As president of the Ryan Spencer Team with Coldwell Banker ONE, Ryan Spencer, his wife, Amy, and their team strive to provide the best real estate experience through focusing relentlessly on their core values and business ethics to bring glory to God.
The Challenge
Ryan was no stranger to delegating and asking for help.
He already had an assistant but unfortunately, he had to repeatedly tell her exactly what to do over and over again.
He needed project management, someone to make sure tasks were getting completed on time. He needed calendar management and document creation for tracking goals and properties that have sold.
Simply put: He needed experience; he needed someone that could ‘take the ball and run with it.’
What he didn’t need, however, was someone he would need to ‘babysit.’ So the universe sprung into action.
First, he heard about BELAY while listening to the Andy Stanley podcast. Then, BELAY found its way to him again in his EntreLeadership group. And then again with Dave Ramsey.
So he made the call.
The Solution
Enter: LaTeisha James, BELAY VA extraordinaire. From the onset of their engagement, LaTeisha knew exactly what to do to build trust with Ryan.
“Even if he gives me the smallest tasks, I give it my all,” she says. “So [he] can see I’m dedicated. I’m doing it quickly and on time and I’m like, ‘Hey. I’ve done this. What else can I do for you?”
It was precisely the proactivity and dedication Ryan needed to be able to focus on what only he could do – running his business.
So LaTeisha was diligent about pouring herself into each and every task asked of her – and some that weren’t – to demonstrate her commitment to helping him succeed.
“I’m more of a ‘just show him’ [type],” LaTeisha shares. “I was like, I’m going to show you how well I’m going to do this for you, even if it’s the smallest task and then build from there. And he’s like, ‘Oh, wow. She’s on it. She’s really taking care of those things. I don’t have to worry about if she’s actually doing it or not.’ And so that’s my focus.”
LaTeisha even took the initiative to create systems and solutions to help streamline their day-to-day processes.
“She was able to come up with solutions,” Ryan shares. “For instance, we’re trying to track our listings and track appointments. She was able to go into Google Drive and create spreadsheets and kind of help create some of the systems that we needed to track, like results, sales, houses under contract, and then helping move those sales to closing.”
But then, as they both discovered, LaTeisha brought something more to their partnership than expected – a background in communication and a master’s degree in communications.
“I’m working on my second eBook for him now – a home buyer’s guide and a home seller’s guide,” she says.
The Results
Now, nearly two published eBooks into their engagement, Ryan is relieved to get his time back – without babysitting.
“I didn’t have to tell her exactly what to do,” Ryan explains. “Once a house goes under contract, she’s able to keep things moving. I’m more of a task kind of guy; I’m a doer kind of person.”
So with LaTeisha minding the details, Ryan was free to do what he does best – serve his clients.
“She’s helping me. She knows the team. She’s able to help keep the team accountable with certain tasks that need to be done, too,” Ryan says. So I use her in that way just so we can track and make sure we’re doing their kind of things.”
The biggest win for Ryan?
“To have an assistant that is competent and does a good job that you can trust,” he says. “Just to have somebody that makes you feel confident and helps keep us on the cutting edge.”