Want to attract more agents to your team or brokerage? Make sure you’re creating online messaging that’s dedicated specifically to recruitment, Troy Palmquist writes.
Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the power of the Inman Community, and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!
As a real estate broker or team leader, you know that a core aspect of successful selling is communicating your unique value proposition (UVP). You’re in a unique position because you have two different core constituencies and, therefore, two different UVPs: one for consumers and one for agents.
For the consumer, the UVP is usually something along the lines of “Work with us, and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams (for buyers) or sell your home more quickly for more money (for sellers).” However, for agents, the UVP is more like “Work here, and we’ll give you [X] tools/training so that you can sell more.” That’s a very different message and one that you don’t necessarily want blended with your consumer-facing messaging.
Mega teams, teamerages and teams using Zillow Flex are encouraged to grow, and for many brokerages, agent count is the essential metric for success. To make your digital footprint as attractive as possible to the agents you need, you need a recruiting site that’s separate from your company’s consumer-facing website.
For more information on attraction recruiting, check out “Stop chasing! 5 ways to attract the real estate agents you need now”
Attracting and recruiting talent to your brokerage can be done in a variety of ways, but you must have a place to point your online lead generation or that agent you met at a networking event who’s considering coming into your office.
You need to provide them with information about the brokerage, its UVP, testimonials from existing agents, stats about your brokerage and more. This doesn’t matter to your typical buyer or seller, and they don’t need to see how the sausage is made anyway — so why have it all on the same website?
When I launched my first brokerage, The Address, which was based in Southern California, I started out with my primary, consumer-oriented website (addressrealestate.com) but soon realized that I needed content that specifically spoke to the agent, which became sellingtheaddress.com.
Now, this is something you’re seeing more frequently from brokerages of all sizes, whether big box or indie.
Key elements of a recruiting website
While much will depend on your specific UVP and differentiators, there are some elements that should be on every brokerage’s recruitment website:
Video message
This will probably be from either the owner or managing broker and provides an opportunity to build rapport even before meeting an agent in person. Think of it as a pre-interview where you can make that all-important first impression.
Testimonials
These can be video or written testimonials, though video is more impactful. It’s an opportunity for agents to share what they love about your brokerage and what it has done for their business.
Stats
If you don’t have solid numbers on your brokerage, consider working with a service provider like Courted.io to get information on your brokerage history, including sales numbers and data on the production of your agents. It’s your chance to answer some of the questions from my previous article, “35 questions your next real estate broker hopes you don’t ask,” in which I interviewed Courted founder and CEO Sean Soderstrom.
“Agents need to clearly understand what sets an organization apart — from compensation structures to the support and technology offered, and not necessarily in that order,” Soderstrom said.
Commission structure
Is your commission structure something that attracts agents to the brokerage? Show it off.
Differentiators
Do you offer tools, technology, marketing or other value adds that are important to the agents you currently have on board? Outline these, and talk about why they are so effective, or better yet, have your agents talk about them.
Core values and mission statement
Make sure you have well-thought-out statements that reflect your brokerage’s culture and align you with your ideal recruit.
Check out my article, “Make your mission statement more meaningful with this 5-step plan.”
Company history
Even if you have a brand new brokerage, there is a history and a story that got you to the point of starting a brokerage. In addition, if you are part of a franchise, this is an opportunity to tell the larger story of your company’s history and what it can offer the individual agent.
If you simply don’t have the budget or bandwidth for a separate website, at the very least create a recruiting page on your main website that you can share with agents.
“A dedicated recruitment website isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. It allows brokerages to control their narrative, showcase their unique value proposition and ensure that prospective agents see exactly why they should join,” Soderstrom said.
“Just as importantly, it must provide a clear and direct way for agents to connect with the right person — whether through a form or specific contact information for each office — so they don’t get lost in the process.”
When done right and with an effective and fully search engine optimized website platform, the agents you’re looking for will find you — and any consumers who happen to land there will see how much support your agents receive, including the technology and marketing they have access to. That’s a win for everyone.
Troy Palmquist is the founder and principal at HomeCode Advisors. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
