Have you seen your share of mergers and acquisitions in the last couple years? Hold on for the ride. They won't be stopping anytime soon.

With the ever-evolving real estate industry, costs of doing business on the rise and many other external factors, merger or acquisition is the only option for many organizations. I'm not here to predict at what kind of pace, but most certainly I can confidently state that as our business changes, the pressures of competing while maintaining a healthy organization will contribute to more mergers and acquisitions.

So, with our current and future reality, who has the manual entitled, "The Successful Real Estate Merger/Acquisition"? Better yet, "How to Sell Your Real Estate Company and Retain All of Your Agents." Either of those might come in handy at some time.

I don't know that I have the manual, but through my experience, I can share with you what I see as most critical in the process. Here are some of those steps if you are looking at selling your company.

Why?: Well, first of all you better know why you are selling your company. Secondly, you need to be prepared to tell your agents why. My first tip, don't sell them and give them all these great big empty promises of how incredible it's going to be for their business. Just tell them the truth of your discovery process leading to the decision to do so and how you truly feel it can and or will impact their business.

In the truthful process, you need to talk about the importance of your decision for you and your family, too. If you focus on why it's good for them -- they feel like they're being sold. You are part of the equation and they actually care about you.

Tell them the truth and I think you might be surprised at the support you will receive from your agents. It's okay to let them know that you want to retire, spend more time with your family or have issues with the challenges of competing in the real estate industry today.

What is the value proposition: How is it going to be valuable to the agents' business today and in the future? What does it really mean to them (a continuation to #1).

You need to be able to clearly articulate the value proposition of the "new organization" as you see it and what is "truly" going to take place. Do you know the best or worst line used in the acquisition? "Nothing is going to change."

Come on, someone just paid big dollars for a real estate company that is barely making it on a 3 to 5 percent margin and now have debt service for the acquisition on top of the current financial dynamics of the company being acquired? Do you think some things are going to change? The biggest trap that I see broker/owners falling into is not telling the truth. Be responsible in your communication, but be truthful. By the way, I've seen the window for agents to leave stay open for up to 6 months after the acquisition on average.

Re-recruit your agents: I think this should be done on a day-to-day basis in any real estate brokerage, but more importantly when you are getting ready to sell your company. Agents are tired of being shuffled around like a piece of property, because they've worked hard and feel that they have contributed to the success of the company. They truly feel like they are being sold. Would you want to feel like you are being sold and not reaping the financial benefits of that sale? Walk a mile in the agents' shoes when you are selling your company. Simply put, be in relationship with all of your agents and create an environment that encourages interaction between agents and the leadership team, including ownership.

Tell your key agents: You have two choices: keep it a secret and cross your fingers that it won't make your agents feel mislead when the announcement is made or tell a group of your key agents and gain their alignment in your go-forward plan.

My choice would be the latter. You're rolling the dice by keeping it a big secret and will alienate your key agents when the announcement takes place. Tell them why you made the decision and be truthful. Allow them an opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings and then, ask them to support you in the retention process after the announcement takes place.

Plan strategically: Assemble a transition team months before the transaction takes place and spend hours in preparation to create a seamless transition.

I've seen cases where the company is acquired and naturally changes brands. Sixty days later, all of their listings still have the old company sign because no one ordered the signs or received a listing inventory sheet so that the sign change-out could take place. One little tip: Do not go out and change the signs prior to your agents having an opportunity to talk with their sellers.

Train your agents: Now what are your agents going to tell their current listing clients? There is a high likelihood that their current listing clients chose their company over the acquiring company. This could certainly create for an uncomfortable conversation for the agent if they are not properly armed.

Have immediate training in place to educate your agents on the true value proposition of the new organization that has been created due to the acquisition. Take it a step further and work closely with them around the exact dialogue for them to have with the owners of their current listings.

Start Recruiting: Build an immediate recruiting strategy with your managers. You may say, "Wait a minute Jon, we have so many questions to answer with our agents and so much busy work involved in the transition, we don't have time to recruit." Well, your time is quite frankly a choice. Here is a reality, the competition will immediately start bombarding your agents with recruiting calls once the announcement takes place. The best way to put a stop to that? Recruit one of their agents. Get your managers on the phone calling recruits immediately -- communicating the exciting news and scheduling a meeting to talk further. The other option -- let the competition attack (as they see this as an opportunity) and make up all kind of rumors etc. Get on the offense immediately.

If your company is being acquired -- drink your truth serum and tell the truth. Last time I checked there are really no secrets. In addition, truth and integrity always comes out on top. Manipulation, deception and misleading always causes fracture -- something you don't want to experience when you are selling your company.