Every office owner or manager knows that in order to stay “alive,” you need to recruit. Yet, it's so very hard to do. That's because we make the job so overwhelming. We expect our agents to prospect, but are we setting a good example for them? Recruiting is just prospecting for the office. Break the job down to size and tackle it, it's fun and really easy.

Before you get on the phone, let's get ready. Do you have a package for any prospective recruit; one that has your resume, a brief company bio, a brief office bio, the office roster, bios on all the support staff, an outline of marketing or services provided by the company, and testimonials from agents who have joined the office? This is your first step. You can get very elaborate and have copies of ads and special promotions that just the office does and bind it in a spiral book. You want to put your best foot forward, so don't give them Xerox copies of things when you are sitting with the prospective agent, have the book ready to go. Even better, deliver the book to the agent a day ahead of any appointment time.

Okay, let's analyze what you need. How many desks do you have? Do you have a standards in your office; e.g., $1 million in sales for have a desk? How many agents left the office this past year? How many more do you feel you need to not only replace the agents who left, but also build revenue? Top agents at top splits are wonderful if they bring lots of listings with them and reputation, but not always the best to target as you have to give them so much to join you. And, conversely, brand new agents take a lot of time, but are at the low end of the commission scale. That's a judgment call only you can make.

My favorite recruits are the mid-core agents; the ones that year-after-year make steady income and are easy to get along with. The problem with these agents is that they are loyal to a fault. It takes longer to recruit them. But, they do make moves! It just might take you a little longer. To get these agents takes patience.

The next category that I think is a gold mine for recruiting is the one-year agent. They aren't really producing yet, but certainly are on the verge. You don't have to spend an inordinate amount of time with them on contracts, how to hold an open house, how to fill out a listing, etc. And, they are so pleased that you want to recruit them. What you need to do to get these particular agents is show them how to prospect effectively. Have a program all laid out for them, including their first mailing free from the company. These agents will make the move! They don't take as much time, but you have to show them exactly what to do immediately to get them going in your office.

As I said earlier, break the task down to something doable. Take a roster and check mark the ones you want to call and make 5 calls per day. Even if you get voice mail, you have made five contacts. I call at the office, I send notes to the home. Every day send those five that you have called, a note saying that you are looking forward to getting to know them better. So, you call five per day for five days, and send five notes per day. You keep this up until you go through your roster of who you want to call.

What you want to do is meet them in person. You can invite them to your office or meet them at a restaurant away from the office. If they are coming to the office, alert the receptionist to welcome them by name and make them feel very important. If you are meeting them at a restaurant, alert the matre'd to greet them by name.

The first meeting should be a “I want to get to know you a little better meeting.” I don't think you need to hide the fact that you are interested in recruiting them, but you might not want to after talking with them. Make it a privilege to be a member of your office. Ask leading questions. Sit back and listen. You don't have to do much talking at all. The old adage, the person who speaks the most has the best time, should be remembered here. Give them the recruiting package if they have not already received it the day before and make the interview brief and light. Immediately send the recruit a note thanking them for spending some time with you. If you like this agent and want them in the office, put them in your calendar to contact them in another week.

The next week, you call and ask them if he/she has any questions about the office. Tell he/she that you are very impressed and that you feel that they will be an important asset to your team. Calendar it in your schedule to visit them at either their brokers' caravan or an open house that they are holding sometime in the next two weeks. After you see them, send them another note immediately telling them how much the company can do for them.

Again, calendar it in your schedule to keep in touch with any agent you are interested in every two weeks. A simple phone call, a note, maybe breakfast or afternoon coffee. Keep it up until they come to work for you. I had to “court” some agents for over a year, but we got to be good friends and they eventually came to work for me. I must admit, I gave up on some that in later years told me that they were just about ready to make the move, had I just called them a few more times, they would have. So, the moral of the story is, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP on an agent you want to work for you.

Recruiting isn't hard…it's time consuming. But, the rewards are phenomenal! And, you are being an excellent example for your agents. We all know prospecting works, so go for it!

Published: March 10, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.