What Makes You DIFFERENT?
by Real Estate Recruiting Coach Judy LaDeur
The most important asset within your company is the people. Attracting the right people means attracting those aligned with your values and vision. This gives you an opportunity to create a flourishing environment that translates into an improved bottom line.
Putting a strong team in place will require you to answer a few tough questions first. You must be able to share details about your company in “what’s in it for them” terms. Explain how a move would benefit them both personally and professionally. Because let’s face it, switching companies is a very scary decision for most people. Diffuse fears by accurately and effectively sharing the “WHY” that sets you apart from your competition. What does this look like?
You must clearly define:
- What you do better than your competitors
- What you are doing that your competitors are not
- How you can help potential recruits earn more money through your systems and tools
- How you enhance the working environment of your agents
- What real results other members of your team have seen since making a move
Once you answer those questions, the next step is spelling out the reasons any agent would want to join your team. In my training, I ask each broker to come up with their 12 most compelling reasons. Unfortunately, twelve reasons can be difficult for a lot of brokers. For that reason, we have created a blueprint that you can follow to begin crafting your own list.
12 Compelling Reasons Recruits Will Say YES to Joining Your Company
# 1: Strong Leadership: Vision, support for problem-solving, and leaders who are acting like leaders. Take it one step further and determine what specific value you and your expertise bring to your team.
#2: Lead Generation: Agents need to prospect, but they want companies that are working to generate leads for them as well. There are lead generation companies out there that are charging agents up to $1000 a month for leads and believe it or not, agents are paying. Why? Because agents want those internet leads, or any leads that the company can provide. What are you willing to provide?
#3: Name Brand Awareness: Companies with a strong presence in the market, locally and nationally, are doing well with their recruiting efforts. Name awareness is tied to market share. The best agents understand that the stronger the name/market share, the easier it is to compete for business.
#4: Education/ training: Agents are looking to fine-tune their skills. Many agents know they need to get back to the basics and most realize the value of staying current in an ever-changing real estate industry. The best agents also understand the value of securing specialized training or securing certain designations for areas of specialization. Such areas might include: Luxury market training, working with seniors, working the condo market, working with various ethnic groups which are moving into the country, and working the short sale and foreclosure market.
#5: Positive office attitude and healthy environment in the office: Agents want a positive work environment with competent and positive peers. It is easy for me to see that the offices with the best production and best attitude have brokers with a great attitude. Those same brokers spent the last 5 years getting rid of their dead weight and many are more profitable today than they have been in years!
#6: Mastermind Groups and networking opportunities with other top producers: Many of the best agents enjoy connecting with the other successful agents. Their needs and approach to the real estate business is different from those just getting started, so why not give them the opportunity to grow and play together? Agents who work hard, play hard and spend time together are more likely to stay together.
#7: Marketing support/tools: Marketing is the #1 thing that agents need to stay in touch with their sphere and past customers. What can you do to assist or support their marketing efforts?
#8: Client/ data management tools: Many agents struggle when it comes to managing their data and client info. Do you have an easy-to-use customer relationship management tool that allows them to input their data, send out marketing, and locate client data quickly?
#9: Coaching and accountability: We see many companies implementing very successful coaching programs, with some great results. If the company does not provide coaching, the agents might hire outside the organization. The cost can range from $500 -$1000. What that tells me is this: if they want it and it has value to them, they will pay for it! Your agents need accountability and sometimes a third party is the best way to keep them on track and accountable. Your best option is to coach them yourself or have someone else in-house that can effectively coach them. If this isn’t possible, seek out a good coach and work out an agreement with them to coach those agents who want it.
#10: Administrative support: Agents are working harder, but most are not working smarter. What can you do to support them behind the scenes? What can you take off their plate to give them more balance in their life and work?
#11: Proven results with proven systems: It’s not enough to have systems and tools. You need to know what the results are from each of the systems and tools you offer. Use exact results, NAR survey results, national brand results, testimonials from your agents as well as success stories. Bring those results into your interviews. Everyone says they can help potential recruits, but those who can prove it are winning in today’s market.
#12: Security: The bottom line for any agent making a move is whether or not they will feel secure at their new location. The more answers you can provide on the above list, the better they will feel, and when they feel good…they join!
Profitable Recruiting Members- the PDF template for TWELVE compelling reasons recruiting package is on your membership platform. Go to the Resources for Recruiters tab on your navigation bar. You’ll see the download there as well as a new template for a new My Why testimonial template in various colors you can use to create social media posts with agent testimonials.
Need help customizing your templates for your company? Contact Julie today to learn more.
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Hello, I love the article. My only question is what are agents supposed to do who can’t afford to pay the high fees for leads. it’s like a catch 22. I love doing Real Estate but can’t afford to do it.
With regards to your compelling reasons, many times when agents are starting out they can’t afford to spend a lot of money, however — there’s no cost for internet leads. If you’re a broker, maybe one of your compelling reasons would be to offer to work with agents so they aren’t dependent on leads. From an agent’s perspective, it takes three solid years for an agent to build their business. But they can use social media, call FSBOs, farm — any agent who wants to be in the business, there are many ways to generate business and convert it.