Monthly Archives: June 2014

Are You Following Up With Your Recruits?

Posted on by The Profitable Recruiter

Summer Recruiting Strategiesrecruiting follow up facts

by Real Estate Recruiting Coach and Speaker Judy LaDeur

One of the easiest ways to recruit more agents each year is to follow up with those who say “no” initially. The decision to change offices is a tough one. Sometimes, due to fear of the unknown, the agent will stay put. Have you ever heard that people will stay with something they know, even if it is not good, rather than make a change? The logic is that at least they know what they have. Change requires that they venture into the unknown. However, Brokers who consistently follow up with agents after the interview, say that up to 50% of their hires each year were a results of follow up.

What about the agents who don’t want to get together right now? It’s all about timing, so if it is not the right time for them to get together, your job as the broker is to maintain a non-threatening passive series of contacts until they are ready. When something happens in their life or their office, they will be ready to meet. BUT they will only meet when you have stayed in touch.

When we train recruiters, we always recommend that they go out and interview with the competition before they start their job. It’s a great way to see what others have to offer, and a great way to check out their competition. Recruiters say that it is rare that ANY broker follows up with a note or card! I find that amazing. As a recruiter, I always followed up until I hired them or they went somewhere else. And if they went somewhere else, I still followed up because they might not be happy with the other company.

Register for The Profitable Recruiter today to stay in touch with those agents that you want. The best ones take longer, but they are worth it!

Judy LaDeur
President of Judy LaDeur International
www.TheProfitableRecruiter.com

And Then Some…

Posted on by The Profitable Recruiter

Insights from One of the Top RE/MAX Real Estate Brokers — Stuart ThomasStuart Thomas

By Julie Escobar and The Profitable Recruiter Team

It’s a great day when you can learn from a world-class nice guy and power broker in our business.  I had a chance to do just that with an interview with the incredible Stuart Thomas!  Here’s what he shared:

Q:  Stuart, thank you so much for interviewing with us! We so appreciate it!  First can you tell us a little about you and your business? 

A:  Sure!  Here are the highlights:  I’m a Stanford Graduate.   We earned Office of Year RE/MAX CA-HI 2007.   Broker Owner of the Year RE/MAX CA-HI 2008.   RE/MAX Catalyst Broker 2011-2014.  Chairman of the RE/MAX Advisory Committee to CHOC Children’s Hospital, 2011, 2012, 2013.  Lifetime Achievement Award from CHOC.  We have 5 offices and 75 associates.  I’ve owned RE/MAX Select One since its inception in 2003. And we’ve been a Miracle office for CMN since 2009.

Q: Wow – that’s an impressive roster!  Stuart, our market has certainly seen it’s fair share of changes in recent years.  What do you think is one of the best secrets to longevity and weathering tough markets?

A:  The first way to weather a tough market is to surround yourself with outstanding agents.  Many offices hire anyone and in a hot market, they sell homes.  When the market turns, the associates leave the business and the broker has a model that does not work.  By hiring full time professionals who have a farm, we can weather the storm and these associates get more education such as CDPE and SRF to adapt to the market.  While many companies went under or suffered – we grew during the past 6 years.  I believe that careers are made in a down market.

Q:  Certainly as a broker/owner, you wear a LOT of hats!  What’s your number one priority when it comes to building your business – and your bottom line? 

A:  Hire the right people. My philosophy is, if I have to manage you, I should not have hired you — but I am always here to support you.

Once you have hired them, work based on “And Then Some.”  Give everyone what they require And Then Some.   By hiring full time professionals, I am free to recruit, retain and be available for the team when they need me.  My bottom line does not fluctuate based on the changes in the market.  These associates sell what the market tells them to sell.   REO’s, Short Sales, or Equity Sellers.

Q:  In terms of recruiting — what’s your best advice to other brokers and managers for growing (and keeping) a solid team? 

A:  Lister’s Last.  Look for great listing agents.  No matter if it’s a seller’s market or a buyer’s market, listing agents control at least half the transaction.  The RE/MAX model rewards listing agents so take advantage of it.  We don’t have an Up Desk because we want the listing agents to get the buyer calls.  That is different from the traditional offices who want the higher split from new agents.  That’s good for the broker, but bad for the listing agent.  My advice?  Stick to your core beliefs and the model that RE/MAX has been using for 41 years.  It works.

Fantastic information! Thanks so much Stuart for your time and insights!  If you want to connect with Stuart – find him here on his company Facebook page! If you would like to learn more about adding some “And Then Some” magic to your organization, subscribe today to a theprofitablerecruiter.com membership!  Affordable, easy-to-implement real estate recruiting and retention solutions and strategies, all in one place, delivered up to you monthly.  Learn more today!