If you're a broker, there's a good chance you're constantly on the lookout for real estate talent. But what are you looking for in an agent and what's the proper way to recruit? The latest RISMedia webinar, held on Aug. 7, took a look at just that.
Sponsored by mortgage lending company Quicken Loans, the webinar, entitled "Brokers: Recruit Rock Star Talent for Your Rock Star Team," ran down the myriad ways to recruit agents and who you should be looking for.
Featured on the webinar were Toney B. Black, Sr., broker-in-charge/owner at Kingdom Builders Realty North Carolina and Paul O'Connell, associate broker at Realty ONE Group and co-owner at HouzAZ and Associates in Arizona, as well as Michael Hudson, divisional vice president of Agent Relationship Managers at Quicken Loans. Terri Murphy, president of Terri Murphy Communications and coach with Workman Success Systems, moderated the webinar.
Murphy began the webinar by asking: "How do you reduce friction? How do you make the home-buying process simpler for clients?"
The answer? Recruiting rock star agents who can provide that kind of service for clients.
Here are a few of the top things to look for when recruiting talent:
New Agents
There's no substitute for experience, but the next best thing may be drive. New agents are often the ones that are going to put in the extra workday because they have to if they're going to carve out a long-term career as an agent.
"We've found that many of the new agents are the ones putting in the real effort," said Black. "They're starting from the ground floor."
Self-Motivated
"We need to help our team members because if we're just calling up leads that are given to us we become one dimensional," said O'Connell.
Finding agents that are self-motivated and are willing to put in the work to garner leads and contribute to their team, and the brokerage in general, should be one of your highest priorities.
O'Connell adds that your goal, when recruiting, should be to find people who share a common vision and are in it for the long haul.
Sphere of Influence
An agent's greatest asset, or at least one of them, is having a wide sphere of influence. Engaging and enthusiastic individuals who join a brokerage and are already bringing an address book full of numbers of friends and relatives will automatically have a leg up on others.
"I'm looking for agents who come with a solid sphere of influence," said Black. "Those that are willing to make daily touches and aren't afraid to reach out to their father's mailman."
To learn more about how to recruit high-quality real estate talent, view the webinar below:
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