“What mystery means is not something that is not understandable. It is something that is infinitely understandable. And therefore you can never get a total grasp on it. You just keep coming at it from a thousand sides.” -Richard Rohr

“Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

“There is an old African saying: ‘To travel fast – go alone. To travel far – go with others.’” – Scott Morton

By Dr. Rosenauer

1. Determine the area you want to work in.  It may be geographic (don’t stray too far from home) or it may be type of real estate.  Make certain it is a type of property you can be excited about and an audience you can relate to and they to you.
   
2. Find out what companies are active in that area of the business.  Talk with no less than 3-5 brokers before making this important decision.  Best choices and easiest choices are not the same thing.   It is very important to go slow and make the best possible decision in hiring the best broker for YOU.
   
3. Be open and honest in your interviews.  The interviewer may well have much more experience than you do in this setting.   Tell them what you truly can offer and ask for the same honest response back in terms of what they can offer you.
   
4. Investigate their training program thoroughly.  Is it a “catch as catch can, whenever we get around to it” approach, or a well planned, structured experience.  Many companies will claim to have a “training plan”, but you need to have specifics.
   
5. Ask about the management team.   Discuss their sales successes.  Remember that a good manager is not the same as a good salesperson in terms of attributes.  Does the firm expect to have the management team continue to sell?  This decision does impact on the manager’s ability to be available for support.
   
6. Discuss the company track record.  How long in business?  What kind of sales volume? Average income among the salespeople?  Find out as much as you can about the firm.
   
7. Verify administrative help.  Is there adequate support for technical issues as well as sales support?
   
8. What about the other salespeople?  What kind of turnover?  None is as bad as a lot.
   
9. Inquire about company policies and procedures. This is very important.  You need to   make sure the “rules of engagement” are understandable and ones you can support.
   
10.  Talk with the other agents.  How well do you “fit in”?  Environment is critical to success for many new people.    It needs to be comfortable in the office for you.

These are general guides and you should add key things important to you.  REMEMBER: Broker Selection is NOT about what is EASY or FAST but what is BEST for you RIGHT NOW and not in 3 to 5 years.

“wonder grrrl, just wanted to say thank you for the site. The links are great. I have been (obssessively?) looking for stuff about SI, mainly b/c, until about a year ago, there was nothing out there apart from secret shame and that anonymous self help page, & now there are so many… it’s great! It helps to feel a part of a “community” (ok, a somewhat weird one) even if it’s just online. SIers are coming “out” more and more, and that makes me very glad. Anyway, I’m rambling. Just wanted to tell you that, I know a lot of SI sites, and usually when i get to a “links” page on a new one, I know them all. But on yours there were some I have never read — and I’m so glad I found them. Keep at it, you’re doing such important work. I think you should tell ppl on mental health sites about your page. I’ve already posted your URL to “Self Harm Forum” on Mental Health Net, hope that’s ok, People sometimes exchange info on good SI sites there. However, last week the links were on a different page on your site (i think), so the URL i posted wasn’t the one you have now — it’s prbly the one for your main page.

“:) thanks wonder grrrl !!”