How to Get Recruiting Results Fast

By Mark Whitmer, Regional Services Manager - CENTURY 21

Recruiting is not meant to be done by mail alone. Even when some do respond, they typically don’t pursue being hired. How can you optimize your recruiting activities?

First, let’s take a look at your target. Instead of mailing to every agent or selected agents in a variety of experience levels, consider clarifying your target audience.

According to Author Seth Godin, a message meant for everyone is read by no one. Here’s an example strategy. Choose agents with one to three years in the business. Begin by selecting an office, go to their roster online, cross check agents by the department of real estate website to view when they got their license. Once you’ve narrowed the list in the one to three year agents, check them against your MLS for (1) production, look for at least 3 transactions in the last 6 months as an example. (2) If they are listed in the MLS, they have paid their association dues.

Once you have done this, you have a great list. Now that you’ve identified the agents who are struggling and need to move over to your office, you can compose your campaign. However, postcards alone will not do it. I suggest a combination of methods as follows:

Calling Them

• Make it your goal to personally meet each one on your market. Tell them that. You don’t have to talk about joining your firm right off the bat, in fact it is better if you don’t. Get to know them first.
• When you discover that anyone on your list has taken a new listing, call them and congratulate them. Be the first to commend them before their Manager does.

Hand-written Notes

• The best way to deepen a relationship after a call or instead of a mass mailing is to hand-write to them. Be specific and genuine.
• Make an offer to them as to helping them grow, offer something of value, invite them to a mixer or meeting at your office.

Email

• Only email them once you’ve contacted them by the above methods. Otherwise, you are interrupting them and they will likely ignore your emails.

In this information agent we live in it is easy to just mail out and call it good. People don’t have time to take action on such plain methods, they can be meaningless. If you really desire to help them, you must show them your desire, not just mail