Collaborative Recruiting Is a Win-Win for Management and Agents
As a manager or broker, you always have your recruiting antennae up, searching for new agents. You engage people in your town, reach out to co-brokes and host recruiting events to attract your next wave of agents. All of these are valuable and should continue to be part of your recruiting repertoire.
That said, are you also maximizing the eyes and ears of your current agent base to propel future agent growth? There are only so many potential agents that will naturally cross your path through your own efforts, so wouldn’t it be great if you could expand your reach by a multiple of 10, 50 or 100 times?
You can do exactly that by purposefully enlisting your current agent base in your recruiting efforts. Incorporate the following suggestions into your recruiting and agent engagement efforts and you will see your recruiting activity increase dramatically.
Discuss recruiting during every agent review meeting. Whenever you meet with agents to review their business—which obviously should be done on a regular basis—end by asking them if they can think of someone else that would be a good fit in your office. This can be anyone, unlicensed or licensed, that the agents know. Asking this as a regular part of your agent interactions will eventually make the idea stick in their minds and will create an army of co-recruiters for your team. Most agents will be receptive to this (don’t they ask for referrals from their clients, too?) and simply need your encouragement to keep it top-of-mind.
Ask about co-brokes after every transaction. After each closed deal, ask your agents what it was like to work with the co-broke on the transaction if they are not in your company or office. Keep notes on each one, good or bad, to aid you in reaching out to the ones you want to join your team. For strong candidates, this exercise gives you complimentary information to share with them as you entice them to join your team. For other candidates, it saves you time by allowing you to skip making efforts on someone who either lacks the level of professionalism that you seek or has a personality that would not gel with your office.
Include current agents in recruiting events and follow-ups. Potential recruits are much more likely to join your office if they are made to feel welcome by other agents in your company. For recruiting events, invite a few agents to share their experiences and answer questions for attendees. For specific new recruits—both new licensees and experienced agents—have some impactful agents reach out to them directly and ask them to join your company. Choose agents that are genuine in their support and welcoming attitudes and your recruiting success will be much stronger for it. Also, ask these agents to make follow-up calls to hot recruits—their engagement may just be the final nudge that makes a recruit join your team.
If any agents are reluctant to assist in your recruiting efforts, it may help to remind them that the growth of your company will lead to more marketing and administrative support for their business. Companies and REALTORS® are in this together, so each agent’s assistance in recruiting is especially helpful in keeping your company strong and in making sure that the office environment stays positive by growing with the right people.
Growing with the right people is essential for both company and agent success. Enlist your current agents to make that happen, and your recruiting success will be propelled in the most effective way possible for the benefit of all.
For a FREE copy of Sherri’s exclusive “Recruiting Skills Assessment” for building your agent team through new and experienced agents, click here.
Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With 20 years of experience in real estate, Johnson offers coaching, consulting and keynotes, and is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. She is also an RISMedia 2020 Real Estate Newsmaker as an industry Influencer. Sign up for a free 30-minute coaching strategy session or visit www.sherrijohnson.com for more information.
