Meet Our Real Estate Process Management Expert, Ashley Donat

This week’s blog comes to you from Ashley Donat, the newest member of the Performance Coaching team and a process management wizard. She’ll be leading our 10-week Process Management Bootcamp starting April 29th—learn more and sign up here.

Let me start with a personal question…

What would happen to your business if your personal life suddenly turned upside down?

I found out for myself a few years ago, when I lost both my dad and my older brother within a few months of each other. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you can imagine the state I was in—struggling through my own grief while watching my family grieve, dealing with the painful logistics of illness and death, all while running a busy real estate team during a crazy market.

Can you guess what kept my business from tanking?

PROCESS.

Had it not been for the processes I had implemented with my team, it would not have been possible for me to take the time I needed for my family and my sanity.

Thankfully, I’ve always been a bit of a process nerd.

Before I got into real estate, I was a teacher, and every lesson was its own little process. I wanted a certain learning outcome for my students, so I planned a series of steps to get there, and I led each class through it, over and over.

Even the planning itself was its own process that got me to the outcome I wanted—i.e., being prepared for every class.

Every role I’ve had in real estate has built on and leveraged this process instinct.

I started at a commercial property management company, where I got to see the machine of corporate process in action—the constant hiring, firing, promoting, and reorganizing that keeps a big company running.

Then I moved to the brokerage world, where I was the right hand of the managing broker at a boutique firm, then helped set up a commercial division at another firm. 

Eventually, I built my own top-performing real estate team at Compass, and that’s where I really found my passion…

Leveraging my process expertise to help other agents build their own books of business.

Since then, I’ve joined the leadership team at Compass as the Sales Manager for Chicago's Bucktown & Northbrook offices, as well as the Head of Agent & Team Strategic Development for the Midstates North region. 

Essentially, my job is to collaborate with sales leaders in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana to help their teams cultivate processes that drive efficiency, culture, and substantial increases in sales volume.

Now, I get to do the same for you.

Starting April 29th, I’ll be leading a 10-week Process Bootcamp alongside Steve and Caroline. 

I’ll be sharing the exact steps I use for the 8 most important processes in any real estate business—everything from handling transactions to managing referrals.

But the steps are just a means to an end…

What really matters is what they allow you to do.

They let you take time for yourself when you need it, whether to handle a crisis or take a well-deserved vacation.

They let you focus on the highest-value tasks and leverage an assistant or support team to make your life easier.

They let you multiply your results in a sustainable way, without burning out.

They even let you cultivate stronger relationships with your clients by delivering a consistently superior level of service.

I won’t lie—process is simple, but it’s not easy.

It takes an investment of time and a willingness to learn a new way of thinking, as well as some new tools. 

On your own, that’s a lot to figure out. It’s MUCH easier with the help of someone who has been there before and knows exactly what to do.

If that kind of support sounds like exactly what you need, join us starting on April 29th. 

By the end of the 10 weeks, you’ll have a solid foundation in place for all the most important processes in your business.

Hope to see you there!

Ashley Donat