Webinar Recap: Recruiting Strategies Go Far Beyond Cash

When it comes to recruiting, brokers and team leaders are often under the impression that it takes a lot of money to attract agents and ultimately get them in the door. But what if there's a better—less expensive—way?

This very topic was discussed at length during RISMedia's recent webinar—"Your Best Recruiting Tool Is Not Money"—with panelists Wendy Forsythe, chief brand officer at Fathom Realty, and Donny Samson, CEO of Samson Properties. 

Moderated by Cleve Gaddis, coach with Workman Success Systems, and sponsored by Inside Real Estate, attendees were treated to a lively discussion chock-full of actionable strategies to help skyrocket their growth...without overspending. 

At the heart of it all? According to Forsythe, it's all about having a solid system in place. 

"We follow a system that has been boiled down to three parts, beginning with filling the funnel," explained Forsythe. "From there, it's all about regular communication and providing value."

While the funnel can be filled in a variety of ways, Forsythe noted that beginning with your own personal database is key. 

"At Fathom, we approach recruiting much like we approach online lead generation," said Forsythe.

Following classic online lead generation principles, everyone in the firm's database receives regular communication. 

"And it's not just information about joining Fathom," noted Forsythe. "We also share free resources through email and drip campaigns."

This is critical when it comes to building trust, especially when you take into consideration the fact that it takes anywhere from 14 to 20 touchpoints before someone is ready to make a move.

"Agents don't have one conversation with us and then join the brokerage," said Forsythe. "They're watching us on social media, as well as through the email campaigns they get, and forming their impression as to whether we are the right company to affiliate with."

Setting the stage for productive, positive conversations, Samson approaches recruiting in a vastly different way.

"I'm not picking up the phone and calling anyone, because I want to engage people that are already interested enough to show up and hear what we have to say," explained Samson. 

"A lot of people have done their research, and by the time they get in front of me, they're already 90 percent sold," he added. 

Having brought on 1,100 agents in the last year alone—86 percent of which came from referrals within the brokerage—there's no doubt he's doing something right. 

"We really know who we are," said Samson, whose whole mantra is to pay it forward. 

"We want to pour into our agents so that we can be the most REALTOR®-friendly company we can be. It's never about how much I can charge you, but rather, how I can help make you better."

Permeating everything that's done at Samson Properties, Samson points to Inside Real Estate's kvCORE Platform as a true gamechanger. 

"Our platform solves a pretty fundamental problem that brokers, teams and agents face, which is how to take that technology step forward and put it in a position that allows you to drive profitable growth at every level of the organization," said Shaun Rosemann, EVP of customer success at Inside Real Estate.

While growth is the ultimate end game—and recruiting is a key strategy to get there—having a process in place is critical. 

"The reality is that most brokers and team leaders don't look at recruiting as a very specific, well-oiled machine," concluded Gaddis.

Watch the full webinar below:

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