In my new job, I am not given much direction. Basically the first day my boss sat down with me and told me some ideas she had and some things she wanted to change and then cut me loose and it has just been pretty much "do your own thing" from there. Seriously, we have not had more than a 5 minute conversation since that day!
The first big project was getting postcard mailings out the some of her target neighborhoods. I used an old template and designed separate messaging for each neighborhood that featured what houses we sold in that subdivision recently, what houses we had on the market in that neighborhood, how many homes she has sold in that particular subdivision, along with some of the high points of why you should pick her as your agent. I let her proof them and made changes. I got the addresses for each neighborhood. I found a program to make the Publisher docs into PDFs and uploaded them all to a printer and placed the order. As of today, all the postcards are in the mail.
When I was at a stopping point I have kind of researched some of the other ideas we have discussed and done some little things like design some customizable pieces for the buyers agents, but I kind of feel lost.
I asked her what she wanted me to work on and she wanted me to come back with some options for her and she would choose what she wanted me to do next. I feel like I am defining my own role here and it is very different from my past positions. Usually I am told what needs to happen or at least a general idea of what they want to happen and I figure out how to get us there and make it happen. But now I am given free reign but with no budget, no general direction, and not a real good idea of the industry or company yet. It's hard.
My brain feels like mush from this past month of thinking of different ideas and trying to find a direction. But this is good for me. I need to take the bull by the horns and show her what I can do. It's like I have so much freedom I don't even know what to do with it.
But for now I am packing for the beach. Hopefully this much needed mini-vacay will help me clear my head and I can hit the ground running when I get back to the office on Monday!
Friday, July 31, 2009
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7 comments:
It sounds like you need to have another discussion with your boss and tell her that, since you're new there, you don't really know what you're supposed to be doing or what "the bigger picture" is that you should be working towards. It sounds like your boss is kind of like, "well... you can come up with something to work on and then let ME know." But she's your boss! I'd feel really aggravated and lost if my boss wasn't telling me what needed to be done or what I should be working towards.
I'd recommend setting up some informational interviews with other people in your field who do your job. Call other realty companies in the area, use LinkedIn, etc. to find some people who might be able to give you ideas and examples of what they've done in the past. This will definitely start your creative juices flowing. Maybe even go to a few open houses, stop at grocery stores and look for ads, etc. to get your finger on the pulse of what's happening in real estate marketing. From there, you can come up with some ideas. Good luck! You're smart, savvy, and you'll get the hang of it.
Although your situation is pretty different from what you're used to, it sounds as though your Manager trusts your judgment and opinions, which is huge :-)
Have a great time at the beach!
only been reading your blogs for a lil while but figured i would comment. :)
sounds in my opinion like AnnQs opinion that your boss does value your opinion and trust the fact that you will pull through with what they need. although i find in alot of companies now days that just because you are qualified for the job that, that automatically displays that you are trained and that's usually a downfall within either a boss or company.
problem i find is many boss' aren't good with open communication but stress many times they want an individual to use the open door policy (whether they have one) or communicate with them...this to me goes both ways. So many times i see boss' who although are VERY nice but still have some flaws in communicating with others ..that is why they hire you lol (not saying that is why you were hired in this new position of course!) So maybe having a meeting with your new boss maybe beneficial just to clear a few things up :) just an idea!
anyways good luck whatever comes about, from what i read you sound like you have a good head on you and i trust you will soon find your way! :)
hope your mini-vacay was just what you needed!
Suz, I know a guy who makes a living buying "hits" on the web. He might be able to give you some tips on getting more traffic onto your company's web site (I assume they have a web site). You can contact me through GK if you are interested.
Brian Bolster
Sue, if you decide to go to open houses, I will go with you. I absolutely love open houses!!
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