Adam Hergenrother is the founder and CEO of Livian. He believes that business is nothing but a conduit for personal growth and embraces the company’s vision to Love How You Live. When he’s not leading and growing his organizations, you can find Adam either in the mountains or out in nature with his wife and three children.
When the real estate market tightens, there is a common misunderstanding that agents and teams want to hunker down and stick with what they know, instead of entertaining the idea of joining a team or moving to a new brokerage. Not so.
In fact, people are actually more open to conversations when the market gets tough, because they are looking for solutions that will help them get out of pain and help them thrive for months and years to come. You need to be ready to show them the way.
Here are 5 mythunderstandings about recruiting in 2023:
1. Mythunderstanding: In a tightening market it will be harder to recruit because there will be fewer agents willing to make a move
Truth: When business is booming, agents and teams get comfortable where they are because they’re busy. And I get it. When things are going well, it’s easier to stay the course (even if the market and not necessarily the team or brokerage, is what is contributing to their success).
However, when things get tight and the market contracts, people are looking for options and opportunities. In a tightening market when agents’ businesses are being impacted, they are looking for solutions so are even more open to a conversation when you show the path to production.
2. Mythunderstanding: You have to be assertive to be a successful recruiter
Truth: You have to be organized, systematic, persistent, and patient. But you don’t have to be assertive, outgoing, or aggressive. Being genuine and authentic is what deepens relationships over time.
When recruiting, you don’t want to approach it as if you were “trying to make a sale.” You are building relationships, consulting with agents and business owners, and guiding them to what is the next best step in their career and business growth. Approaching recruiting from this perspective lends to more success in recruiting.
3. Mythunderstanding: You have to cold-call in order to recruit
Truth: The best kind of recruiting happens through inviting people to events where you showcase the knowledge and tools of your organization.
This may look like teaching a class at your local brokerage or hosting a nationwide webinar that highlights your entire operational team and the other agents and leaders who you work with. Training events allow you to see who is engaged, asking questions, and following-up because they are in alignment with your team’s vision and values.
Finding like-minded and like-hearted agents who embrace your models and systems are those that will succeed with you long-term. Not to mention, training events give team leaders and recruiters validity and a platform to influence through their thought leadership.
4. Mythunderstanding: You should only hire outgoing, high-I agents
Truth: Successful real estate agents come in all sorts of personality and behavioral profiles. Each type will simply need specific coaching to maximize their natural style In addition, different behavioral styles will need to be guided to use various lead-generation techniques that work best for them. They may even specialize in a particular market or client category based on their personality and workstyle.
Anyone can be successful in real estate, as long as they (and you as their leader) understand how to coach and guide them to capitalize on their strengths.
5. Mythunderstanding: All’s fair in recruiting from other teams in your brokerage
Truth: Real estate can often be a dog-eat-dog world. It’s an industry full of driven and competitive individuals, which can also leak into the recruiting side of the business. It’s not worth it to burn bridges with your fellow agents and future co-brokers within your office.
Find out what the policy for inter-brokerage recruiting is at your location. Talk to other team leaders about who they are looking for on their team and their growth strategies for the year. An agent that may not be a great fit on your team, might be perfect for them, and vice versa.
At the very least, communicate and respect each other. We encourage any agent who wants to talk about joining one our teams to make sure they have that conversation with their team leader first, before we engage in conversations with them.
What we do recommend is that you stay visible in your brokerage. Teach classes, show up at brokerage events, mentor other agents, etc. Contributing to the greater good of your office, by respecting other teams and providing value to all, will pay off in the long run.
What are other mythunderstandings that you see when recruiting? What recruiting challenges do you think you’re up against this year?
Adam Hergenrother is the founder and CEO of Livian, the author of The Founder & The Force Multiplier, and the host of the podcast, Business Meets Spirituality. Learn more about Adam’s companies and culture here.
