Recruit to Thrive

In a hard market, you have to proactively recruit in order to grow your business.

You also have to provide a return on the agent’s business investment into the company.

However, if you’re an owner of a brokerage, you also have to remember that you’re not the only brokerage in your market that’s calling agents, there are people calling your agents too.

But most business owners don’t think they need to proactively recruit. They’re just trying to grow with no end in sight. 

The recruitment industry is changing, and players must be action-oriented to remain in the game.

This, and other events, are driving a shift towards value-based recruiting, where agents receive more than just a place on a team.

They’re also expected to contribute to the overall development, growth and learning of the company.

But how do you get them to stick around and become one of your top performers?

And what steps can you take to make sure they don’t just leave after a few months?

In this 27th episode of The Process podcast, Preston and Travis explain why having a recruiting system needs to be an integral part of your business and how to retain agents that will grow with your company.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve, then read on to understand how recruiting works behind the scenes.

Recruit to thrive

Recruiting is not a one-time event. It’s not just about attracting new agents to your company. It is about retaining agents and building relationships that last for years to come.

And the best way to attract and retain the best talent is by creating an environment where people want to work at your company, and where they can value something beyond their own careers.

Recruiting is a commitment and is no small undertaking.

It is not just about the ‘fit’ with new hires, it’s about developing those relationships and building relationships with current and future employees.

And it’s not just about keeping them moving around between roles with lower salary changes, bonuses and perks — which are all important.

It’s about creating a culture where employees fully believe in your company mission, understand their personal value proposition and feel motivated in their day-to-day activities.

Recruiting requires a ton of work and time, and it often happens slowly and with a lot of effort. But more often than not, the results are totally worth it.

The way you recruit and pitch your company matters a lot.

Make sure you’re recruiting as effectively as possible, and make sure you’re turning those pitches into candidates that actually want to join your team over anyone else’s. 

The best way to stand out isn’t to promise the most money or the biggest position titles.

It’s to demonstrate how much you value their experience, and how you can also help them reach the goals they’ve set for themselves as well. 

Agent retention

Although it’s tempting to think of recruiting and retention as two separate strategies, they’re actually interdependent.

If you want to grow your business, you have to proactively recruit and improve your agent retention rate.

As an agency owner or manager, this means investing in systems and processes that help ensure current employees stay on board, which in turn makes it easier for external candidates who may be interested in joining your team.

Agent retention is one of the most important factors in a successful recruitment strategy, but it can sometimes be hard to measure or track.

You may think that you have an agent who’s been with you for years and has built up their own client base, but if they leave for another company or simply decide not to do this anymore—and there’s no reason why they should keep working for you—you won’t know until months later when someone calls looking for them.

And then what? How do you plan around this?

If someone leaves early on in their career at any stage — whether it be after six months or three years — it could mean losing out on some great talent that would otherwise have been available if only management had known about these changes earlier than it did now and thus acted. 

By planning ahead, carefully promoting your agency and your agents, and investing in training and marketing resources, you can attract, recruit and retain great agents to benefit all parties – yours, theirs and the clients they serve.

You might be surprised how a little attention on your current agents can go a long way in retaining them and avoiding costly replacement costs.

Hence, recruiting in itself is not enough—you need to recruit with value.

You can’t just hire for an agent job and hope that they’re going to love you enough to join you; they have to see how much they get out of joining your team over another. 

Conclusion: Value your agents

Recruiting is just as much investment of your time and energy as it is an asset.

If you want to attract and retain the best agents, it is important to look at what value you can give to them.

If they see that your company will help them grow in a way that they wouldn’t be able to on their own, they’re far more likely to accept your offer and stay with you long after you get off the phone. 

Value is the hardest attribute to quantify but also the most important.

It’s hard to put a value on reputation alone. It’s worth trying though, and few things are wasted that you can recover your development costs in some other way.

Remember, perception is everything when it comes to recruiting.

By focusing on core values, you create clarity and consistency for agents and clients across the board.

Always stack the advantages of your agency in the front and center because you may have an incredible opportunity, but so does everyone else. So recruit well, recruit often.

The right agents are out there waiting for you to contact them—it’s up to you to find them and bring them on board.