A great admin builds your business. Great SOPs protect it. Standard Operating Procedures are your insurance policy — they ensure that if your admin ever leaves (and eventually, someone always does), the system stays with you.
📝 What Is an SOP?
An SOP is a step-by-step document that describes exactly how to perform a specific task. It should be detailed enough that someone with zero context could pick it up and complete the task correctly on their first try.
A Good SOP Includes:
📌 Task name and purpose — what is this, and why does it matter?
📌 Step-by-step instructions — numbered, in order, with no assumptions about prior knowledge
📌 Screenshots or screen recordings — for any task involving software or systems
📌 Expected outcome — what does 'done correctly' look like?
📌 Common mistakes to avoid — learned from experience
📌 Who to contact if something goes wrong — your backup plan
📌 Last updated date — SOPs should be living documents
🏗️ How to Build SOPs
The best approach: require your admin to document every task they learn. This has two benefits — it reinforces their learning, and it creates your documentation at the same time.
Step 1: Show them how you do it
Walk through the task yourself while they watch and take notes. Record the screen if possible — Loom is perfect for this.
Step 2: Have them do it while you watch
They perform the task, narrating each step, while you observe and correct in real time.
Step 3: They write the SOP
Have them document the process in their own words, with screenshots. If they can teach it back to you clearly, they've internalized it.
Step 4: Review and refine
Read through their SOP. Fill in any gaps, correct any misunderstandings, and add 'pro tips' from your experience.
Step 5: Test it
Give the SOP to someone unfamiliar with the task. Can they follow it? If not, it needs more detail.
📂 Essential SOPs Every Agent Needs
Start with these core processes. Over time, your SOP library will grow to cover every recurring task in your business.
📄 New listing setup — from signed agreement to live on MLS
📄 Transaction management — contract to close checklist
📄 New lead intake — how to enter, tag, and assign a follow-up sequence
📄 CRM daily maintenance — what to check, clean, and update
📄 Social media posting — templates, scheduling, hashtags, engagement protocol
📄 Email newsletter creation — content sourcing, formatting, sending, tracking
📄 Vendor coordination — who to call for signs, photos, staging, inspections
📄 Client communication templates — appointment confirmations, status updates, closing prep
📄 File compliance — what documents go where and how to name them
📄 Monthly reporting — what metrics to track and how to present them
🔑 Key Takeaway
Your admin is a person — and people move on. SOPs ensure that your systems, processes, and institutional knowledge stay with your business regardless of who's sitting in the chair. Build them from Day 1 and update them regularly.