How to Prepare for a Successful Meeting with a Recruit

Recruiting new agents to your brokerage is an essential part of growing your business. Whether you decide to cast a wide net and hope to catch the right talent, exclusively go after top producers in your market--or both--there's a lot of planning and strategy that goes into recruiting.

Once you've identified a list of agents you would like to meet with, it's time to prepare to meet.

Here are our top five tips to have a successful meeting:

1. Study your recruit's past performance.

When a real estate agent is considering joining a new brokerage, they want to know that you are invested in them from the start. To gain their trust, do your homework so you can have an informed conversation with them. By looking at MLS data and sales history, you can learn what their production levels are, their market share, areas they do business, and if they work primarily with buyers or sellers.

2. Come prepared with a list of questions you want to ask them.

At the end of the day, meeting with a recruit is essentially a job interview. You need to understand how they will fit into the culture of your brokerage and help contribute to your bottom line. The questions you ask should cover multiple areas of their business from working with clients, to lead generation, as well as their career goals.

Some example questions* to ask are:

• How do you build rapport with new clients?
• What questions do you ask upfront to identify what your client is looking for?
• What lead generation tactics do you find most successful?
• What type of culture are you looking for?
• What do you want your career to look like in five years?

*If you're interviewing a new agent, you will need to alter your questions to discuss future plans from market areas they want to focus on, needs for coaching, etc.

Most importantly, now is the time to put on your listening ears and refrain from giving too much input. Let your recruit guide the conversation so you can decide if they are in fact a good fit for your brokerage.

3. Discuss your business with them—from your plans for growth to market share and culture.

Being transparent about how your brokerage operates from the start is imperative if you want to successfully retain your recruit—at the end of the day, they are also interviewing you. Start by sharing the story of your brokerage. Share what you consider to be your strengths, while also being transparent about your weaknesses and how you plan to overcome them. Additionally, come prepared with market share reports and your business plan so you can clearly illustrate how and where their skill set will fit in. It's also a good idea to share agent and client testimonials so they have a clear picture of how others (not just you) see your brokerage.

Once you've laid out how your business operates, open the door for them to ask questions... and be prepared to give honest answers.

4. Invite them to meet other agents, admins, and support personnel in your office.

Since we all spend so much time at work, it's important for your recruit to enjoy the culture you've built at your brokerage. By allowing your recruit to interview or meet with other agents or admins in your office, they can get a clear picture of what their day-to-day will look like.

5. Explain the tech tools and coaching you provide.

With real estate leaning more and more to digital processes, explaining which tech tools you provide at your brokerage is a huge selling tool. Whether you have decided to provide lead generation tools, a CRM, or transaction management—you want them to know these things upfront. This also lets them know what out-of-pocket costs they will incur to successfully manage and run their business.

Another huge selling point for recruits is how and when you will provide coaching and training along the way. At the end of the day, they want to know how you intend to support their growth so they can also reach their goals for their own business.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.