Trust, integrity and passion about value are keys to great recruiting!

Last month I wrote about a critical mistake a new client made that caused them to lose an agent they were recruiting to another firm. There is nothing more frustrating to a recruiting manager than losing an agent you KNEW you had, to another company. In this case, I was able to speak with the agent and was told what made them make their decision. It was because the other manager LISTENED to them, and didn’t SELL to them. The brokerages were essentially comparable in their offers but the other manager was more interested in learning about and understanding the agent.

I often hear from agents that the reason they joined me is because I “clicked” with them before we got to “the offer”.

Recruiting experienced agents is an in-depth process that requires several things for success. Among the leading items is the willingness to create a genuine professional bond with the prospective agent. In many cases this leads to a confidential discussion and disclosure that creates the coaching or professional development relationship that attracts many agents to a firm.

Sometimes a strong relationship is not paramount to the agent, but rather their ability for true independence. In other cases the relationship is key and then must be supported by a strong value proposition. In my experience, in both (or most) cases the ability and willingness of the manager or broker/owner to assist the agent or team in their future growth is always present. When the time is right it is essential to know when to transition from the rapport and trust building, to the integral value proposition. This must be done with a genuine ability to assist the agent in their growth or the growth of the team. Then the agent will see that ability is real and thus they are much closer to a favorable decision. Trust, integrity and passion about value are keys to great recruiting!