Scouting for talent

While they may not make it a point to openly ask promising agents to join them, managing brokers will often let it be known that they’d be open to talking about their brokerage in the event the Realtor ever wants to make a change. They also track recent sales to identify successful agents. Taking into account that information, as well as their own observations in the field and the input of their own agents, brokers can develop a system for contacting promising agents who might be ready to make a change.

Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty has a director of agent development who is dedicated to handling the recruitment process, according to Doug Fox, managing broker for the North Shore and Barrington.

“It’s a series of phone calls, emails, phone calls from management, anything to get an appointment,” Fox says. “It’s hard to get a meeting with agents, but once we do get the meeting, success rates go way up because of the value proposition our company offers.”

The company looks at top-producing agents’ sales numbers in the area, particularly those who have recently sold homes for more than $1 million, to identify those who might have the right skill set and market knowledge to work in the luxury home sector. Jameson Sotheby’s can later use the data as a recruiting tool.

“We have built a series of case studies to use with future recruits that say, ‘This person joined us and their business went from X to Y by utilizing our tools and resources,’” Fox says. “We don’t just get them in and indoctrinate them into the company and the brand, then let them go on their merry way. It gives us a story and it gives them a story, and it helps them earn a better living.”

Kouf uses a combination of traditional tracking methods and newer technology to keep up with his recruitment and retention efforts. He marks who he’s going to call on a pad of paper each day, checking off the names as he completes the call. He uses a CRM system to determine who to reach out to in his recruiting efforts.

An agent who might not be ready to make a change when Kouf initially calls but is open to hearing from @properties in the future is entered into the system.

“I go into my CRM and their name is already in there,” Kouf says. “I put a note in there for three months from today, and three months from today, I’m going to get an email that tells me to call that person back. If we have people who aren’t quite ready to have that conversation but are open to another phone call at some point in the future, I’ll track it using my CRM.”

Arenson takes a similar approach to making her recruiting and retention calls. She schedules them through her calendar so she receives notifications when she needs to make a call.

“Everyone I’ve met with or seen that day, I make a note to reach back to them and say, ‘It was great to see you and I’d love to catch up. Why don’t we grab coffee sometime?’” Arenson says. “Then I go through my calendar. I’m very aware of the last time I’ve spoken with anybody I’m interested in having in the office.”