Set Your Goals and Do the Math
By Judy LaDeur
I’m often asked by brokers, “Where do I start?” It’s a common question for recruiters. When you’re looking at your goal – it can seem overwhelming if you don’t have a plan. I like to tell them that a good goal, to begin with, is to conduct three experienced agent interviews per week. From that, you should average at least two hires per month. This will give you at least 24 experienced agents per year. If each is producing two million in gross closings that would give you an annual increase in market share of $48 million and a net gain of $98 million over your competitors!
So how do you get to that? Start by putting these 12 steps in place!
- Find your targets: Set up your target ‘hit lists’. Your list will depend on the size of your marketplace. I always recommend that you have at least 100 agents on your hit list, but the more agents that you have, the better. Full-time recruiters should have 250-350 agents on their hit list. Your hit list will have 3 categories of agents. A, B, and C categories. The A list is your active pipeline. At all times, your active pipeline should have at least 10 agents in it. The active pipeline has two types of agents. Those that you have interviewed, but not yet hired and those who have agreed to come in for an interview and the date for the interview is set. This means that you will always be talking to at least 10 agents about joining your team. The B-list agents are those that you have a relationship with. You are Facebook friends, you talk to them every 2-3 months, you invite them to social events, etc. Your C-list agents are those agents that you are marketing to but don’t really have a relationship with yet. Your A-list and your B-list agents are the ones that you will focus on and spend the most on. I always recommend that Brokers use a program such as Broker Metrics to determine who you want on your hit list, but if you don’t have Broker Metrics, you can use your MLS as a guide to determine who you want on your list. Many brokers pull lists by production level or dollar volume. Some pull by time in the industry. There are some strategies and success rates in targeting those second-year agents that have been in 12-36 months and might be ready to move. Another great strategy shared by one of our members is to target the rising and falling stars in your market. Just as it is crucial for agents to put together their marketing lists for their SOI and farm, it’s just as critical that you have a list to market to as a recruiter.
- Digitally position yourself weekly. Use your Monday Morning eNewsletters as a way to position yourself in a motivational, positive message with great tips and tools each week to the agents in your market. This goes to your both your entire list recruiting prospects, as well as your current team members. Encourage your agents, and your recruits to use the same strategy with their prospecting lists so that they are positioned as well with a Monday Morning message. Log in at the end of each month, copy the eNewsletters for the month into your email platform and schedule them to go out every Monday morning.
- Monthly position yourself with letters and lumpy letters. Agents love Lumpy Letters and they really create a buzz. Every month we put two or three Lumpy Letters in your system. You can also scroll through the archives to see past letters. These are perfect for the A-list agents, as well as certain B-list agents. Most Brokers send 25-50 lumpy mail items per month. At the start of every month, order the suggested mailing insert (small gift or fun item) – we usually include an easy ordering link or offer a suggestion where you can buy the item. Then copy and paste your favorite Lumpy Letter onto a card or onto your letterhead and sign them. Then stuff them into padded envelopes, labels, and mail. They capture the attention of the top agents, create a great talking point, and get you noticed. Next, pick your favorite seasonal letter and send those to your B and C list agents each month.
- Follow up: Give each targeted agent a follow-up phone call just to touch base. Your goal is to talk to at least three agents per day and schedule a minimum of three interviews with experienced agents per week. When the agent has indicated that they are happy where they are, call them every 2-3 months just to check in on them. Has anything changed? Are they ready to meet? If the agent is on your A-list, follow up weekly or as needed based on that agent’s situation.
- Connect again: The following month, send out another letter, note, or package to your list to promote your systems and your organization. Everyone doesn’t have to get the same thing either! Be creative! Personalize them! You can always look into the archive section of your platform to see past month’s tools.
- Follow up again: Hit the phones again just as in step three and make it a habit to consistently send and call each and every month. Use your CRM to track who you call each month, and when you should contact that agent again.
- Promote: After each hire, send out a “Just Hired” postcard to your entire hit list. This sends out the message that agents are joining your team. Also, post your new recruits to your Facebook page, and include announcements in your eNewsletters.
- Promote again: Send flyers out that promote your company, the success of your agents and your commitment to the community. You’ll be planting those seeds for agents to WANT to learn more about you!
Review your skills. Pick at least one lesson from the 7+ hours of audio training to master each month. Log in and watch a webinar on-demand as well and learn what other brokers are doing to recruit at record levels.- Review your value propositions. Use those to show how your organization is different. What are the 12 compelling reasons for an agent to join your team? Are those 12 reasons compelling enough for others to take notice and join? What are the results of your 12 compelling reasons to join? This is how you build value in joining your team.
- Use social media: Facebook has really changed the way that brokers build relationships and stay in touch. You should send a Facebook request to everyone on your hit list, as well as your existing agents. Each day, please apply the 30-20-10-5 rule on Facebook. Spend a max of 30 minutes on Facebook in the morning, like 20 things that potential recruits say, make 10 comments, and send 5 personal messages inviting the agent to get together to discuss their business. Set up your hit list into a group on Facebook.
- Stay true to the 3-7-27 rule. Your engagement on Facebook, as well as calls and texting, is designed to build their trust as soon as possible. It is based on the Rule of Marketing: 3-7-27. It takes 3 direct contacts for them to remember who YOU are. It takes 7 direct contacts for them to connect you to your company. It takes 27 direct contacts for them to trust you, to like you, and to feel as though they can approach you when they are ready. BUT it also requires the messages to be positive and inspiring, which causes them to like you before they meet you. Direct contact is a call with a response, a text with a response, a social connection with a response, etc. Any time they respond in any way, you are building a relationship and trust.
Agents are deciding now how they will move forward during these challenging times — and what brokerages best suit those needs. If you position yourself now as the broker with the tools, resources, support, and environment for success – it will be your name at the top of their list of choices. If you need help, let us know.
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