Field Guide to Recruiting & Retaining Salespeople
(Updated December 2007)
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)
Contents:
Recruiting | Gen X / Gen Y Agents | Real Estate as the Hot New Career Choice | Multicultural/Diversity | Books, eBooks & Other Resources
Reasons for Recruiting Sales Agents 
Expanding into new markets 28%
Expanding into new lines of business 12%
Replacing agents leaving firm 37%
Other 4%
Source: The 2006 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Real Estate Firms: An Industry Overview, (National Association of REALTORS®, 2006).
Recruiting
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).
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).
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).
Help Wanted: A Few Good Property Managers, (National Real Estate Investor, Sept. 2005). Q
The Quest for Talent in Turbulent Times ---The War is On!, (RISMedia, Aug. , 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).
Hiring and retaining employees, (Professional Builder, Dec. 2004). Q
How to get "buy-in" from the newest generation of employees, (HR Focus, Nov. 2004). Q
Choosing wisely, (Sales and Marketing Management, Oct. 2004). Q
Recognizing a Great Salesperson, (Sales and Marketing Management, Aug. 2004). Q
How to attract new agents, (Realty Times, June 22, 2004).
Star Search, (Commercial Investment Real Estate, Apr. 2004).
The A to Z of keeping staff, (Journal of Accountancy, Apr. 2003). Q
Three keys to recruiting better agents, (Realty Times, Feb. 25, 2003).
Finding the Perfect Salesperson, (REALTOR® Magazine, Aug. 2002).
25 Ways to Get Agents to Stay, (Texas REALTOR®, Nov. 2000).
Recruiting the best, (Texas REALTOR®, Sept./Oct. 2000).
Coaching and Managing: On Gen-X, (Money.com, Sept. 2, 2008).
How to Lure Gen X Workers? Do Good, (Money.com, Aug. 17, 2008).
Gen X, Gen Y, and the End of the Traditional Real Estate Business Model, (Real Estate Radio USA, Apr. 27, 2008).
Gen Y's Post-Boomer Style Alters Workplace, (The Plain Dealer, Aug. 14, 2008).
The Generation Gap in Real Estate, (The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 3, 2008).
Wanted: Gen Y Real Estate Agents, (Seattlepi.com, Feb. 14, 2008).
Brokers adapt to life with Gen X, (REALTOR® Magazine, Nov. 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).
The magic real estate management pill, (Realty Times, Aug. 19, 2004).
Hire education, (Builder, June 2004). Q
Hoard your gold, (Journal of Property Management, May/June 2004). Q
Recruiting the experienced agent, (Realty Times, Apr. 20, 2004).
Why agents leave: It isn't the splits, (Realty Times, Apr. 20, 2004).
Recruit and win in Member-Get-a-Member campaign, (Journal of Property Management, Mar./Apr. 2004). Q
Texas broker has unique advantage in training, recruiting, (Realty Times, Sept. 29, 2003).
Industry aims to attract more women to its ranks, (Philadelphia Business Journal, Feb. 10, 2003).
Internet-based real estate firms face training tasks, (Houston Business Journal, Jan. 28, 2002).
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).
eBooks & Other Resources
eBooks.realtor.org
The following ebooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:
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)
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.
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).
To find the right agents, revamp your recruiting approach to avoid selling during interviews, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Apr. 15, 2005, p. 6).
Broker hopes to use "residual income" from recruiting incentives as growth tool, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Apr. 15, 2005, p. 3-4).
First step in retaining agents: Discover why they really leave, (Real Estate Professional, May 2005, p. 50, 52+).
To find the right agents, revamp your recruiting approach to avoid selling during interviews, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Apr. 15, 2005, p. 1).
Here are four steps to attract the recruits you want, (Real Estate Professional, Mar. 2005, p. 66, 68).
Targeting "average agents" and eight other keys for recruiting, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Feb. 1, 2005, p. 1-4).
Creating a successful recruiting culture, (Real Estate Professional, Jan./Feb. 2005, p. 62, 64).
Brokers optimistic about future, yet remain worried about recruiting, profitability, (Real Estate Broker's Insider, Jan. 1, 2005, p. 1,4-5).
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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