Recruiting real estate agents is a crucial aspect of building a successful brokerage, and two effective strategies for attracting new agents are cold calling and delivering seminars. It doesn’t happen in the first shot. It’s a process, a drip campaign to build brand integrity and authority among the many that are doing the same thing. Remember, you don’t want to attract everyone, but rather only those who resonate with you at some level.

These approaches not only allow brokerages to establish connections with potential agents but also provide opportunities to showcase their expertise. By leveraging these methods, brokerages can significantly expand their agent network and enhance their overall growth and success.

So how is it that you can attract someone who has grossed a minimum of $100,000 in revenue vs someone who is bringing in $500,000 to $10 million in GCI? Is it a phone call? Is it an e-mail? Is it a casual conversation at a conference? Regardless of what the agent is earning, recruiting is a dance, a tango between the recruiter and the realtor.  

A few factors must be considered:

• What are the pain points of the agent?
• Is the agent the right cultural fit for your brokerage?
• Is the agent coachable?
• How much coaching will be needed, and how do you win their loyalty?
• Most agents are concerned about splits and fees and what they get in return – are yours competitive according to what the market is yielding?
• Every brokerage is recruiting – what is your true unique selling proposition (USP) in your market?

It’s a fierce battle to acquire quality agents and, frankly, more than just a numbers game. They get called from every brokerage within a 30 to 50 KM radius, and most of the pitches sound the same, “We’ve got this great office with an exceptional admin staff and marketing department as well as a top-of-the-line media room for your access.” Imagine, once they have heard something similar every so often in their career, it gets mundane and boring.  

How do you stand out? How do you differentiate?  

Brokers are trying to differentiate their offering by providing value-added coaching to bring on realtors or creating seminars but are those as disruptive as some claim? We’ve seen a graveyard of brands come and go in the North American market and are privy to industry intelligence that most are clueless about. 

I mean, how do you find out if an agent is not happy with their brokerage? It’s not rocket science. It’s a matter of creating empathetic conversations that revolve around the needs of the agent, where you’re giving more than you receive. This will create your formula for an inbound pipeline of agents. It starts with a simple 15-minute face-to-face meeting to hear their plans.

The first step to creating a tribe is branding and then brand loyalty. I’m not talking about which brokerage you are with but rather who you are as a person that will attract the target market. It won’t be everyone. Once you’ve fine-tuned your internal branding message, then you must create the perfect pitch for a call and follow it with a text. We’re in the age of technology. Text messages are imperative in this industry. 

The next step is to curate a list from your IMS or Re-Stats database of whom you want to consciously attract. What does their profile look like? To start, create a list of 1000 real estate agents. Once you have these in place, then it’s about setting realistic expectations on how much time it will take you to acquire an agent. 

Here are some statistics to consider — five hours a day of calling and texting that list. You’re grooming the list. It won’t yield on the first go. You will have to comb through it more than a couple of times. Forget e-mail, it’s not dead, but it’s not at the top of our priorities in our industry. We’re a breed of face-to-face, phone calls and texting. Yes, you need 100 hours a month minimum to go through a list of 1000 real estate agents to get approximately 20 meetings.

There are various factors to consider. Factors include the demographic, geography, time of day and number of transactions that will yield a number like the above. The recommended target market for an ideal profile should be five to seven transactions in a healthy market.  

In the past, it used to be about the offerings of what exists in the brokerage with an amiable culture, but now it’s more about the differentiating factors.  

Like attracts like

Have you heard the phrase, “Birds of a feather flock together?” This is exactly what the broker/manager will attract. The broker/owner needs someone who will not only coach the agents being brought in but also someone who will call the list of prospects for up to five hours a day.

Cold calling is a tried-and-true method that involves reaching out to potential agents directly through phone calls or other communication channels. To make cold calling successful, brokerages must have a well-defined target audience and a compelling value proposition. They need to research and identify potential agents who may be interested in joining their brokerage based on their experience, skill set and geographical location.  

There’s a lot of noise on social media. For the most part, ignore it and take whatever is being said with a grain of salt. There’s a lot of deception behind the smiles online until you dig and find out how much work is needed under the hood.

During cold calls, brokerages should focus on engaging potential agents by understanding the plight of the real estate agent and then customizing the benefits of working with their brokerage. This includes emphasizing the support and resources available to agents, such as training programs, marketing tools, and technology platforms. 

Demonstrating a strong company culture and a commitment to agent success can also be persuasive factors. By addressing the individual needs and goals of potential agents, brokerages can build rapport and establish trust, making them more likely to consider joining the brokerage.

In addition to cold calling, delivering seminars is an excellent way for brokerages to acquire real estate agents. 

Seminars and webinars provide a platform for brokerages to showcase their expertise, industry knowledge, and value

Depending on the brokerage’s resources and current market conditions, these events can be held in person or virtually. Seminars can cover various topics relevant to agents, such as market trends, negotiation strategies, lead generation techniques, and marketing tips.

To attract agents to seminars, brokerages can promote their events through targeted marketing campaigns, social media platforms and industry associations. Offering valuable and actionable content during seminars is essential to engage attendees and create a positive impression of the brokerage. 

Brokerages can bring in industry experts or successful agents as guest speakers to share their insights and experiences. This provides attendees with valuable knowledge and demonstrates the brokerage’s commitment to agent development and success.

During seminars, brokerages should leverage the opportunity to network with attendees and showcase their unique selling points. They can provide information about the support, resources, and commission structures they offer to agents. 

By fostering meaningful interactions, brokerages can establish relationships with attendees, laying the foundation for potential agent recruitment.

Creating an environment where potential agents feel comfortable asking questions and engaging in conversations is crucial. By fostering meaningful interactions, brokerages can establish relationships with attendees, laying the foundation for potential agent recruitment.

Both cold calling and delivering seminars require careful planning, preparation, and execution. Brokerages should ensure that their agents or sales representatives conducting cold calls are well-trained and equipped with persuasive communication skills. They should have a script or talking points prepared to effectively convey the brokerage’s value proposition and address potential concerns or objections.

Similarly, brokerages should invest time and effort into creating engaging presentations and materials when organizing seminars. They should provide attendees with informative handouts or digital resources highlighting the brokerage’s strengths and advantages. Following up with attendees after the seminar is also essential to nurture the connections made and convert potential agents into actual recruits.

The bottom line, recruiting isn’t a haphazard effort. It requires time, effort, consistency, and financial investment to truly attract and retain incredible realtors to your roster.