Stack your dream team

How to step up your real estate agent recruiting to secure the best talent.

When it comes to finding the most successful real estate agents for your brokerage, how do you go about building your dream team? It’s a question that pops up, again and again. Agent recruitment is an essential element to focus on for your brokerage’s success, yet many of us struggle to find the time and resources to do it right.

So, here are ideas to help you plan your approach for finding all-star real estate agent recruits for your team.

Factor in the timing. While recruiting is always top of mind, you can tap into specific moments throughout the year to “double down” on your efforts. For example, winter. End of year is a time when we typically become more reflective and start thinking about the opportunities ahead in the next year. It may also be a time when many independent contractor agreements are expiring. Take advantage of these moments to connect with your future talent.

Think about fit. The key to real estate agent recruiting success is to find the right candidates to join your brokerage. The operative word in dream team is team. You’re building a community that can work toward a common goal, both in the short-term and long-term. But to know if a recruit will fit, you have to first know who you are—your mission, purpose, company culture, and so on.

To think more about fit, consider these questions:

• What are your immediate and future goals and objectives for the overall business?
• What gaps are you trying to fill that the other members of your team don’t bring to the table?
• What kind of balance do you want for your team’s overall make-up?

  • New agents may impact your profitability because they typically take a lower split of the sale; they can also bring an open-minded, “clean slate” perspective to the team.
  • Experienced agents can hit the ground running and may already have a solid customer base to draw from; they can also provide mentorship to new agents.
• Are you a boutique brokerage where you and your agents wear many hats? (Not everyone will find this appealing.)
• Are you an affiliated brokerage, where the power and resources of a national brand support your business? (Many agents will want the level of support and assurance that a franchise can bring.)

When booking appointments with new agent recruits, keep the focus on quality over quantity. Finding the right fit should be a methodical selection process, not a “the more the merrier” approach.

Develop a recruiting script. Think of a recruiting script as a dialogue cheat-sheet to help you define who you are and who you’re not. A script can guide you with talking points and help you shape the initial conversation with potential recruits.

Most seasoned, experienced agents will know what they’re looking for and what to ask when considering your brokerage as the place to hang their license, so your script for them would be very specific. Conversely, if you’re looking to attract agents who are new to the business or still learning their craft, know that they might be looking for different things.

Make sure your scripts honor your audience. These sample recruiting scripts offer some guidance.

Step up your leadership style. The success of agent recruitment starts at the top. That’s you. Being a strong leader is paramount when drawing in new talent. Remember these points:

• Be purposeful in what you communicate to your recruits. Paint an authentic picture of why the grass will be greener with you.
• Let them know about how you will invest in them.
• Talk about the steps you take to continue your team’s education and learning. Tell them why these things matter to you.
• Share how you empower the team as individuals and as a community. Even a veteran superstar will appreciate opportunities for growth.
• Share the brokerage perks, such as holiday parties or weekly traditions.
• Lean on the agents you already have to be ambassadors of you and your brokerage.
• Be upfront and honest about compensation.

Look to yourself to shape your brokerage’s culture and take steps to find—and keep—the agents you work so hard to vet, happy. This kind of leadership can help avoid a revolving door, which costs time and money. Retention is so important. 

Step up your offerings. There are many ways to build agent retention in your brokerage. But remember, if you don’t plan on investing in agents in some way, you’re going to have a hard time recruiting talented agents and retaining the ones you have. It may be time to step up your offerings.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the median time for a REALTOR^® to remain at an agency is 5 years.

At Weichert, we make agent recruitment a priority so our affiliates can recruit with confidence. As part of a comprehensive agent recruitment strategy, Weichert affiliates can access:

• Presentation decks for hosting career events, as well as speaking with experienced agents and scripting a unique value proposition.
• Social media recruitment support to attract prospects where they spend time.
• Sell sheets, flyers, brochures, videos, and agent sample packages.
• Best practices, strategies, and agent recruitment resources, including interview scripts and prospecting tools.
• Tools and technologies that attract highly motivated agents, such as brand marketing assets and lead generation tools.
• A full training program for new agents to get them up and running quickly.

Agent recruitment is critical to your business plan. While some level of attrition may be unavoidable, a solid recruitment strategy can minimize the impact of these losses, help you recover quickly, and ensure that your best agents have every reason to stay.

Learn more about how an affiliation with Weichert can support you in securing your dream team.