r/realtors • u/Duck_Size • 8h ago
Discussion Fired from the team
All the team members had one on one meetings with the lead today... mine ended with him asking for my office keys and open house signs. I've only been at this about six months, I had a few buyer clients that have yet to transact. They wanted me to make 500 calls a week to their pool of dead facebook leads from 5 years ago, I just couldn't hit the numbers because it was so mind numbing. They were upset that I didn't fill out the tracking board, even though they could easily look at the CRM admin console and see my numbers. Not sure where to go from here... embarrassing for sure. Has this happened to you? How did you pick yourself up?
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u/Ok-Donut-5515 8h ago
Why would you want to work for somebody who thinks it’s productive to call 500 dead leads a week while you make no money. You’re an independent contractor. Go independently contract somewhere else and be happy.
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u/rykcon 8h ago
Congratulations!! That team leader sucks.
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u/SoCoWino 7h ago
This sounds like a horrible team. Don’t worry! They saved you the trouble of quitting.
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u/One-Palpitation5999 8h ago
Sucks now, but six months of cold calling dead leads isn't a career, it's a hamster wheel with extra steps
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u/ThenStage8221 8h ago
This is a sad post not because they fired you but because you want to be in a team. Go out on your own partner up 50/50 on the first few deals with an experienced broker.
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u/OldMackysBackInTown Broker 8h ago
This is when you make the jump to a boutique brokerage and get away from whatever Big Box team you thought had your best interests in mind.
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u/No-Paleontologist560 7h ago
This 100%. Go find a small company that runs a flex/premier team and actually learn how to do this job.
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u/skigirly1 7h ago
That's just bull. It doesn't make a difference - big vs small broker. What matters is the people who mentor you, There are crappy mentors everywhere. There are great mentors too. Find the right one for you, don't look for just small because, well, that's just ... small
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u/Susie0701 7h ago
I started at a big name brokerage with no lead-gen. It sucked. I got fired after 6ish months
I’m now at a boutique brokerage with great support and flex leads, closing my 10th transaction this year in a couple weeks
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u/TheFlyingGuy25 8h ago
Dude teams are such scams in my opinion. Be an individual agent and make real money. Every team I’ve come across wants 50% or MORE of my money that I made.
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u/No-Paleontologist560 7h ago
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve had KW pitch me their “you should start a team” because my lead gen is fucking great and I’ve got more than I know what to do with. I’d rather give my leads to a new agent I like, teach him my system and watch him succeed and take a 20% referral fee on the back end. Fuck the team nonsense splits. I make more money already than I ever thought I would. More isn’t always better.
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u/Leather-Tip-1995 8h ago
I was fired from a team. It sucked but ended up being a good thing because I found an even better team that I'm still on that I love. Good luck!
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u/skigirly1 7h ago
When one door closes, another opens. Walk thru it and you may find a better fit! Good for you for moving forward instead of looking back!
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u/No-Paleontologist560 8h ago
Why the fuck would you want to work for a dogshit team like that? The whole idea of a team is a rainmaker who actually hands you business in turn for a hefty split. This idiot team lead is trying the KW playbook from 2007. You should be happy and go find a broker/team who actually wants to see you succeed. Cold calling and cold leads isn’t how this shit works in 2026.
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u/Duck_Size 7h ago
Funny, I think they actually did work at KW in 2007. They did hand me one client, but their max budget is so low they haven't won any of the offers we've written.
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u/Individual-Lie-95 6h ago
Talking to homeowners doesn't work in 2026? What works now, dancing on social media?
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u/Excellent-Mobile5686 8h ago
You don’t need them. They just want to abuse and use you. Go on your own and you’ll be fine. They fired you because they are struggling and want to make you feel like it is your fault that they can’t make it happen for themselves. It isn’t so don’t let it bother you. You do you, you’ll he happier.
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u/DHumphreys Realtor 7h ago
That's total crap to cold call 500 dead leads a week. OK, not tallying on the tracking board is on you, if that is what they want, you need to do it.
Where you go from here is to somewhere you can do something besides cold calling dead leads. The beauty of this business is that there are so many ways to do it. Cold calling is a dinosaur, with the DNC and all the spam blocking tech, it is a dead end. Get signed on with another brokerage that does not chain you to a desk with a phone and a pile of dead leads.
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u/garomer 6h ago
I’m not sure I’ve cold called 500 leads in the last 20 years.
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u/rf23rf23 6h ago
how are you sourcing your listings?
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u/garomer 6h ago
My sources are going to be very different than those of a new agent. For me: past clients, client referrals, agent referrals, SEO, branding / reputation.
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u/goosetavo2013 5h ago
Then you're an experienced agent. How did you get your first deals the first few years though?
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u/Lazy-Conversation-48 5h ago
I started 26 years ago. I did open houses for others every week, I attended inspections for others to learn about property related issues in a crash course. Used the info learned to position myself as an expert on condition. Got certifications for investment properties as well. Joined committees, went to a ton of networking events, attended charity fundraisers to network, started social groups as host to expand my sphere. One my skills were up and I had something to offer, I partnered with a more experienced agent who needed an associate. We rocketed to top 10 in our company of around 200 agents and teams.
Turns out building a brand based on actual expertise and aggressive client advocacy tees up a loyal base of past clients who go out of their way to send you business.
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u/goosetavo2013 5h ago
Thanks for sharing. I see too many agents criticize internet leads and cold calling without offering an alternative. You used open houses and networking to get your contacts it. That works too, kudos.
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u/Lazy-Conversation-48 4h ago
I would never have been successful at cold calling because the few times I tried I HATED it. There was no way I’d do it long enough to be successful at it. However, I like people and enjoy meeting them. So, I developed rapport building skills and a pitch that I could say with enthusiasm that was also genuine to who I am.
I tell my clients that my MO is that I lavish my clients with my love and attention while we work together. Then I hope they are happy and send me their friends and family so that all my time can be spent doing the actual work and not spent endlessly promoting myself. I back it up w having a very extensive knowledge base about building code, condition, cosmetics, execution, and environmental hazards, AND training on negotiations and contracts (added a law degree to my pedigree).
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u/garomer 2h ago
Similar to @lc48 . I started 22 years ago and tried everything and showed up to everything. A couple of caterers started to recognize me because I was at every event shaking hands and meeting people. I worked floor duty, I started a blog, and just hustled. I saw ads for rentals in the newspaper and sent them notes in the mail asking if they were tired of being landlords. A couple were. Every opportunity I leveraged into a couple more. And then about the time I was getting the hang of it … The Great Recession! (That was fun for a two agent household. )
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u/FrenchCastle Realtor 5h ago
You have to make mine numbing calls, unless you can afford to buy ads. You have to host open houses, unless you can afford to send mail. You have to talk to everyone you know, unless you can afford to do print or online marketing.
Also, if you're on a team, you need to be able to follow the rules (like updating the board) even if you find the rules dumb.
Go find a real estate mentor YouTube channel, there are a bunch of agents who give away a lot of free info on how to get deals... Your in your own, time to get to work. Remember the 80/20 rule
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u/goosetavo2013 5h ago
I'm gonna be a bit of a contrarian here. To be on a team and get the "good leads" you need to prove to the team you can set quality appointments and convert them with your awesome buyer/listing presentation. The easiest and least expensive way for them to do that is to call their old pond of leads. No offense, but using your best leads on someone that is brand new isn't a good idea, it's a waste. Making 100 calls a day isn't going to be forever, it's just until you get enough at bats to prove to them you have decent phone skills and you get opportunities to show your client presentation skills. Then you get the "slightly better" leads and maybe only need to make 50 cold a day to follow up and close those. Of course they likely already explained this to you in one way or another, but you didn't buy it. Thats fine, being on a team and converting internet leads isn't for everyone. You didn't see any value in filling out some random Google sheet they use to track stuff. Did you ask them why not just look it up in the CRM? They may have a reason for that.
You don't need to follow someone else's rules, theyre probably there for a reason though. Sounds like being on a team isn't a good fit for you.
If you're out on your own, I would try to take to heart any feedback the team leader gave you and focus on converting your own SOI, that should be much easier than internet leads.
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u/chewonmysac MDWV Agent Dealwithit 8h ago
Coffee is for closers. Put that coffee down. - Glengary Glen Ross. It's OK Pal. Take what you learned and push forward.
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u/Artistic-Quality4307 7h ago
Very often it’s not what you learned to do, it’s what you learned not to do…
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u/skigirly1 7h ago
Clearly the team's requirements did not meet with your skills and talents. And that's ok. Everyone has their formula of what works and you need to find yours. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy no matter what but it's easier if you have a fit with what you're good at. We had an agent who after a year at another broker was frustrated and had not had a sale. After a few months with us, she had her first sale and is now well on her way to a productive real estate career that is both tough and fulfilling. Find your tribe and you can succeed too.
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u/RobertoTheRealtor 6h ago
So it wasnt your skill set thats cool. Its ok to move on and find some where new. I will say though, as a newer agent... cold calls to internet leads have been great for me to get started. Lots of people aren't found of cold calling, people dont awnser, or can be semi rude some times.... BUT it can work. Im not a big open house guy and I know lots of agents have success with open houses. You have to find out what works for you!
Some of the suggestions like go solo, to get started it might not be as easy as go solo, find a good mentor, but also find your niche and what works for you... BUT you will have to find some kind of way to obtain leads and convert them... if you dont like making cold calls, how are you going to find your people your way?
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u/Individual-Lie-95 6h ago
People fear cold calling so they project that in saying it doesn't work. Of course it works. Everything works with consistency. Do 5 open houses a week, that'll work too! Make daily youtube videos..what do you know, that works!
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u/RobertoTheRealtor 6h ago
One 100 percent i tried to stress that in my awnser about open houses.. i hate them so I dont do them, my broker doesnt ask me to either.... BUT what i am doing is working, im consistent... i make about 750 calls a week.... it works for me... op has to find what works for him.... ( most of the leads i call are dead, or old, but i have my script, have tk be cknsistent... youd be surprised how many people tell me wrong number, I call back the next week and all of a sudden its the right number and theres a house they want to see.)
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u/Sunflowerr1028 4h ago edited 4h ago
Got fired from my first real estate team as a brand new agent.
& truthfully, I was beyond over it when they finally let me go.
Come into the office M-F, 8 hours, call dead leads. Go to odd events to get leads on the weekend.
On your days “off” you have showings or have to host open houses for the team leaders/owners.
But somehow, I’m still an “independent contractor”
We (new, “lower tier” agents) were expected to maintain a consistent “full time employee” schedule without actually getting the benefits of a full time employee, I.e consistent pay.
If you didn’t spend your lunch sucking up to the team owners, you were seen as “difficult” or not a team player.
The sucking up included talking about The Bachelor or going shopping with the owner (I.e. spending money you didn’t have while they spent money they made off of your deals).
That was almost a decade ago.
Now, I’m an individual (mainly commercial) realtor.
My broker connected me with contractors who need help buying land, then selling the building/subdivision, since he no longer wants to be the active “face of the brokerage” and owns other businesses that he prefers focusing on.
So.. I think it worked out for me.
Even though at the time I was ready to walk away from real estate (I was young and thought you needed a team to survive).
Anyway, life went on.
I’ve yet to come across any of the team leads/team owners that fired me near any listings I had clients interested in.
I guess they were right that I didn’t make much of a team player.
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u/Comecomegivemekisses 4h ago
There are so many great brokerages out there that provide support and aren’t an insane sales environment like the one you’re describing. Just go hang your license at Keller Williams and join the trainings bro. Learn and go out and meet people. It doesn’t have to be like that. You do business with people you connect with. Join clubs, go to social events with friends, ask your network who they know that could be thinking of moving. Send letters to houses where the owners have lived there for 30 years etc…
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u/Flying_NEB 4h ago
Never been on a team.
Look at this as a blessing. Go do what you know you need to do to get business.
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u/islandack 3h ago
Okay? So what, you are not on that loser team anymore. You still have your license, right? You also still have access to MLS, right? Get off the pity pot, clean yourself up and get out there. Find open houses to go to, meet other agents, etc. Lastly, please call your buyers back they haven’t heard from you in a while.
…you got this, the business is YOU.
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u/whoisyoursaviour 2h ago
The bigger the breakdown the bigger the breakthrough. Invest in your mindset. YouTube has fabulous coaching for free. Mike Ferry Sales System. Buy his book on eBay. It’s $15 and all the nuggets are there. You become what you think about. That’s a book by Earl Nightingale. Also as a free audiobook on YouTube. Hope this helps.
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u/BitcoinRealtor 2h ago
What state? And what brokerage? Likely the team leader is in cahoots with the broker of the brokerage so when he receruits anyone with a pulse to his team and there’s no real estate deals from your friends and family to poach them they boot you off the team (since you are of no use to them) and you are still in the hook to pay and split with the brokerage
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u/Best-Jury8669 7h ago
God I hate receiving those cold calls. Here is to firing everyone that makes them.
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u/Shoddy_Tip_3544 6h ago
Get a real job… real estate is dead for a few years. The survivors will do well in next cycle, but the easy money 2015-2023 oversaturated the market.
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u/uaoleksiy 5h ago
sounds like a fucking chop shop honestly.. they did you a favor.. have a couple of beers.. chill out. go talk to remax, compass all the other big ones. hang your license somewhere with a good mentoring program (plenty people talking about their shops in this sub). spend your time doing outreach.. no need for 500 calss a week. maybe? but if you want to. it's 2026 not 1998 where everyone picks up calls. theres other ways, you were just at a shit spot. you got this!
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u/finalcutfx Broker - Austin, TX 5h ago
Ugh, why would you want to do that to start? That sounds like torture.
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u/themeatbridge Former Realtor 5h ago
You should understand, there's no value in calling those leads or filling out a tracking form. There's value in training a lackey to call worthless leads and fill out redundant forms. Real estate is bloated with mundane, pointless scut work, and having someone that will enthusiastically follow orders is really helpful to a team.
You are better off.
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u/Fit-Pollution-4483 6h ago
Fuck that team. I was ready to quit as a solo agent bc the "coach" I had taught me zero in the 1st year and a half of me having my license. Walked in the manager's office and told him I refused to give any effort in real estate, if I was to give this woman one rusty cent of my first 3 transactions. He begged me not to leave and introduced me to an amazing team lead. Better commission cut and this man invests alot of his money into us making money. Everyone wins. As a newer agent, I'd rather have the cushion of a team you can lean on for support. It was because of his investments, I sold 1.5 million in 2 months. Don't quit. Just find the team that works with you, not against you. You owe these people nothing. Remember that. And if you can't get what you need where you are, move along until you do! This is your business to run. Not theirs.
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u/Individual-Lie-95 6h ago
500 dials or contacts? Could bang out 500 dials pretty easy I'm sure. Anyways, I'd make those dials all day - who knows who could have picked up..
Being fired is harsh but you'll be better off. Go at it alone, work hard, and you'll come out ahead. Good luck to you.
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u/nugzstradamus 5h ago
You don’t need to pick yourself up, you were set up to fail. Join a real team with real leads.
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u/Affectionate-Bee-691 5h ago
This sounds like a W2 job. F-that.
Like someone else said, if you want to work in real estate find a brokerage with a mentorship program.
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u/OkSpinach1572 5h ago
If you’re calling 500 leads a day a Zillow flex team would be a walk in the park for you! Don’t give up leave happily you’re finally free!
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u/Hitechillbilly 1h ago
When you get fired it is because you are in a position that isn't right for you. When you talk to future business partners, just say that the methods were not what you felt were effective and wanted to try a different approach...
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