What the First 100 Days for an ISA Should Look Like

July 11, 2017

Lee Bressan

Finding Seller Leads

Hiring and ISA has been a game changer for many businesses. They can help get teams of all sizes running like a well-oiled machine, with the dedicated boost to their lead generating and lead nurturing processes. Like any member of your team, getting them off to a running start takes some strategy and planning. We’ve talked to some of the top teams using ISAs to see what works. Here’s the ideal plan for the first 100 days, so you can be sure to set them up for success.

While it may seem as simple as “Pick up phone. Dial. Repeat.” Getting your ISA up and running is a really important step in making sure they’re successful and a solid onboarding program should be prepared to help them get adjusted.

What to include in the ISA’s first 100 day curriculum

Considering what a typical day-in-the-life of an ISA is like is a great way to work backwards to see what skills they’ll need to acquire before jumping on the phones.

A (very basic) day-in-the life of an ISA:

Good morning! 8:00-8:30 am script practice
8:30-11:30 am outbound calls, just looking for seller leads. Calling expired listings and FSBOs
11:00 check-in meeting (one-on-one or sales meeting)
12:30 more lead generation fun with the 10 days of pain for buyer leads
Later that afternoon…shift to nurturing/lead follow-up
3:00-5:00 pm another two hour outbound call session, looking for seller leads.

From this day you can tell that they’ll need to be equipped with relevant scripts for calls, voicemails, and objections handling. They’ll need access to your company’s systems and training on CRM use and best practices. Team member will need to be introduced, meetings and check-ins (recurring!) scheduled, and goals set.

Here’s what every onboarding curriculum should include:

Team introductions
scripts
tracking sheets
reporting forms
Tech training for your CRM and other systems
Regular meetings and check-ins
Goals and milestones
suggested reading (things like: The ONE Thing, The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork, etc.)

How to break down your ISA curriculum

Breaking down your 100 days month- to-month, and adding major topics of focus can help make the process more clear. Many teams have found that creating a spreadsheet to outline each week under a “monthly theme” has helped both managers and ISAs stay on track and know what’s to be expected on a weekly and daily basis. This is a great way to incorporate some goals and milestones for the onboarding process and track performance to maintain accountability.

The first 30 days, for example, could be about learning and memorizing scripts. Schedule role-playing sessions to practice the scripts, coaching sessions with other members of the team, and attending weekly meetings will help them get the lay of the land quickly.

The next 30 days could focus on objection handling (and more role playing sessions), and technology training. You’ll want this hire to be well versed in maintaining databases and campaigns in the CRM.

Setting expectations for the ISA Role

First and foremost it’s critical to set clear expectations for your new hire. As with any agent on your team, the ISA role should have clear outlines for how their time should be spent each week. This should be clearly communicated in the first 100 days. Things to consider:

Expected arrival and departure time each day
Team meeting and one-on-one meeting schedules
Lead follow-up first thing in the morning and as they register throughout the day
Tracking of lead generating activities and where to post or share results each day
Weekly minimum # of contacts made (for buyer and seller leads)
Time blocks for lead generating efforts
Time blocks for role-playing and script practice
Lead follow up and appointment setting protocol (pre-qualifying, transferring to an agent, what marketing material to send, schedule calendar invite, re-assign leads, etc.)

Taking all of this into consideration, here’s how to break it down into more manageable 30 day chunks.

First 30 days:

Team member meetings and introductions (meet with each 1×1 and allow to shadow)Attend regular Sales Meeting

Watch company and/or team videos

Like and follow company social media accounts

Script training: create and practice

2 days/week role play with Sales Manager and other ISA

Meet with lender partner to understand the lending process

Schedule training and shadowing appointments with buyer specialist, transaction coordinator, etc.

Intense training on team systems and toolslike BoomTown, Mojo dialer, Dotloop, etc. As well as calendar invites, and email.

60-90 days

Navigate through all scripts and objections with ease

Continue attending team meetings and trainings

Introduce a business coach or mentor and schedule dedicated time

Begin supervised outreach and prospecting efforts

Role play open house scripts and schedule time to shadow open house

Pull MLS agent report for open house and learn how to read

Call surrounding neighbors for open house

System training: CRM training should be continued and built upon. How to register someone, transfer leads, update status in the CRM and log notes. Introduction to automated marketing and drip campaigns should also begin. The right CRM will have training opportunities and support to cover all aspects of the system.

90 days and on

Continue regular role-playing and script practice

Begin unsupervised prospecting, follow up calls and email campaign initiation

Evaluate appointment tracking, call performance, and set up standards to maintain accountability

Create monthly and weekly goals for calls, appointments, etc.

Continue systems training (for software platforms like BoomTown, etc.)

Maintain monthly team meetings and mentor calls

Continuing education: consider conferences, webinars and other resources to continue sharpening skillsets

Remember, this is simply a formula to help you develop the right onboarding process for your ISA. Tweak this guide to fit your unique team and processes, and make sure you’re powering your team with the right tools for success.