3 Things You Should Never Do When Recruiting New Agents

By Tiana Baur, Content Marketing Manager

Recruiting new agents is the main thing every broker and real estate manager thinks of every hour of the day. It’s the constant, never ending job that is only getting more challenging. I like to think of it as a treadmill that gets progressively faster and faster, forcing some people to step off and others to find the will to keep going within. It’s intense. It’s why we created an entire recruiting system to make it easier on managers and recruiters alike. But while the technology drastically helps, there’s still the interviews and the interactions that are human-based and can still be butchered if one forgets to be on their best behavior.

So, with that in mind, we put together a short list of things you should never, EVER do when recruiting new agents. If you do, it’ll surely come back to bite you.

1. Never bad mouth your existing or past agents.

You’re recruiting new agents for a reason. You have numbers to hit and you’re trying to grow your office. It goes without saying that you need to pump some steroids in to get things done because what is currently going on at your brokerage isn’t cutting it. It’s implied. You don’t need to trash talk your current agents or even past agents.

Putting down your existing and/or past agents not only makes you look bad as the hiring manager, chances are, the top talent you’re trying to recruit will sense an unhealthy work culture and the possibility of being one of those agents you’re currently belittling.

Your agents and the relationships with them are your most valuable source not only for your existing business, but for recruiting new talent as well. Whether it’s talent from their personal connections or them having represented your brand in a great light in the community, they are your golden ticket to finding solid agents. Don’t make enemies out of them.

2. Never promise what you don’t have.

Every agent is looking for the brokerage that will provide them with the tools and technology they need to succeed. With companies like Compass and new initiatives like the Keller Cloud floating around, everyone else needs a solid technology offering, not just some shiny objects to throw about. However, don’t let the pressure of technology offerings cause you to lie and over-promise what you have to give them.

Doing this might get them signed and through the door, but you can bet they won’t last long and your retention stats will take a nosedive. Getting agents to join your brokerage is one thing, keeping them there is another. Help them help you by giving them reasons to trust your business. No one likes having a revolving door.

3. Never bring up politics, controversial topics, flirt, or otherwise cross the PC boundary.

The eighties might as well be a century ago because the times we’re living in are drastically different. For better or worse, we all have to be on our best behavior. People get offended. Others cross the line by a mile. What was once flattering, is now uncomfortable and sometimes even a CLM (a career limiting move). Some topics are also very much illegal, but that’s another issue.

When you’ve only just met someone, you have no way to know their background, things that have happened in their life, how they feel about certain issues, etc. Typically, all you know is who they are on paper. What their sales volume is, when they got their license, their real estate accomplishments and history, and what they put publicly on their websites and social media. Stick to the task at hand and focus on the real estate subjects.

Real estate is a weird industry that sometimes feels like it’s stuck in a time capsule and everything else going on in other industries barely touches it. Behaving yourself is not one of those things. Don’t say something you think is witty about the way someone looks or call someone “sweetie” that you’ve only just met. For the love of everything sacred about real estate, just don’t do it!