For years, many real estate brokers have approached recruiting agents the same way other small businesses approach customer marketing, but is recruiting the same as marketing? Should you be using the same techniques other small businesses use to grow their customer bases?
Q: “Is real estate recruiting the same as marketing?”
A: It depends. Is your brokerage looking to hire anyone who passed your state’s real estate test? If so, then a marketing approach to recruiting might be what you want. Most offices cannot handle that influx of unqualified agents. It takes a toll on support staff, trainers, and culture, and can push producers out the door.
If you want to build a team of quality-producing agents and create a culture that retains and trains the best in your market, keep reading. You may be marketing to prospects when you should be recruiting them.
The Shared Goal:
The goal of both recruiting and marketing is to share your message. There is also a limited number of ways to share a message with someone, which often blurs the differences between the two. So, it can be easy for brokers to believe they are recruiting when in fact, they are not.
Differences between recruiting & marketing
Below is a chart to help you determine if your “recruiting activities” are marketing activities.
Marketing:
- Aims to identify prospects
- Focuses on building awareness and relevance
- Utilizes one-way messaging
- The relationship is one-to-many
- Promotes the brokerage’s offerings
Recruiting:
- Identifies ideal prospects
- Emphasizes human interaction
- Involves two-way conversations
- The relationship is one-to-one
- Delivers personalized value to individual prospects
While both attempt to communicate your message, the message you are sending and how you are sending it is the difference. Rather than employing generic marketing techniques, a strategic focus on personalized interactions and value delivery is your ticket to recruiting better real estate agents.
Focus on Value
By zeroing in on the specific needs and aspirations of potential agents, brokers can establish meaningful connections and demonstrate how joining their team will be a mutually beneficial partnership. This value-centric approach attracts top-tier talent and sets the foundation for a thriving culture that nurtures and develops the best in the market. Ultimately, in the pursuit of building a stellar real estate team, the mantra should be clear: focus on delivering value at every stage of the recruitment process.
Q: “What about my existing marketing campaigns!?”
A: We are not saying you need to stop all your marketing campaigns or that you shouldn’t have any. Awareness is important, but we don’t want those efforts alone to be confused with recruiting. If you’ve already invested time and money into a great marketing campaign, look for ways to be more targeted with whom you send them to and when in the recruiting process you send them.
Get started
At LeadUp we help brokers like you identify qualified agents in your market who are likely to need your support. Then we give you the tools and process to deliver real value and build professional relationships that boost retention and create a winning culture. Stop facing rejection from unqualified agents and start recruiting the agents that matter to your brokerage future.