditions do warrant totally different gown codes – even inside one area. Taking a look at South Florida (the place this column is produced), for instance, type within the Palm Seashores tends to be “nation membership stylish,” leaning conventional and colourful; higher Ft. Lauderdale is a bit more conservative and buttoned-down; Miami sees all kinds of contemporary, cutting-edge and body-conscious selections, whereas the Florida Keys adopts a really informal, resort-based look.

In-house gross sales representatives for pre-construction condos, who work in glamorous and ultra-chic gross sales galleries, are going to decorate a lot otherwise than brokers who concentrate on suburban single-family houses, who put operate forward of kind.

As a substitute of dismissing these probably productive brokers, the dealer may as an alternative resolve to have a frank, direct and judgment-free dialog in regards to the typical buyer of his workplace and their expectations of how an agent presents themselves. If the brokers really feel strongly that their type selections mirror an untapped shopper base that might open new doorways for the workplace, they’ll reply simply as immediately and attempt to persuade the dealer of their choices.

With this dialog being held in a respectful and collaborative setting, it is extremely attainable that the 2 sides may discover a pleased medium, with the brokers persevering with to decorate in a trendy method inside the confines of the workplace’s skilled pointers.

Anthony Askowitz is the broker-owner of RE/MAX Advance Realty, with places of work in Hollywood Seashore, Davie, Miramar, North Miami, South Miami, Kendall, and the Florida Keys, and the place he leads the actions of greater than 190 brokers. Comply with him on Instagram.

NOTE: Anthony Askowitz isn’t an legal professional and doesn’t give authorized recommendation. Please seek the advice of a licensed legal professional relating to issues mentioned on this column.