Field Guide to Recruiting & Retaining Salespeople

(Updated June 2009)

In this highly competitive real estate marketplace, how do you find and hire successful agents -- and what's the best way to prevent your top producers from switching to another firm? The material on this page will help you discover what makes a top producer and offers some of the latest tips and techniques for hiring successful, reliable agents and keeping them on your team. (D. McCormick, Technical Coordinator)

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Recruiting

Focus on Success!, (Georgia REALTOR®, Jan./Feb. 2009).

Recruiting Experienced Agents is More Important Than Ever, (RISMedia, Oct. 22, 2008).

Strong design aids recruiting of talented people, (Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), Sept. 22, 2008).

Recruiting 101: Don't Fear Change, (RISMedia, May 1, 2008).

Hire for Keeps, (Florida REALTOR®, Mar. 2008).

Attracting Quality Agents, (Realty Times, Mar. 28, 2008).

Personnel Assets, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, Jan./Feb. 2008).

How Do I Recruit the Experienced Agent?, (Realty Times, Oct. 24, 2007).

Headhunters target C-Suite talent, (National Real Estate Investor, Aug. 2007). Q

Re-Recruit Your Top Performers: 10 Questions Employers Should Ask Employees, (RISMedia, Aug. 14, 2007).

Experienced Agent Interview Strategies, (Realty Times, July 19, 2007).

Brokers: Follow up Strategies for Recruiting the Experienced Agent, (Realty Times, July 19, 2007).

Where Recruiting Stands Today: Leadership Conference Offers Essential Methods for Retraining Agents, (RISMedia, July 4, 2007).

Keeping everyone involved can help retain, find new salespeople, (Columbus Business First , June 29, 2007).

Brokers: 4 Reasons to Recruit Experienced Agents, (Realty Times, May 28, 2007).

Broker Rescue, (Florida REALTOR®, May 2007).

Why can't I consistently hire and keep better REALTORS®?, (Georgia REALTOR®, May/June 2007).

Four Prospecting Strategies for Recruiting the Experienced Agent, (Realty Times, Apr. 4, 2007).

Agent Recruitment & Technology, (TransparentRE.com, Mar. 9, 2007).

Top Ten Recruiting Myths Busted, (RISMedia, Nov. 28, 2006).

Recruiting and promoting women needs to be an industry priority, (Baltimore Business Journal, Nov. 6, 2006).

The Quest for Talent in Turbulent Times ---The War is On!, (RISMedia, Aug. , 2006).

Time Management, Recruiting, and You, (Realty Times, May 29, 2006).

Recruiting in a changing market, (RISMedia, May 3, 2006).

Can't find good salespeople? Make them find you, (Denver Business Journal, May 6, 2006).

Demand for Recruiting & Selection Systems Accelerates in Real Estate Industry, (RISMedia, Apr. 10, 2006).

How to find, train and manage winning salespeople, (Orlando Business Journal, Mar. 10, 2006).

Hiring right, (Agency Sales, July 2005). Q

Recruiting truths... What every broker/owner and manager needs to think about, (RISMedia, May 17, 2005).

Stars burn out, hire salespeople who create energy, (Washington Business Journal, May 13, 2005).

To Recruit or Not to Recruit, (RISMedia, Mar. 16, 2005).

The Internet: The Ultimate Recruitment Tool? Sort of, (RISMedia, Sept. 1, 2004).

The X-Factor in Hiring, (National Real Estate Investor, June 2006). Q

How to recruit 10 agents in 30 days -- Three systems for success, (RISMedia, Mar. 13, 2006). Q

Retention: Eliminate High Turn-Over of New Agents, (Realty Times, Oct. 5, 2005).

For Hire Online, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, Sept./Oct. 2005).

Is your company in search of entrepreneurial talent?, (National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 2004). Q

The Internet: The Ultimate Recruitment Tool... Sort of, (RisMedia.com, Oct. 8, 2004).

Stop the revolving door: Treat your agents like customers, (Realty Times, Sept. 8, 2004).

Recruiting the experienced agent, (Realty Times, Apr. 20, 2004).

Texas broker has unique advantage in training, recruiting, (Realty Times, Sept. 29, 2003).

Holding on to top talent, (Journal of Property Management, Sept./Oct. 2001). Q

For minorities, it's a long road to the executive suite, (National Real Estate Investor, Aug. 2007). Q

Come Together, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, Mar./Apr. 2007).

Cultural Crossroads, (Journal of Property Management, Jan./Feb. 2007). Q

The Real Estate Market Reflects Growing Diversity, (Realty Times, Aug. 24, 2006).

Embracing Diversity and Preventing Workplace Discrimination, (Mortgage Banking, July 2006). Q

Best and brightest under the rainbow, (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 2005). 

Shatter the Glass Ceiling, Dodge the Shards, (HRMagazine, Apr. 2005). Q

Hiring Diverse Executive Talent, (HRMagazine, Nov./Dec. 2004). Q

Hispanics poised to affect buyer pool, (Realty Times, June 4, 2004).

Diversity: A long way to go, (National Real Estate Investor, Mar. 2002). Q

Giving back by giving inspiration to others, (National Real Estate Investor, Mar. 2002). Q

IREM reaches out to the minority majority, (Journal of Property Management, Nov./Dec. 2001). Q

Make your business mirror your market, (Today's REALTOR®, May 1999). 

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eBooks & Other Resources

eBooks.realtor.org

The following ebooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:

Recruit or Die (Adobe eReader)

Recruiting on the Web (Adobe eReader)

The Easy Step by Step Guide to Recruiting the Right Staff (Adobe eReader)

Perfect Phrases for Perfect Hiring (Adobe eReader)

Recruting on the Web (Adobe eReader)

Bringing Out the Best in People (Adobe eReader)

Interviewing Techniques for Managers (Adobe eReader)

Retaining Top Employees (Adobe eReader)

Hiring Great People (Mobipocket)

Finding & Keeping Great Employees (Mobipocket)

How to Hire and Develop Your Next Top Performer (Mobipocket)

The Talent Solution (Mobipocket)

Be a Recruiting Superstar (Adobe eReader)

Confessions of a Recruiting Director (Adobe eReader)

Books, Videos, Research Reports & More

The resources below are available for loan through Information Central.  Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10.  Call Information Central at 800.874.6500 for assistance.

First step in retaining agents: discover why they really leave, (Real Estate Professional, Mar./Apr. 2008, p. 43-44+).

Recruiter uses low-pressure "reverse psychology" to land agents, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Mar. 1, 2008, p. 1, 5).

Gen X makes its mark. Insights into recruiting and working with a new generation of agents, (ALQ Real Estate Intelligence Report, Winter 2008, p. 6).

Finders, keepers, losers weepers: how to retain your best employees, (Real Estate Professional, July/Aug. 2007, p. 36-38).

Seven deadly sins of hiring -- and how to transform yourself from sinner to saint, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Oct. 15, 2006, p. 6).

How to recruit 10 agents in 30 days, (Real Estate, Mar. 2006, p. 48-50).

Compensating the sales force, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004). HF 5438 C48

Real estate office management: a guide to success, (Mason, OH: South-Western, 2003). HD 1375 H47

How to recruit top producers, (New York: Alexander Communications Group, Inc., 1999). HF 5438 R22ho

Recruiting and retaining highly successful agents, (Chicago, IL: National Association of REALTORS®, 1999). HF 5438 N21rec

Recruiting and retaining the best, (Washington, D.C.: National Association of REALTORS®, 1996). HF 5438 N21re

Field Guides & More

These Field Guides and other resources in the Virtual Library may also be of interest:

Field Guide to Mentoring

Field Guide to Compensation Plans for Real Estate Agents

Field Guide to Diversity for REALTORS®

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