Three Key Priorities for Today’s Recruiters

Posted on June 9, 2015February 5, 2016 by The Profitable Recruiter

An Interview with Power-Broker Michael Coburn

By Julie Escobar

Recruiting is such an intensely hot topic right now, and there’s nothing else quite like learning what other brokers are doing RIGHT to stand out from their competitors and grow their businesses. We caught up with a dynamite broker and recruiter Michael Coburn and asked him to share his insights. Here’s what we learned:

Q: Thanks Michael for your time and willingness to share! First, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

A: My name is Michael Coburn I am the Broker Owner of RE/MAX Town & Country in Allen, Texas. I have been licensed for 26 years and hold the CRS, GRI, ABR, e-PRO, RFC & CDPE designations. I am married to Debra Coburn who is Co-Owner of RE/MAX Town & Country and is also the Manager, and we have owned the franchise since 2005.

Q: It’s been quite the bumpy road for a lot of brokers over the last few years. What do you think is the key to not only sustainability, but thriving during challenging times?

A: The key is Three Priorities; Recruit, Retain and Develop. We have all heard it before but it’s that simple… You need to do what you love and love what you do, my wife and I absolutely love what we do and that come across to the agents.

Q: Do you believe brokers should have a strategic business and recruiting plan and if so, how often should they review it?

A: Absolutely! You MUST have a Business plan and the Recruiting plan should be a BIG part of it. This should be reviewed at least weekly, if not daily. You need to start with a Mission, Vision, Values and Beliefs and everyone in the company should know your office Mission. Our Mission is: “To help our real estate professionals become and remain intentional & proactive… so they can create the time and money needed to achieve their personal missions in life.”

Q: Great mission statement! Do you have any favorite strategies when it comes to recruiting new agents to your team?

A: The reason agents join your office is simple…it’s because of YOU! You must be the one that gives them a vision and leads them through the bad markets as well as the good markets. One of the ways that we do this is our value proposition and our value proposition revolves around five components: Culture, Development, Technology, Staff & Brand. The BEST thing to do first is develop a Complete Agent Development Program, our program is built around high level business consulting, consistent training and accountability. Then make calls to agents daily, daily, daily, yes that’s right I said daily, and invite them to a conversation to see if there is the opportunity of a win-win relationship by them joining our office.

Also once you’re walking the walk and delivering on your value proposition, your agents are the BEST source of recruit leads, because they LOVE YOU and they will pre-sell you all over town. And when you bring agents into the office that they don’t know, they love to talk you up, it’s GREAT!

Q: Love it! Finally, do you have any best advice for new or even experienced brokers and recruiters in today’s competitive market?

A: Yes, sell your office and JOIN ME! (Just kidding-kind of!) Make a plan to recruit and stick to it. Hire a recruiter or a director of development. It’s either you are going to be a good trainer or a good recruiter, you can’t do both and you definitely can’t do both, plus handle agent services and solutions and then on top of that try to sell real estate! That’s just NOT realistic.

The hardest thing to do is let go of selling and commit to building your company FULL TIME, but never look at cost always look at return! And lastly, be CONSISTENT. I tell my agents this too. You can’t do anything once. Momentum doesn’t happen by accident – and it doesn’t stay by accident.

My advice is to follow Judy LaDeur’s lead and system. She gives you an outline, a plan and a guide for WHAT to do. When I started doing THAT? THAT’S when SUCCESS happened.

Michael, what a pleasure working with you on this project. You’re awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with our readers!

If you’d like to connect with Michael you can visit his website here or connect with him on Facebook!

Ready to dial up your recruiting, and position yourself to attract the agents you want sooner rather than later, join top brokers from around the nation who are members of www.TheProfitableRecruiter.com. You’ll get all the tools you need each month to position yourself as the broker to join when agents are ready to make a move. Fine tuning your skills this season? All pro members get access to over SEVEN hours of training via downloadable links including interview skills, scripts, objection handlers, and more. PLUS, you’ll have access to entire libraries of recruiting letters and notes, emails, social media content, training webinars for recruiting and retention, and opportunities to network with the best of the best.

Join today and take advantage of our special offer of 25% off with the promo code 25OFF any pro membership. That’s 25% off everything you need to be in the right place at the right time when the agents you want are ready to make a move!

What to Do BEFORE Recruiting Season Starts

Posted on May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 by The Profitable Recruiter

Fine Tune Those Interview Skills

By Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

Recruiting season is right around the bend – which mean NOW is the time to fine tune those interview skills. Use the summer to stay in touch with your recruits, and to turn up the heat on your recruiting skills by practicing. While it might not feel natural at first – I challenge you to stick as close to the interview process as possible.

Here is an overview of the interview process:

The set up: This is the time to tell them the goals and agenda for the meeting. Set up the interview by sharing your goals and agenda. Let them know that your job is to give them the information that they need that day to make the best decision for their real estate career, and to better have a feel of whether your company is the right choice for them. You should know if the agent is an emotional decision maker or a logical decision maker within the first 5-10 minutes. You need to mirror your candidate for optimal results. Maintain a businesslike manner for logical agents and a friendly, warm manner for emotional agents.

The questions: The questions are the foundation of your interview. If a broker/recruiter cannot master this component, their presentation will be weak, or even worse, they will find themselves “buying agents through making deals” if they cannot hire on value. Surface questions will not give you what you want to know. They just skim the surface. You must really dig deep and find out what is happening in their professional life, what they have now, how do they feel about what they have, and what do they want. Why, When and Why are how most of your questions should start. You can also say, “Tell me more about that” or “when you say

, what do you mean?”

The goal of asking questions for the new or struggling agent:

Do you want them? Will they make it? What are their past accomplishments? Sales experience? What is their behavior style? What have they been doing to build their career up until now? Number of people in their data base? Number of calls they make daily? Farming? FSBO? Expireds? What are they willing to do to have a successful career? Number of hours they plan to work to achieve goals?

The goal of asking questions for the experienced agent interview:

What do they like where they are? What do they dislike? What is the point of difference between your company and their company? What are their long term goals? Can they achieve them at their current company? What are their expectations of you as their broker? What are they doing to generate business now? What tools would best support them to take their career to the next level?

At the end of the questions, you should know which systems you will present and what it’s going to take to hire them. If you don’t know these things, then you either need to ask more questions or better questions.

The prospect that can be most challenging at this stage is the driver. If you are interviewing the driver, keep the questions moving fast, and be very direct. Otherwise, they will start asking you questions and you will lose control of the interview. If you lose control of the interview in the questioning process with a driver, it’s because it’s moving too slow or they are frustrated with the interview and you are not staying on task. This can be a very tough position for any manager or recruiter, but when you find yourself in that position, first realize how you got there and next, regain control as fast as possible. You can listen to the CD’s if you need additional support with regard to asking questions.

Please remember that the purpose of asking questions is to identify the right systems to present to the agent. They usually only need about 5 systems to meet their needs.

The Presentation:

The area that I would like for you each of you to really practice and develop is the 3-step presentation process and the ROI or value close. Failing to present each system in a way that shows value, is the #1 reason that the agent will not join. With regard to presentation skills, please remember that you don’t need to present everything about your company, but you should have visuals and info on everything that is unique about your company and be ready for each interview. What sets you apart and gives you a point of difference? Not only for experienced agents, but for new as well. It can be on a laptop, folders, whatever, as long as it is easy for you to use and it is going to demonstrate what makes your office unique and the results that can occur when they join your team.

This is your 3-step presentation process.

Recap what they said in the questioning process.
Present the tool or system using a visual
Present the results using results from agents at your office or survey results from an organization such as NAR.

Each tool gets presented the same way with the three step process. Then after the presentation, please go back and ask them to give you their opinion as to how many more transactions they can have with each tool. Please remember that they need you to give them results, in order for them to calculate value.

You can then close on the value of joining, which means that you do not have to worry about fees. When you follow the process above, you will see that they can give you the value as perceived and believed by them. It will definitely make recruiting easier.

The RECAP = your ROI

The ROI = your Value Proposition

If you are not using the 3-step process above, and sharing results with your recruit, you will not be able to value close them. After presenting each of your systems, you will recap, which is when you build value.

Dialog to start the recap:

“Let’s review what we have discovered. There were 5 different areas of your real estate career that YOU felt could use some improvement. You said that you definitely need:

More leads
More marketing support
Personalized coaching and broker support
Better tools to compete for listings
More market presence or a strong name in the community.

Is there anything that I missed? Let’s look at each tool/ system and determine what the value is to your career.

With regard to Leads: You said……. As you recall, our agents receive an average of

per year, with most converting 25% of those leads within 6 months. If we gave you the same number of leads each year, how many could you convert?

REPEAT THIS PROCESS FOR EACH TOOL OR SYSTEM WHICH WAS DISCUSSED.

Total all the opportunities and use this dialog:

“If we total up all the opportunities that you believe you could have with our office, the number is

additional sales and or listings sold. If we multiply that number by the average commission received, which is $

__, it looks like you could have an additional $

in income with our company. How does that sound?

More importantly, these are opportunities that do not exist at your current company, so currently, you do not have the opportunity to earn this money at your current firm. You will need to join our team to have these opportunities. When you came in today, I told you that my goal was to give you the information that you needed to make the best decision for your real estate career TODAY. Based on what you are looking at, does it look like a good time to join (your company)? I agree, so let’s take a look at the various compensation plans and determine which one is best for you!

This is called: Closing on VALUE. When you get their commitment, before talking about compensation plans, it’s a lot easier to hire them.

THE CLOSE: You must ask them to join. I like the handshake close. Those who have tried it have found it works great. There are a few people who are shy about trying it. This summer is a great time to master the official Judy LaDeur Hand Shake close.

Stalls and Objections: If you need help handling stalls and objections, please listen to your CD’s. I have all the solutions recorded. Here’s what others have found. When you follow the interview process, as described above, you will have fewer stalls and objections. Have a great summer!

Need help turning up the heat on your recruiting? We’ve got the answers. Join The Profitable Recruiter and gain access to 7 hours of training via downloadable links including interview skills, scripts, objection handlers, and more. PLUS, you’ll have access to entire libraries of recruiting letters and notes, emails, social media content, training webinars for recruiting and retention, and opportunities to network with the best of the best. Join today and take advantage of our special spring offer of 25% off with the promo code 25OFF any pro membership.

Are You Following Up With Co-Broking Agents?

Posted on April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 by The Profitable Recruiter

If Not, WHY Not?

by Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

A great way to build relationships with agents is to take advantage of the opportunities to work with those agents who sell your company listings of whose listings you sell. You not only have a 60-day window to work with them on those sales, but you can also use the fact that they sold your listing to invite them to social events, educational events or extend recognition to those agents.

Here are some examples:

Invite them to an event. When agents think they have earned the right to be at the event, they are more likely to attend, than if they thought they were being recruited. You can send out an invite followed up with a phone call which says: Because you have sold one of our listings this year we would like to invite you to be our guest at…
Thank them. You should always call those that your agents are working with and thank them for selling your listings, or the great way in which they always handle the transaction. After closing, send a note to the homes of the ones you want to interview, or if you know the spouse, send it to the spouse.
Ask around. Ask your agents about who they are working with and what the experience has been. Those are great conversations to have with your current agents,and shows you care about how their transactions are going, and your agents are your best source of referrals. They know who would be a good fit for your team and who wouldn’t. Ask if there was one agent out there who you’ve had a great experience with — a ten on a scale of one to ten — who would it be and why. Then call those agents up and share that compliment. Let them know you’re impressed and you’ve got an open door if they ever think about making a move.
Befriend those agents on social media. Use your social media platforms to be top-of-mind with your co-broking agents so they can get to know you over time.
Write a recommendation for them on LinkedIN. Everyone can use kudos – especially when they are well warranted. Writing a recommendation is a great way to let those agents know they are doing a great job and that you noticed, and for the clients and friends in THEIR sphere to hear see those glowing words about them as well.

The possibilities are endless, but definitely be sure to incorporate these ideas into your spring recruiting efforts.

Recruiting is all about staying in touch. Staying positioned. And communicating. We have the systems that can help you do all of that and more. Become a member of The Profitable Recruiter today, and put the power of done-for-you content and tools that make recruiting experienced and new agents easier, less time-consuming, and even fun. Register today and use the promo code 25OFF to save 25% on any pro membership. To access more than SEVEN HOURS worth of my recruiting Audio downloads, register for either the 6 month or annual memberships. Got questions? Email us! We’d love to help! Make it a great spring season!

Hiring Second Year Agents

Posted on March 12, 2015 by The Profitable Recruiter

A Smart Spring Recruiting Strategy

by Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

Are you looking to get a jump start on your recruiting? Then call the agents who are most likely to move. Statistics show that most agents who go on to become top producers, will make a move 12-24 months into their real estate career. Why? Most agents do not know what to look for when they are starting their career. They are excited that so many brokers are offering them positions. They might pick the one who they like the best, or the one who makes them the best offer. But not all brokers carry through on their promises, and what agents find out really fast, is that there are some really important criteria that determine how successful they can be as an agent. What is the strength of the name of the broker in their area, what are their listing tools which will allow them to compete for listings, what is the commitment of the other agents in the company to be successful and to work together as a team? The best agents figure out that when they have the right tools, environment and systems, it’s much easier to have a successful career. It’s for that reason, that many agents will make a move soon after they finish their first year in real estate. Check with your board or state to see if you can get a list of all agents who started their real estate career since January 2014. These agents are the most likely to make a move, and the best news is that statistically speaking, they will stay with you an average of seven years if they are happy. Maybe even longer!

Here’s a great recruiting letter you can customize and send to these potential recruits:

Letterhead

Dear (First Name),

Our records indicate that you are fairly new to the business. How is your real estate career progressing?

Did you know that a NAR survey of top producers indicated that approximately 87% of all agents surveyed made their first move 12-24 months after getting into real estate? Have you made your first move?

If yes, then statistically speaking, you’re on your way to becoming a top producer. Most agents who go on to become top producers will make another move at some point in their real estate career, so we would like to give you some info about (your company name) now so that when that time comes, you will know enough about us to know if we are a good option for you.

If you have not made a move, are you making the kind of money that you thought you would make when you got into the real estate business? What type of personalized coaching, mentoring and training have you received?

If you knew that you could take your career to the next level and make the kind of money that you hoped you could make by making a move to (your company name) would you make the move?

Let’s get together and see if you can!

Warm regards,

Your Name, Title

This is just one of many recruiting letters, scripts, tools, newsletters, training and special offers you’ll find in The Profitable Recruiter Systems. Each month our members receive 4-5 weekly newsletters, broker challenges and step-by-step action items, 2-3 recruiting letters, 2-3 lumpy letters, social media posts and strategies, 1-3 retention tools, 1-3 new scripts, a powerful training webinar with top talented brokers, agents, and coaches and more. We deliver all the tools you need to grow the business and agent team you really want.

And for a very limited time ONLY, I am offering my Profitable Recruiter Audio Training System (a $297 value) to every broker who registers for a six month or one year pro membership to The Profitable Recruiter. In this audio training package, you’ll have more than SEVEN HOURS of recruiting tools, scripts, dialogues, role-playing, and foundation builders.

Register today for the six-month or one-year Profitable Recruiter pro memberships and we’ll send you the link and password information to start listening to Judy’s incredible training tools right away.

Got questions? Email us for answers! Good luck and happy Recruiting!

Play Ball!

Posted on March 5, 2015 by The Profitable Recruiter

Having a Little Fun With Your Recruiting!

by Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur

Spring is right around the corner and baseball season with it — why not have a little fun this month with your recruiting calls with a playful, but effective little dialogue I like to call, “Play Ball”.

Here’s how it works. Head to your local sporting goods store and purchase enough baseballs to send to your top recruiting prospects – the ones you REALLY want. Then have your team members sign them. Then send them out! Wait a few days, then give them call!

Here’s the dialogue:

Good Morning…How are you today?

Did you receive the baseball that we delivered to your home? Well, it is that time of year again! In the spirit of a new baseball season, we played a game of our own in the office. Just as the best teams are always out scouting for new talent, we do the same here at

. I walked around the office and asked each of my associates to name two players they wanted most to have join our team. I’m delighted to tell you that your name came up several times!
As a matter of fact, your name came up so often that I went to the sporting goods store, purchased a baseball and asked the members of our team to sign it for you. It is our way of inviting you to check out our team.

My thought is that if such a large number of my best players want you to join, it might be worth it for us to sit down and share our game plans to see if there is a way that we can work together in the near future. I promise there will be no obligation and no pressure. However, If you like what you hear, let’s play ball! So, how does 3:00 today sound for you?

Recruiting doesn’t have to be boring. Or stress-inducing. Have some FUN with it! We can help!

For a very limited time ONLY, Judy has offered to release her Profitable Recruiter Audio Training System (a $297 value) to every broker who registers for a six month or one year pro membership to The Profitable Recruiter. In this audio training package, you’ll have more than SEVEN HOURS of recruiting tools, scripts, dialogues, role-playing, and foundation builders. In her Profitable Recruiter Membership Platform you’ll have weekly eNewsletters, recruiting letters, lumpy letters, retention tools, social media tools, a full library of webinars on demand (for you and your agents), and new scripts monthly as well. This power-packed duo of recruiting tools is literally everything you need to recruit the team of your dreams, but this offer won’t be on the table for long.

Got questions? Email us for answers! Good luck and happy Recruiting!

Using Bomb Bomb Videos in Recruiting

Posted on February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 by The Profitable Recruiter

We’re thrilled to share our recent Master Recruiting Call with special guest Kim Rogne. Kim shares her experience using Bomb Bomb Video emails to significantly increase here recruiting results!

Kim is a full time recruiter and has been using this system to consistently stay in touch with here prospects. Listen in!

Have you used Bomb Bomb?

If you want to try it – check out their free trial here!

We’d love to hear from you!

Start Your New Year Collaborating With the Best

Posted on December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 by The Profitable Recruiter

Join industry expert Judy LaDeur for 3 exciting, career-transforming days of training in Tampa, Florida, January 19^th – 21^st 2015 for the 2015 Recruiting Symposium.

Today’s market is constantly changing and shifting, and you need to shift and change with the market to stay on top! Brokers from all across North America will be coming together to share, network, and collaborate on what is working and what is NOT! What are the “secret keys” or the right tools to let you easily hire the agents that you want to hire in 2015? Register now and join us in sunny Tampa, FL January 19^th – 21^st at The Tampa Marriott. It’s the perfect way to start the New Year! Take advantage of the Early bird savings of $300 per person by registering today (good through December 12^th)!

The real estate market is rebounding everywhere, which means recruiting today is easier than it has been in many years! Here are some stats from the 2014 NAR member Profile:

In 2013, the typical agent had 12 transactions—the same as in 2012, but higher than the 10 transactions typically had in 2011.
Forty-six percent of residential brokerage specialists had a transaction involving a foreclosure and 42 percent had a transaction involving a short sale. Both types of transactions decreased from 2012.
The typical agent had a sales volume of $1.8 million in 2013, up from $1.5 million in 2012.
The median gross income of REALTORS® was $47,700 in 2013, up from $43,500 in 2012.

How can you use this info in your recruiting? How do your agents compare to the average agent? What are you doing to attract agents who need to increase their income?

The average income for a real estate agent is just $47,700, however the panelist at the 2015 Recruiting Symposium will share what they are doing to break through those barriers, and how you can too! Join us for three information packed days of training, networking, and sharing. Register here NOW. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD to save more than $300! Each attendee will receive over $3,000 in tools, resources and follow up to make 2015 your BEST YEAR EVER in recruiting!

How STRONG Is Your FOUNDATION?

Posted on October 23, 2014 by The Profitable Recruiter

3 Principles for Success

by Real Estate Coach and Speaker Judy LaDeur

As Realtors, most of you are familiar with a company called Ram Jack. Ram Jack® is the national foundation repair specialist based upon two simple principles for success: doing the job right and doing right by you.

How is your office foundation? If you are not sure, look at the rate of retention in your office. In today’s market, are you coaching and supporting the associates you have or are they leaving for various reasons?

I would like to encourage you to practice three fundamental practices which will enable you to strengthen your foundation by using the A.C.C. process.

A Accountability. Be accountable to your existing associates by providing the tools, services and support they need. Security is a key element of retention. Are you holding your agents accountable to do the activities that they should be engaged in on a daily basis? Are you holding them accountable to do those things to insure they succeed?

C Coaching. Coaching is a power word for today’s professional. 68% of successful REALTORs have less than 5 years experience and are unsure what to do next. Don’t over estimate their knowledge of basic fundamental practices such as prospecting, negotiation and time management. Coach them to success or refer them to a successful coaching program. One additional alternative would be to hire a coach personally. One with experience in retention of real estate associates and learn the keys to holding them in place.

C Communication. Communicate clearly, concisely, and as transparently as possible. Agents are bombarded with negative information every day. Let the info from you be positive, inspiring and encouraging. Be honest, compassionate and sincere but also give them the info they need to stay on track.

The most efficient way to recruit is to retain the agents that you have. To secure your foundation and become the “Ram Jack” of our industry, solidify and cement your foundation by practicing ACC.

If you’re ready to give your team or organization a truly solid foundation — put systems in place that position you to build the team you really want, or learn more strategies for working smarter, not harder, bookmark our blog, and join The Profitable Recruiter today. We have a full spectrum of membership benefits with all the tools, strategies and solutions you need to position yourself to win this year and every year. Our goal is for you to become the “turn-to” broker in your area for every agent.

Getting the 4-1-1 for Effective Recruiting

Posted on September 15, 2014 by The Profitable Recruiter

Insights and Solutions from Top Broker Nick Libert

As we head into the fourth quarter, we wanted to learn some insights on some of the SYSTEMS brokers put in place to help them stay ON TRACK for the long haul, even when days get busy and life gets hectic. We got some wonderful ideas from top broker Nick Libert last week who was kind enough to share his thoughts, experience, and what’s working for his organization!

Here’s what we learned:

Q: First, thank you for participating! Can you tell our readers a little about yourself so they get to know you and your business!

A: Sure! I have been in the business 16 years, 13 of those as a broker/owner. My business is downtown Chicago and all suburbs of Chicago. I started in the business at Coldwell Banker, and after 3 years as a top producer left to start my own company. In 2005, I was bought out by Keller Williams and took over as managing broker of one of their offices in downtown Chicago, growing it from 30 agents to over 140. In 2008, I took the leap to Exit Realty.

At Exit, I first came on board as an agent to ensure I liked it before I bought a franchise. After a year and a half, in October 2009, I purchased my franchise. We started with 8 agents, and today have over 115. Our next step is to begin servicing NW Indiana as well as our current domain in Northern Illinois.

We are the largest and most productive franchise of Exit in Illinois, and I still maintain a healthy sales volume personally, being the #1 agent for Exit Realty in Illinois for 2014.

Q: Brokers and recruiters juggle many hats each week — can you tell us how you prioritize your activity and a tip for our readers on how to best manage their time (especially during a busy recruiting season)?

A: I time block my days from start to finish–I wake up at 6 am most weekday mornings and get my “big rocks” out of the way…my workout puts me in the right mood, and then it’s my social media, prospecting, and appointment setting for agent interviews.

I use a 4-1-1 Goal Setting and Accountability flowchart to ensure I am on track for my weekly, monthly, and yearly goals–I share this with my agents so they know what I am up to and so that I can lead by example.

I get our monthly training calendar done in advance, so I can plan my daily recruiting appointments around that. I use google calendar to share with my staff so they can assist in my scheduling. I have a recruiter who does much of my heavy lifting in terms of appointment setting, so that I can spend more time in the actual interviews themselves. Finally, I ensure that I spend time weekly offering 1 on 1 coaching for my agents, so they feel connected even if it’s been a hectic week overall.

Q: How do you help your agents get on track and stay there so they are more likely to hit their goals?

I encourage my agents to use the 4-1-1, a time-blocked calendar, and a business plan outline and require it for their coaching sessions to be the most effective. I also send out their production to them monthly breaking down income, listings and sales for the month and YTD.

Q: How much training and coaching do you provide to your agents and how important do you feel that is to your recruiting efforts?

A: Training and coaching are vital to creating a healthy ‘ecosystem’ within an office. A beautiful office space with no culture or support is dead space–the agents must feel like the broker is there to help them build their business, not take from them. We have a monthly training calendar packed with events, along with 1 on 1 opportunities to coach with me. We also ask our top agents to train and share.

Q: What do you think sets you apart in your market in terms of positioning yourself as the turn-to broker for those agents who are looking to make a move?

A: First off, experience. Agents know I have been in the industry as a top producer for many years, and in diverse parts of the market. If I don’t have the answer, I can find a resource quickly. Secondly, accessibility. I pride myself on having an open door and an open phone line–in particular, my smart phone is on me 24/7 and my agents know I am there for them. Finally, the Exit formula allows for splits above 100% through the power of residual income–a true 3rd income stream beyond listings and sales. I believe that gives us an advantage.

Q: If you had one piece of FAVORITE advice you could give a fellow recruiter – what would it be?

A: Your goal should not be to recruit, but build a vision so that from day one you are actually RETAINING. Encourage agents to help the company grow, and it becomes a family. Empower their business!

Q: If our readers would like to connect with you – do you have a url or social media address where they can find you?

A: Absolutely! I’m active on all social media @NickLibert

Awesome stuff Nick – thanks SO much for sharing your vision, insights, and ideas with our readers!

Do you want to learn more about staying FOCUSED and building a successful, growing office? Bookmark our blog, and join The Profitable Recruiter today. We have a full spectrum of membership benefits with all the tools, strategies and solutions you need to position yourself to win this year and every year. Our goal is for you to become the “turn-to” broker in your area for every agent.

Two Pieces of Advice

Posted on September 6, 2014 by The Profitable Recruiter

For Recruiting in Today’s Market

By Julie Escobar

I’ll bet some of you didn’t know that WAY back in the day, Judy LaDeur and Floyd Wickman worked together bring smart tools to agents and brokers alike. When looking for some dynamite ideas to share with today’s recruiters, I came across two amazing pieces of LEADERSHIP advice from these two real estate rock stars!

Floyd Wickman: My best advice for management today? Start with accountability. If there’s ever been a time to raise standards, it’s now. If there’s ever been a time when an owner should say, “In order to work on our team, in our family, we have basic requirements,” it’s now. I’m reminded of a broker who once said, “My people wouldn’t live up to my standards, so I lowered them.” That’s the opposite of what needs to be done.

Second, insist that your people do the basics. Any broker who does a quick analysis of his or her agents by asking, “How many prospective buyers, sellers or lookers have you been face-to-face with in the past two weeks?” will likely be shocked at the answer. Agents say they’re hungry, but are they doing what they need to do to move ahead? The solution is to get face-to-face with their customers. So many are face-to-face with the mirror, each other and their families right now—but the real answer is to see the people and get out there with customers.

Next, work as a team. “Teamwork makes the dream work,” as they say. It creates synergy, and if there was ever a time when we needed synergy, it’s now. I’m on a quest to show brokers how to convert their office of individuals into ONE TEAM. We’re seeing some pretty powerful results because of it, so we know that it works.

Judy LaDeur: It all starts at the top. Your agents will follow your example, so find something positive to feed them each week. Show the productive ones that they are in the top 10% of agents nationwide, or whatever the correct number would be for your staff. Right now, 80% of agents are doing very little or no business, which means that the productive ones are among the top percentile of agents in the nation. Be forward thinking — and forward acting — to ensure that your team knows that you are there – and that you care. Give them the training and the tools to consistently rise to that top percentile. Motivate them weekly to aspire to greatness. Create a great press release for agents to share, or a recommendation letter they can send to their sphere of influence. Acknowledge the great producers and the consistent producers on your social media platforms. Give them a recommendation on LinkedIn. Invite them to lunch to say thank you. Bottom line: If your agents are discouraged and worried, take a look in the mirror, do a check-up from the neck up, and see if there is something that you could be doing to change the attitude and motivation in your office.

Thanks to you both for the incredible food for thought! Do you want to learn more about managing change and maintaining a successful, growing office? Bookmark our blog, and join The Profitable Recruiter today. We have a full spectrum of membership benefits with all the tools, strategies and solutions you need to position yourself to win this year and every year. Our goal is for you to become the “turn-to” broker in your area for every agent.