Be prepared to 'go deep' when recruiting a new team to your brokerage

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@properties Christie’s International Real Estate executives Amy Corr, EVP of Culture and Development, and Kevin Van Eck, EVP of Innovation, provide broker insights and tips every other week — exclusively for Broker Edge readers. Grab a cup of coffee, and watch the full video for a more in-depth look. 

In this week’s video column, @properties Christie’s International Real Estate executives Amy Corr and Kevin Van Eck discuss how to recruit a new team to your brokerage and set them up for success.

They’re highlighting three best practices to implement when recruiting a new team to your brokerage. Recruiting a team is very different from recruiting a new agent. It’s important to remember that “there is no ‘I’ in team,” — you need to be sure to recruit the entire team vs. just the team lead.

Understand the competition

It’s critical to know what other brokerage firms are offering — or not offering — to team leads and members. Recruiting a successful team takes time and effort, and you need to do your homework first so create a side-by-side comparison sheet of what you can offer vs. the competition beyond simply a dollar figure.

Fill in the gaps from their previous brokerage — know what they are, listen to their pain points and address them. Three areas of focus include: team marketing and branding, team training (for all members, not just the lead) and flexible technology (your tech needs to work for both agents and teams).

Have a solid onboarding process

Having a structured onboarding process is critical to have at your brokerage, and it’s especially important for teams because there are more people involved and their business is integrated together. They need to have confidence and security that there will be a smooth transition if they choose to move to your brokerage.

Document each step and be sure to have your support team and brokerage advocates in place to meet and talk with each member of the team. Create buzz to get everyone excited about the change. Help them visualize their potential success by learning what their peers have done and achieved.

Follow through and deliver

You must execute on your onboarding and the resources you’ve promised. Determine your process, and any variables specific to each team, in advance before the new team arrives. Arrange for support resources on Day One to help ease the transition, and to ensure all team members are heard, and both their individual and team needs are addressed.