Level 6 of Tom Ferry’s 8 Levels of Performance is all about maximizing production from your team. You’ve already built a high-performing team, established systems, delegated responsibilities, and created a productive environment where your team can thrive. But now, you’re ready to take an even bigger step: transforming your business into a self-sustaining entity that grows independently of you.
This is the stage where things really get fun. It’s where you transition from a hands-on team leader to a visionary in business development. The focus is on scalability and operational independence, empowering leaders within your team, and setting the stage for market expansion. This blog covers the strategies you need to maximize productivity by scaling up your business model, automating key processes, and building high-level relationships that drive long-term growth.
What is the Difference Between Scaling and Replication?
Scaling and replication are two distinct concepts in a business development plan that are critical at Level 6.
- Scaling is the process of maximizing productivity by increasing your business’s reach, revenue, and efficiency without proportionally increasing resources or expenses. When you scale, you’re growing the capacity of your current structure to serve more clients profitably.
- Replication, however, involves creating a scalability definition for each business process to ensure it can be duplicated in new locations or by additional teams. Replication allows you to expand into new markets while maintaining a consistent client experience across locations.
A coach who helps oversee your business from a high level will help you to understand each aspect and balance the two while scaling up your business.
How to Scale a Business
Scaling a business at Level 6 involves creating a foundation that can support growth without constant input from the leader. You want your business running like a machine instead of a puppet that constantly requires you to move it. The key steps in how to scale a business include:
- Define Your Business Structure: Establish a clear real estate business plan that outlines roles, processes, and key performance metrics. To make it as strong as possible, use the best business plan template available.
- Develop Leaders: Empower leaders within the team who can manage business operations independently and uphold the standards of your business.
- Automate Systems: Use automation tools to streamline tasks like client communication, lead distribution, and transaction management.
- Monitor Financial Metrics: Track metrics like per-agent productivity and acquisition costs to optimize profitability.
Empower Leaders for Operational Independence
To scale up effectively, you need to build a team that doesn’t just work for you but operates alongside you. That means empowering leaders for operational independence. Operational independence starts with recruiting and developing leaders who can take over essential functions. These leaders allow you to focus on business growth rather than day-to-day business management.
Key Roles to Consider for Upper Management
- Sales Manager: Oversees agents, handles performance reviews, and drives productivity.
- Business Operations Manager: Manages administrative workflows, process improvement, and operational logistics.
- Lead Transaction Coordinator: Coordinates all transactions, ensuring smooth client experiences and managing deadlines.
- Marketing Manager: Check out this blog on what to look for when hiring a real estate marketing manager.
Scaling and Systematizing Business Processes for Replication
At this stage, your goal is to create a business model that can be replicated across different locations or additional teams. Systematizing processes is the key to making your process more scalable and replicable. Think of it like Level 3 but on an entirely new scale.
Key Processes to Systematize
- CRM and Lead Management: Use automation tools to track, assign, and follow up on leads. For example, every one of your agents should know the exact process to follow when they get an online lead and be able to follow the S.O.P. seamlessly from beginning to end.
- Transaction Management: Streamline workflows from contract to close, ensuring every client receives the same high level of service.
- Marketing and Client Outreach: Standardize your marketing and client follow-up processes so every team member can represent your brand with clarity and consistency.
The focus here is to ensure that each process is documented and automated as much as possible. This way, even if you step away temporarily, your team will have the guidelines and tools to operate seamlessly. On our video and resource library platform (Tom Ferry Learning), we have a ton of prewritten S.O.P.s from top agents that you can download and put straight onto your team’s Google Drive or whatever file management system you use.
Automate for Seamless Scaling
You may have noticed here that scaling up is all about maximizing productivity by making things run on their own without the need for you to crank the lever. That means automation is key.
Automation is different from systemization in that you’re not just creating a streamlined workflow but introducing tools that will actually get the work done automatically for you. When you’re not bogged down in the details, you can put energy toward strategic business development and high-impact activities.
Key Processes to Automate
- Lead Nurturing: Use your CRM to send automated follow-ups and manage client communications.
- Appointment Scheduling: Automate reminders and confirmations to keep the schedule on track.
- Performance Tracking: Monitor productivity metrics to ensure your team is meeting goals without constant oversight.
Having a coach to help guide you through the process of automating your business operations is crucial because they’ll be able to help you better manage and train your team during this time. They’ll help you train your people to embrace this technology in order to multiply the amount they can achieve every single day.
Build High-Level Relationships for Growth
With your operations in good hands, you’re now free to cultivate high-level relationships. Networking, partnerships, and community involvement will help you build a business that’s recognized and respected. Think about connecting with real estate associations, local businesses, and influential clients. These relationships are invaluable for business growth and open doors for new opportunities, referrals, and market expansion.
Of all the benefits of Tom Ferry coaching, one of the most powerful for agents at this level is the supportive, hyper-connected ecosystem of top-performing agents around the world. The best way to become an industry leader is to surround yourself with industry leaders, and the connections you’ll form within these circles will help you open doors you may not have even known existed.
Strategic Expansion: Scaling with Purpose
When your team, systems, and leadership are in place, it’s time to talk business planning for expansion. Level 6 is the stage for scaling up into new markets.
Market Expansion Strategies
- Open Satellite Offices: Establish a presence in high-demand areas with teams who replicate your success.
- Target New Demographics: Think about niches—luxury buyers, investors, or first-time homeowners.
- Replicate Success: Use your processes to ensure consistent service across locations, so every client experiences the same high standards.
Each new market is a chance to start a business within your business. You’re not just growing—you’re scaling with vision and purpose.
Powerful Business Development Doesn’t Happen Alone
Level 6 of the 8 Levels of Performance is where the real breakthrough happens in your life and business. Once you set your business up to continually scale itself without your daily involvement, you’ll find yourself with a greater level of wealth, freedom, and creative agency than ever before.
But this is also a tricky stage to navigate because you’re rapidly being thrust into new territory where the stakes are higher than ever. Having an experienced coach will help you stay organized and informed, know the next moves to make, and allow you to avoid the common pitfalls that even brilliant business leaders make at this stage.
If you’re ready to maximize productivity, expand strategically, and secure long-term success, schedule a business growth consultation with a member of our team. We’ll help you implement strategies tailored to your unique business goals and vision, so you can take your business development to new heights.