Building a company, office or team requires recruiting. Some people recruit well, while others struggle to get even a few agents on board. The difference between the average and the exceptional when it comes to recruiting is that the exceptional eat, drink, breathe and sleep their desire to help agents be successful. Recruiting and retention is not a game, manipulation or slick sales tactic, rather, it’s a true desire to create an environment where the agents we serve can be truly successful.
Commission splits and compensation plans are important to most, but in reality, agents want to be successful in income, life balance, and their ability to serve their clients. They want to work where they feel others share their core values as well. When this is accomplished, companies grow, work becomes fun and retention is achieved.
Here are a few critical steps for creating an environment of success:
1. Establish, know and share your core values often
a. Write them down!
b. Recite them at daily huddles and team meetings so that they become part of who you are.
2. Hire to your core values, then teach real estate tactics and skills
a. It’s easier to teach skills than attitude, so hire people who match your core values.
b. Provide cutting-edge training and coaching.
c. Establish prospecting call nights.
d. Attend training boot camps and national events.
e. Provide sales training and/or coaching beyond what’s required for licensing.
3. Create systems and processes for everything
a. Insist on operational excellence.
b. Every listing, buyer, contract, etc., has a clearly defined process. The way we answer phones, deal with conflict, and cover each other’s vacations, are all defined processes. Write them down and make sure everyone follows the correct procedures.
4. Do for your agents what you teach them to do for their clients
a. Send hand-written cards of gratitude.
b. Offer birthday, anniversary wishes, etc.
c. Know who they are and what’s important to them.
5. Allow agents to do what they do best
a. Agents make money prospecting, showing, listing and negotiating. Provide or create a program that allows them to outsource everything else.
6. Create the buzz
a. A productive office has a great buzz. Agents are on the phones, meetings are taking place, and everyone is engaged in positive interaction.
7. Accountability
a. This is huge because agents don’t always know what to do every hour of every day. As their leader, provide them with a road map and hold them accountable to follow the proven systems and processes that produce real results. This is often difficult for owners to do effectively because of the fine line they walk between holding an agent accountable and the risk of that agent leaving. For this purpose, having an outside coach, such as Corcoran Consulting and Coaching, produces that third-party accountability.
Success in recruiting and retention is neither magical nor mysterious. It’s a conscientious effort to execute the basic fundamentals with precision and create an environment of success, productivity, and positive people working together to make a difference in each other’s lives.
Verl Workman is president of Corcoran Consulting, Inc. (CorcoranCoaching.com, 800-957-8353), an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential broker’s or agent’s existing practice.
For more information, visit www.corcorancoaching.com/programs.
