Money isn’t Everything: On Firing a Top Producer

A few weeks ago, Jenn Maher and I made the difficult decision to ask the top producing agent at J. Philip Real Estate to leave the company.

These sorts of decisions aren’t made lightly, and such a move cannot help but affect the bottom line, at least in the short term. But it had to be done. 

The details are immaterial. I view it as a rite of passage for the firm, and I certainly hope the decision ultimately results in a better future for the agent we let go. We had to act in the best interests of the company and its clients. That doesn’t mean it was easy; doing the right thing is actually pretty hard to stomach sometimes.

We wish the agent well. We would like nothing more than to see them succeed wherever they land next. All too often, companies retain an agent who does not match up well with their culture but brings in profit and perceived success at a long-term cost to the brand. J. Philip Real Estate will never be that firm.  It was, in the days and weeks leading to the decision and in the aftermath, a bitter pill to swallow, a semi-heartbreaking loss, and ultimately a sense of relief that the price of this decision will allow us to grow the brokerage the right way, on our terms, and within our spiritual budget. 

Blogging about this, is a little “inside baseball,” but  the  consumer needs to know that our firm has to make certain decisions that are in the best interest of the enterprise, its agents and staff and, most importantly, the client, even if that decision comes at a cost – albeit briefly – to monetary gain. 

Onward.