Recruiting Tomorrow?s Quality Sales Professional Today

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RISMEDIA-NRRE October 2001

Recruiting Tomorrow?s Quality Sales Professional Today

By Van Davis

Recruiting is not a difficult task, but it is an ongoing challenge. It requires broker focus and dedication. The rewards of an effective recruiting and retention program are well worth the effort. Your business can enjoy steady production and revenue stream increases while morale is enhanced among fellow sales professionals.

Through education, experience and perseverance, we continually learn how to fine-tune the recruitment process. As successful brokers and managers know, recruiting and retention is critical to the success and vitality of any real estate company.

Just as smart sales professionals continually prospect for qualified buyers and sellers, smart brokers and managers continuously pursue new, qualified sales associates. Acquiring and maintaining a steady stream of new prospects helps businesses to compensate for losses due to turnover. Attracting new, talented and highly energized individuals also raises the performance and productivity of your existing team. And, as any manager knows, the success of a team depends on the collective achievements of its individuals.

Traditionally, the recruiting process has focused on attracting top-producing sales associates from local, competing real estate companies. In today?s marketplace, the faces and backgrounds of prospective agents are changing. Downsized corporations are providing real estate companies with a new and diversified pool of business-savvy candidates. Many of these people are searching for alternatives to the traditional work environments they recently left. Although earning higher income remains a key goal, what they are also seeking is a challenge that offers greater flexibility and independence?two advantages that a real estate sales career accommodates.

Another group to consider are those emigrating to the United States. Their search for the American dream provides real estate companies with access to driven prospects and a growing pool of fellow immigrants eager to own property. The Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that by 2010, two-thirds of all American households will be minorities. It is important for us to recognize and take advantage of these new opportunities.

By 2010, two-thirds of all American households will be minorities.

As the demographics of our prospects change and expand, so must our recruiting efforts. Century 21 Real Estate Corporation monitors the pulse of recruiting in the industry and works to provide brokers with the tools and systems necessary to attract the most qualified sales associates. Leveraging its impressive name recognition and brand image, the Century 21? System recently unveiled an innovative, new recruitment and retention initiative entitled “It?s Time to Get Real About Your Career in Real Estate.”

This program has been developed to enable brokers to attract talented real estate professionals to their companies, while preparing these new sales associates for a rewarding and long-term career in real estate.

To help our franchisees recruit real estate professionals, we?ve developed special courses as part of the Century 21 Learning SystemSM, a Web-based training program. This program demonstrates the tried-and-true methods of recruiting and retention, while showcasing the tremendous resources offered through the Century 21 System.

Our recruitment initiative also includes a CD-ROM for brokers, outlining the key methods for successful recruitment and retention; template newsletters designed to educate prospects on their local Century 21 company; direct mail postcards for prospecting and following-up with potential recruits; and two versions of a comprehensive recruitment brochure.

Additionally, there is an agent recruitment audio CD, featuring motivational speaker Keith Harrell, that can be given to experienced sales associates as a follow-up, as well as an agent recruitment CD-ROM that can be used by those with or without real estate experience. Hosted by ex-Beatle and worldwide icon Ringo Starr, this CD-ROM offers a unique way for prospective agents to learn more about the Century 21 System and its competitive advantages, from one of the world?s most popular rock drummers. Also, we?ve developed a number of template recruitment advertisements that may be placed in trade and consumer publications.

Once you?ve attracted quality agents, you need to keep them. To help our franchisees retain top performing real estate professionals, the Century 21 Career Development System was created. This groundbreaking program was designed to help sales associates develop and advance their skills, while assisting them in attaining professional and personal goals.

The program includes continuing education courses and workshops that enable sales associates to enhance their sales techniques, as well as their technology and business management skills. Brokers can also benefit by attending workshops on improving communication with their sales associates and creating successful career development paths. By providing clear direction, management can help to develop and retain high quality sales staff, while coaching and mentoring these agents on how to reach new levels of production.

As a system, we are capitalizing on changes in the industry to offer brokers a wide variety of recruitment and retention options and are providing our brokers with the most advanced tools available to make recruiting less of a challenge. By doing so, our brokers will continue to maintain successful and satisfied teams of sales professionals?today and into the future.

Van Davis is president and chief operating officer of Century 21 Real Estate Corporation.