You might think I’m a bit unconventional, but I am passionate about recruiting. My journey began in real estate as an assistant to a broker. At the age of 19, and with a newborn at home, job security was crucial, so I constantly sought ways to become indispensable.
I saw a huge opportunity in recruiting newly licensed agents and took the initiative to spearhead that effort. The results were phenomenal, propelling me into roles with greater recruiting responsibilities and eventually into coaching, another one of my passions.
I understand that my love for recruiting isn’t the norm. Many people I come across do not share my passion, even though they recognize its critical importance for business success. If one of your goals for 2025 is to enhance your recruiting efforts and you need some inspiration, this article is for you.
Here are my 10 tips to elevate your recruiting game in 2025.
1. The right mindset is paramount
Like anything else, mindset sets the tone for anything we do. That’s why I always say you should recruit out of inspiration, not desperation.
When you recruit out of inspiration, you are hiring for the right reasons. You are adding the agents who best fit your culture and will contribute to the company as they grow their business. This is always preferable to just hiring anyone, which happens when you find yourself desperate for agents.
2. Have a recruiting business plan
The next order of business is to have a plan with a goal in mind. In order to recruit, you need to know what exactly you’re recruiting toward, usually your bottom line. You do this by reverse engineering.
Figure out what you want your bottom line to look like, then work backward, figuring your average split with agents, the average commission earned, how many deals you need to hit the company dollar and how many more agents you need to hit that number of deals.
3. Know your company numbers
In particular, know how you stack up against competitors in terms of market share, PPP (per person production), average income, etc. Knowing your numbers allows you to use them in recruiting interviews. For example, if you have a high PPP, you can use that when speaking to an agent who wants to increase their deal count.
4. Track your recruiting numbers
The process of recruiting is like prospecting for clients. You make calls, you set appointments, you close a deal. We ask agents to do this as they manage their business. Now, it’s time for you to do the same. Tracking your recruiting activity helps to identify where the holes are in your recruiting game.
Knowing your numbers will allow you to identify where you need help. Some numbers you need to know:
- Number of calls made
- Number of people spoken to
- Number of appointments set from those spoken to
- Number of interviews completed
- Number of hires
5. Build your target list of recruits
When we prospect, we never say, “Target everyone, everywhere.” It’s too wide of a net. You need to set some parameters and establish priority targets to be most efficient.
I like this order:
- Current agent referrals (make sure you incentivize your agents to refer potential recruits)
- Co-op agents
- Agents who left you
- Cold calls
6. Time block recruiting time
“Got a minute?” will take up your entire day if you let it. You need to balance your accessibility so you can accomplish your goals. I’ve found that blocking time on your calendar to devote to recruiting is most helpful. But you have to stick to it. Then, time block for open “office hours” so you don’t miss those opportunities to engage with agents who need your advice or assistance.
7. Master your dialogue
Everyone and their mother gets recruiting calls, so expect them to hang up on you, and overcome that right out of the gate. Then constantly hone your talk track to overcome objections. At the same time, be nimble and go with the flow of the conversation, with the goal of getting back to your script. In the end, the proper dialogue can keep the call going and help you get the appointment.
8. Know your value prop
If you can’t deliver your elevator speech flawlessly on cue, you need to practice it until you can. Recruiting is about selling – selling your value as a broker to your target recruit.
Anticipate their question, “What’s in it for me?”
9. Know how to ask questions
Knowing your value prop only helps when you can tailor it to that agent’s wants and needs. Listen carefully so you can ask the right questions to help identify those wants and needs. Follow-up questions can further clarify what’s most important to that agent.
10. Retain your agents
Think of all the work you have put into recruiting. Be sure you get the return on that investment by retaining those agents. As the saying goes in sales, it costs less to retain a customer than it does to acquire a new one.
Having a proven onboarding program for agents new to the firm is critical in making sure they can be successful right out of the gate and for the long term. And I probably don’t need to tell you that it’s hard to recruit if you’re losing agents.
Recruiting is an integral part of running a successful real estate business. Taking the time to invest in your process will not only improve your recruiting game and make you more successful, it may even make you like recruiting a little bit more.
Alex Vidal is the president of ERA Real Estate.
