While there will always be a shiny new object to catch an agent’s eye, that may not be enough to reel them in as the current market landscape forces brokerages to embrace—or re-embrace—the basics of recruiting and retention. Ensuring that your brand is appealing to prime agent prospects while also hanging on to your existing top producers is a task that every broker must pay attention to.
That’s a topic that Rajeev Sajja knows all too well as the SVP of Digital Marketing and Innovation at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach REALTORS®. It’s also a discussion he will delve into this September 5 – 7 at RISMedia’s CEO & Leadership Exchange, held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., during the panel discussion “Must-Know Marketing Strategies to Attract Agents. ” Sajja will be joined by:
Amit Kulkarni, CMO, Bright MLS
Amory Wooden, CMO, Anywhere Brands
Corey Vasquez, CMO, Realty ONE Group
Register for RISMedia’s CEO & Leadership Exchange here.
Amid all the tech-stack talks and bells and whistles flooding the market, Sajja points out that a company culture that prioritizes agent success and growth is just as marketable—if not more—to agents you’re looking to attract and keep in the future.
“Anybody could get a really good tech set, so I don’t think you can lead with that anymore,” he says. “I think you lead with expertise in the industry.”
“It’s important for every company to have a unique value proposition that really draws the right kind of agents to them because there are different types of agents in the industry,” Sajja says.
Given the variety of agents and their motivations and needs, having a definitive foundation and understanding surrounding your brokerage’s mission and values plays a significant role in a firm’s messaging strategies.
Sajja and his fellow panelists intend to unpack several marketing pillars that have helped their firms attract and retain agents. For Sajja, that includes establishing and pitching a unique value proposition (UVP) to pique the interest of potential recruits. BHHS Fox & Roach focuses on its branding, company culture, innovation and growth as the foundational cogs in its model.
“Everything that we do in terms of retention and recruiting revolves around one of those four pillars,” Sajja says.
The marketing messaging and consistency around a firm’s recruiting strategy are essential to telling a story that resonates with would-be recruits.
“We really dig deep into what this means to a new and experienced agent,” Sajja says. “That’s woven into the fabric of really everything we do to retain and recruit.”
Attracting agents is only half the battle, however. As the market has strained firms in 2023, Sajja notes that agent retention is just as vital as bringing in new recruits.
“We’re taking this time to sort of almost reinvent ourselves,” he says. “Most agents are looking for a path to get to where they want to go in terms of their business goals.”
Towards that end, Sajja points out that BHHS Fox & Roach REALTORS® “doubled down” on coaching.
“It’s more important now than ever to really engage in coaching our agents to succeed,” Sajja says. “Everyone has a different path. Some agent businesses are stagnant, while some are down 40% or 20%. At the same time, some have grown 20%, so finding a personalized path for each of them is vital because no two agents are the same.”
RISMedia’s 35th Annual CEO & Leadership Exchange will gather the industry’s top minds to discuss the most critical trends and issues impacting the year and outline strategies for success in the fourth quarter and into 2024. More than 100 brokerage executives and industry experts featured in over 25 panel discussions and presentations will help you understand what’s transpired so far in 2023 and share tangible advice for defining your destiny moving forward.
For the complete agenda and speaker lineup, please visit our event page. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today.
2023 RISMedia CEO & Leadership Exchange sponsors include:
Title Sponsor
RE/MAX
Diamond Sponsors
Real Estate Webmasters
Realty ONE Group
Colibri Real Estate
Master Sponsors
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Bright MLS
Buffini & Company
Constellation1
CoreLogic®
EXIT Realty
Inside Real Estate
Lone Wolf Technologies
NAR REACH
National Association of REALTORS®
Host Sponsors
AJ Canaria Creative Services
Black Knight
Cinch Home Services
Cloze, Inc.
Courted
CRS Data
Deluxe
Forbes Global Properties
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
LiveEasy
Milestones
New American Funding
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Realtors Property Resource®
REcolorado
Sherri Johnson Consulting
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