Creativity and Consistency…

Two Keys to Success with Estonia’s Kati IsraelTPR KATI

By Julie Escobar

This week we introduce another spotlight broker from around the globe to share her strategies and ideas with our readers – Kati Israel all the way from Estonia.  She brings to us a young, vibrant, and creative take on positioning yourself to be the broker to call in your area.

Here’s what we learned…

Q:  First can You tell our readers a litte about yourself?

A:  Sure, my name is Katrin Israel and I work as a broker owner/agent  in RE/MAX PLUS office in Tallinn, Estonia, which is a small country located in Northern Europe with 1.4 million people. I have worked in real estate business a bit more than 3 years now and I purchased a RE/MAX Franchise together with my two colleagues at the begininng of this year. Before that i was working as an agent. I am thankful for that opportunity and I really enjoy and love my job.

Before I joined RE/MAX family, I worked at Swissotel Tallinn. Swissotel Hotels and Resorts is a deluxe business and leisure hotel chain, and I worked there as an Executive lounge receptionist.

Q:  How important is consistency to your recruiting efforts would you say?

A:  In my opinion if You want to be successful then consistency is definitly the key word. You need to have a plan and you need to follow your plan and activities. Sometimes it might be hard to motivate yourself and follow the plan but if you want to be succesful then that is the thing you need to do. I can say that consistency is one of the most important thing in our job. It does not matter if you are a real estate agent, broker owner or regional owner – you still need it!

Q:  What are you doing to creatively stay top of mind with the agents in your market?

A:  Our office is still very young because we bought the franshise at the end of February this year. Our team is young and very innovative and we try to do things that other offices do not do.  One of the first things we did was to make a movie about our team. The purpose was to show to public how we work and what activities we do together, also to show our strong teamwork and positiive atmosphere in the office. To be a litte bit different we also made a small teaser trailer to that movie just to put a little more fun to it.  During the football World Cup we also did a world cup finals calendar and we shared it with everybody for free. It also included an advertisement about our team and that we were recruiting.

We also had a RE/MAX PLUS sail made for our boat. It has been very popular already. Just recently there was a big sailing competion in Estonia which lasted a whole week and online newsletters took lots of pictures of our sail and it was everywhere in the news. Besides brand marketing it also served another purpose: we are now able to take our best clients and partners on some boat trips with us.  They love it!

A few times in a month we also do  online newsletters for the existing agents. We also had an office bowling night and we asked other agents to join us which was a lot of fun. During the World Cup we organized big gatherings where we could all watch together.

RE/MAX PLUS is also very active on Facebook. When one of our agent closes a deal, we always say something nice to congratulate them and include a picture. In the future we want that if our Facebook fans see the pictures, then they already know that we had a deal  that day.

Q:  What do you feel is a priority component to becoming (and staying) a profitabel recruiter in todays market?

A:  Again, the key word is the consistency! It doesnt matter what you do, but you need to do it consistantly.  Add to that — smile and be positiive and don’t give up! Make a plan and start following it!

Q:  What is your top tip for new recruiters?

A: Everybody knows that it might be very hard in the beginning, but don’t give up! Just keep on doing what you are doing and do it consistently. You need to be active and positive, and that energy  will for sure bring you to the next level! You need to dream big, believe it is possible, believe in yourself and in your team! You have all the opportunities in front of you!

Q:  Great!  If our readers want to connect with you-is there a social media or website url that sorks best?

A:  Everybody can always contact me via Facebook!  I would be really happy to answer to the questions and you can always add me on facebook!

Great stuff Kati! Thanks so much for sharing!  If you want to learn more about becoming a profitable (and CREATIVE) recruiter, contact us today, or visit our Member Benefits page to learn how we can help you get started now! 

How to Position Yourself to Recruit This Fall

Our Webinar-On-Demand

What a great time we had sharing with brokers how to position themselves to recruit the team of their dreams in our Webinar. Great questions.  Incredible insights.  And real-world recruiting strategies for brokers around the globe!  Take a look and let us know if you have any questions.

Want to take advantage of our 10% off registration webinar promotion?  Become a member today and use promo code FALL10 to save 10%.  Want to learn more? Contact us today to learn more!  

Four Words of Advice for Today’s Recruiters

Awesome Insights from Recruiter Carl Vandergoottpr Carl Vandergoot

By Julie Escobar

There is so much to be learned from like-minded colleagues in our industry and it’s just incredible when someone is open to sharing their knowledge with others.  This week, we caught up with a terrific broker and recruiter Carl Vandergoot who gave us his insights for becoming and staying a profitable recruiter in today’s market.

Here’s an excerpt from our interview:

Q:  First, Carl, can you tell our readers a little about yourself and your business? 

A:  I sold real estate for 29 years the last 7 as Broker Owner of RE/MAX Centre City.  I do not sell real estate anymore, just manage and coach our agents. I have sold nearly 1,800 homes in my career, and I use this in our “Coaching with Carl” program, to increase the production of our agents.  We are a team of 105 Realtors — of which 99% are full-time agents.  We have the highest per person production in our city by 50% over our competition.  Our company is agent driven, THEY are our customers.  Both our staff and I are totally dedicated to providing as many tools possible for our agents to do business at a high level.  We provide the highest level of service to our agents by giving them the freedom to sell and not worry about the details.  We have a Virtual Assistant, Pre-Listing Packages and Listing Presentations that we fully customize and prepare for them.  We create Client “pop-by” gifts, Just Listed and Just Sold cards and much more.

Q:  Wow – that’s awesome! What kind of trends and changes are you feeling in the market as a broker and recruiter? 

A:  Market changes would be pressure on lower commissions (That’s why we create the programs we do–to fully arm our agents when going on an appointment.) I believe that there are two types of real estate companies emerging…the Full Service Brokerage which is totally focused on the agent and the companies where the primary feature is a low fee.  Agents who really want to grow their business are looking for a full service Brokerage to help them do more business.  The public is much more educated today and they have tools that never used to be there in the past…primarily the Internet with access to all the data.  Agents today need to sell their services and their negotiating skills more than ever before.

Q:  What would you say are the top practices you use to recruit (and keep) a solid, cohesive team of agents? 

A:  Let them know that you care about them and their customers.  Be innovative with new ideas and technology, and provide more tools and services to make it easier for them.  I have learned that most agents can have a great idea but never implement it…that’s what we do and they love it.

Q:  Do you have a favorite “Judy strategy” that’s worked for you in your recruiting efforts? 

A:  I have many…the best are the “Lumpy Letters”.

Q:  If you had to give one great piece of advice to a new or even experienced recruiter and broker –what would it be? 

A:  That’s easy: PICK UP THE PHONE!

Q:  Great advice Carl!  If our readers want to connect with you – what is the best place to do that?

A: Sure – you can find me through my site:  www.carlvandergoot.com

Thank you so much Carl for sharing your experience and ideas.  We appreciate the opportunity to connect industry leaders from all over the globe who are willing to share what it takes to succeed with less stress in our business!

Want to learn more about becoming and STAYING a PROFITABLE broker?  Bookmark our blog, and join us to tap into a full spectrum of membership benefits with all the tools, strategies and solutions you need to become the turn-to broker in your area for top agents.  Learn more…

 

 

How to Get Positioned to Win This Fall

tpr broker success seriesRecruiting Season is Almost Here – Are YOU Ready?

Join us for the Top Strategies for Recruiting the Team You Want This Fall with Coach Judy LaDeur. Get all the tips and tools you need to position yourself to be the broker to contact when the market picks up and the fall rush is on. You’ll laugh, learn, and more importantly, come away with a to-do list that will set you up for success!
Here’s what you’ll learn: 

  • What is “recruiting” season? And why you can you hire more agents at this time of the year than other times?
  • Why does “recruiting season occur” at the end of August?
  • What can you do to be positioned this year, and every year for recruiting season?
  • What marketing materials are best leading into recruiting season?
  • What marketing materials are best when you are in recruiting season?
  • How can you insure that your agents are not vulnerable to the competition?
  • Why the profitable recruiter features top agents each quarter and why we have them scheduled to occur at the beginning of EACH recruiting season.

Will you be positioned when the NEXT recruiting season begins? It takes 4-6 months to establish a relationship, so start NOW! Register today to learn how!

register

The Power of an Accountability Partner

A Common Denominator for Staying ON-TRACK

By Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

Here’s a big question for you:  Who is holding you accountable to your recruiting program? Do you have a coach, a support person within your organization or someone in your real estate network that you are answering to in terms of staying on track? As I look at many of the most successful recruiters and brokers around the world, the one thing that many of them have in common is “someone who holds them accountable.”

Top agents, top athletes and top brokers will all tell you the value of having that outside person or industry expert hold you accountable weekly.  Coaches hold us accountable to do what it is that we already know we should do, but don’t.  We are all guilty of putting off those tasks which are not quite as much fun. A coach is the person who will keep asking you, week after week, “Did you get (task) completed yet?”  They nudge us in the direction that we have said that we want to go. They listen, and give feedback, then remind you of the goal.  Coaching is not designed to be training.  Training teaches you what to do. Coaching gives you the support needed to stay on track and get it done.  Accountability is not a bad thing, but it can certainly cause you to feel the pressure as that accountability call approaches. Most brokers say that it is the most important piece of their success. Without it, it’s easy to come up with a bunch of creative reasons of why you didn’t get make the calls.  Didn’t set the appointments. Didn’t create the new hit list.  Didn’t do whatever you SAID you were going to do for the week.

Your coach or accountability partner is someone who you respect the opinion of, who you know will tell you truth when you’re on or off track. They are the person you can turn to who can review both successes and failures of each of your interviews. Coaches, especially, can provide you with various ways to overcome objections and stalls. Knowing someone is going to hold you accountable for what you said you are going to do, is a powerful motivator. If what you want is to lead in your market, build the best possible team, and keep the great agents that you already have and you are serious about growing your company then I challenge you to do three things starting sooner rather than later.

  1. Commit to training.  To learning the skills you need to be at the top of your game. To investing the time, money and effort into learning the objection handling tools, the dialogues, scripts, interview and phone skills, and mindset to push past any fear or limitations you might currently feel to truly finish this year strong and set yourself up for an incredible new year.
  2. Commit to consistency.  That one and done marketing approach never works. You would say the same to your agents when they try it, so why would you attempt a shotgun approach to your recruiting?  Consistent, effective, powerful messaging and marketing every month is the key to building those relationships that will lead agents to your door.  If you’re not reaching out to your hit lists week after week with topical, timely content that doesn’t push but does present you as a trusted leader and resource you’re leaving opportunities to recruit and money on the table.
  3. Commit to an accountability partner.  Whether you are ready to hire a coach or know of an industry professional that you can partner with to keep each other on track, don’t head into the new year without putting this vital business component in place.  It’s a game-changer.

Fair warning, it’s not comfortable to be accountable for your actions if you’re not willing to commit. It’s not comfortable to have to say to a coach or partner, “I didn’t do what I said I was going to do.”  It’s not supposed to be. Here’s the flip side of that coin – when you DO what you commit to doing, boy does that feel great. You can’t WAIT for that call.  And once the habit takes hold and you are walking the walk not just talking the talk each month not only will you appreciate those calls that keep you on track, but your office will be thriving and you’ll be sharing this strategy with your agents.  Pretty soon you’ll have integrity partnerships all over your organization!  And when THAT happens – your business and theirs will grow exponentially.  Everyone wins.  What are you waiting for? Start today!

If you’re not sure how to be consistent and what messages and marketing you should be using to connect with your current agents and your prospects each month, then take a good long look at The Profitable Recruiter.  It has been a differentiator for brokers.  Why? Because it’s done for them, takes the guess work out of recruiting and they can put their marketing on auto-pilot and focus on follow up. Systems are powerful because they keep us from getting in our own way!

With your membership you get powerful, content-rich weekly emails to send to your agents and prospects.  It’s the perfect way to stay positioned and top of mind as the broker who cares and is committed to helping them create better lives and careers.  You also get seasonal letters and “lumpy letters” each month which are perfect for sending to your top-tier recruiting prospects. They get opened, get agent attention, and create quite the buzz in your market as agents tell their colleagues, “Did you see what I got from (your name)?”  You also get social media tips each month and weekly broker recruiting and retention plans. The icing on the cake is our training – each month we feature a top broker or industry expert from around the world to discuss what they are doing that is making an impact and allowing them to build their best team.  We also host an agent webinar that features a top agent – you should invite every member of your team to attend as well as your prospective agents.   And lastly, you’ll get seven hours of audio training that cover everything from scripting and dialogues to objection handling and interview skills. 

All of that for just $197 per month. In fact, register today and take 50% off your order with promo code 50OFF any 6-month or annual plan. AND as a special bonus offer, RENEW OR JOIN BEFORE JANUARY 1ST, and you’ll automatically get three months of The Profitable Sales Agent weekly newsletters (January-March) to share with your agents at NO COST. These weekly newsletters are consumer friendly so they are the perfect way for your agents to stay top of mind with their sphere. 

Our members are recruiting both new and experienced agents as well as entire teams using this system.  If you recruiting just ONE, you’d more than pay for the entire system for years!  Give it try.  Got questions? Give us a call at 813-957-2989. 

Happy holidays!