The 3 Things You Must Know Before a Recruiting Appointment

So you have an upcoming recruiting appointment with an experienced real estate agent. Here are the three things you must know ahead of the appointment.

#1 – The agent’s active listings and pending deals

All else equal, the more active listings and pending deals an agent has, the more complicated and lengthy the recruiting process.

You want to be prepared ahead of time so you can ask about items like timelines for closings, expiration dates of active listings, and how the agent’s current broker handles listings and contracts if the agent leaves.

Don’t be surprised if the agent doesn’t know how their current broker will handle them leaving. Many agents aren’t familiar with the terms of their contracts, so they might need to check before they can commit to timelines for joining your brokerage.

#2 – The agent’s production and production trend

If you don’t have a data platform that allows you to pull production and production trend, this is going to be a difficult step. That’s why we recommend you invest in a data platform if you’re serious about recruiting.

Although an agent’s production over the previous year is important to know, their overall production trend is more important.

If the agent has a positive production trend, prepare to have a conversation about helping the agent continue that trend (if they want). Also prepare to discuss how you might help them prevent becoming overwhelmed with tasks not directly related to working with clients.

If the agent has a negative production trend, prepare to gently explore why they have that trend and if it’s something they want to reverse. Assuming they do want to reverse it, prepare to discuss how you can help them do just that.

Finally, if the agent has a flat production trend, discuss if that’s something they would like to change. Some agents are happy with their level of production and are potentially looking to switch brokerages for other reasons.

#3 – The agent’s approximate current commission plan

You want to know this whenever possible because you want to be prepared for possible commission objections.

Unfortunately, you won’t always know an agent’s approximate commission plan ahead of time, especially if they’re with a small independent. But, the more conversations you have with agents, the more competitive intelligence you can gather.

Many agents will share their current commission plan on a recruiting call even if they don’t agree to a recruiting appointment. Whenever they do, make note of it because the other agents in their brokerage will likely have the same or similar plans.

You can also check the website of an agent’s current brokerage. Some advertise their commission plans, especially if they offer 100% commission.

You don’t need to know their exact plan, but you do want to know if they’re on some type of split, if there’s a cap, and if they pay monthly fees.