There are three essential components of recruiting. You must create a written profile of your perfect agent. By writing down what it would take him or her to be perfect, your mind will actively look for people who fit your profile. Your mind will also quickly discount people who do not meet your profile. You will not waste any time with people who fall short of your criteria. You will also be able to tell an agent who wants to work for you, specifically why he or she fell short. Exactly what must be done in order to qualify as an agent? A focused person will change and improve in order to earn another opportunity.

The written criteria or profile will enable you to evaluate your current agents. It should be the minimum standard for your current agents. They should understand that if they wish to improve, they must exceed that profile level. They will clearly know that you are running a quality office with high standards.

If you decide to take new agents, for them you may need a separate profile, which may encompass areas such as passion, drive, experience in other sales fields, and education. You must quantify the skills the new agent has and his mental state. A new agent’s desire and persistence will overcome many problems in his profile.

For experienced agents you will need another profile, which will include an evaluation of the time constraints each one will put on you. It seems there are always a few agents in each office that take up the bulk of the manager’s time. You do not need to add any more of these people to your current mix. Your focus should be to find good people so you can replace the time wasting people from your staff of agents.

Once you have completed and studied your profile, you are ready for the next phase which is prospecting. Prospecting effectively allows you to fill your office with the kind of agents who fit your profile, which will enable you to earn more money. Prospecting is not mailing out a bunch of marketing pieces about your company, which is not a very effective way to recruit new agents. You must be willing to pick up the phone and personally call the agents in your market who meet your profile and ask for an appointment. You will not be able to persuade an agent to move his business over the phone. You need an appointment face to face. Most brokers and managers do not prospect. They prospect less than their agents do. How do you expect your agents to do something you are unwilling to do?

George Washington, when he was a general, was riding his horse one day in civilian clothes. He happened upon a group of soldiers who were trying to push out a cannon that was stuck in a large muddy trench. The men were struggling in mud up above their knees and had mud all over their clothes. A young officer on the edge of the trench was shouting orders at the top of his lungs ordering the men to get the cannon out of the trench. General Washington got off his horse and jumped into the trench. After a few minutes, the men and General Washington extricated the cannon from the trench. After he got out of the trench the General approached the young officer and asked why he had not helped his men remove the cannon? He replied, "I am a Second Lieutenant. That is why." To which Washington replied, "If you ever get something stuck in the mud again give me a call and I will help remove it." The young Second Lieutenant asked his name. To which General Washington replied, "General George Washington." At that moment the Second Lieutenant learned clearly what leadership was.

Are you willing to get in the mud with your troops? Are you willing to show and teach them by example the value of prospecting? Are you going to teach them through your actions what leadership is about?

In over eight years in real estate sales I never received a phone call from another broker recruiting me to work for him. I have spoken to many other agents over the years and most have never been called by another broker for the purpose of recruitment. If you tried recruiting, you would be the only broker calling and prospecting. You would have a corner on the market. You would land the best agents in your market place. You would also set a strong example to be followed by all your agents. In less than 18 months you would have the best real estate office in the area.

The last area is presentation. You need to create a dynamic presentation for each appointment with each agent. The agent needs to feel that you have a lot to offer him in knowledge and experience. Just as your agents can get more listings by reducing their commission. You can always get more agents by creating more attractive commission splits for agents. Is that the mark of a great salesperson reducing their profit?

Your presentation should be well planned and scripted so you can focus on reading the agents' answers and expressions. You need well-scripted questions to find out the agents’ hot buttons and services that he is looking for that you provide. The better you learn what the agent is looking for the quicker you can target him as a prospect or remove him from your list. When you have determined whether to add him to your office, ask for the order. Do not conclude a selling situation without asking the agents to come to work with you.