As a business owner, do you find yourself asking, “How do I get balance back in my life?” or “Where do I find talented people?” Linda McKissack, real estate coach, speaker, entrepreneur and co-author of “HOLD. How to Find, Buy and Rent Houses for Wealth,” says these are the top two concerns of successful, yet overworked real estate pros. McKissack recently hosted Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar from Homes.com and answered these questions by saying, “it’s all about ‘Success through People,’ hiring talent and creating an environment where everyone can succeed.”
McKissack’s passion is to help others develop a thriving real estate business. She is an avid proponent of achieving a balance by leveraging systems, tools and people. During the webinar, the owner of two real estate brokerage franchises presented eight key steps for recruiting the right talent to build a business worth owning without compromising your quality of life.
8 Recruiting Steps
By recruiting top talent, owners are able to look for other business opportunities because these talented people are now effectively doing the work that you were focused on 99% of the time. One common misconception, she says, is that entrepreneurs and owners don’t invest enough time in recruiting because they think there’s no one that can do what they do and that the talented ones want to do it on their own. That is not the case, and by following these eight steps and investing the time into the right people, you can develop a strong team.
Step 1: 4 Recruiting Philosophies
Having an understanding of what motivates candidates is key to identifying their goals and how your organization is a good fit for them and vice versa. McKissack says that your talent pool is typically driven by one of these four recruiting philosophies.
1. Need Fulfillment Philosophy – McKissack says that people want to come into your business not to fulfill your needs but to fulfill their own needs. So you have to show them how and why your organization can meet their needs and expectations.
2. Value Focus Philosophy – Show them the value of working with your business.
3. Law of Numbers Philosophy – McKissack encourages you to constantly be in search of top talent even if you don’t have an immediate opening. If you talk to enough people, you’ll find some great candidates.
4. Either/Or Philosophy – This situation may present itself if the person is happy in their current position. In this case, showcase your business well enough so that you’re top of mind when that person reaches a crossroad at some point down the line.
Step 2: 8 Recruiting Tools
When showcasing your business to potential talent, arm yourself with supporting materials and resources that highlight why your organization will be the best fit for them. This reinforces how your business truly invests in their welfare and career advancement. McKissack says that a top complaint is that businesses don’t offer training or advancement opportunities. Items like a training calendar emphasize that the company values its employees and has plans to help them move up the ranks.
1. Company presentation
2. Operating and training manuals
3. Recruiting packet
4. Supportive articles
5. Training calendar
6. Company literature
7. Top People List
8. Time Management System
Step 3: 8 Sources to Find Great People
McKissack says you should always be actively looking and working these eight sources to find great people.
1. Real estate schools
2. Cold calling/past clients
3. Networking and allied resources
4. Career opportunity meetings
5. Advertisements
6. Direct mail
7. All associations/core group
8. Educational events
Step 4: 5 Recruiting Calls
When you’re ready to initiate a conversation with a potential candidate, McKissack offers some scripts and one-liners to use during that initial meeting.
