Why Motivating Your Team Backfires on Brokerages (Focus On This Instead)

Hey guys, if you’re a brokerage owner or team leader, one thing we tend to do this time of year is say, “Okay, what are our production goals for 2026?”

And you should do this. You should know what you’re shooting for in terms of Gross Commission Income (GCI) and closed volume.

But one thing we often forget is what’s actually going to produce those goals—those transactions closed, that volume closed, that GCI. What is it going to take to create that?

Often, we get lost in this idea that all we need to do is motivate our current crew enough for them to create the production goals we’ve set for the team or the company.

But the reality is, that almost never works.

As someone who coaches brokerage owners, franchises, and team leaders across the country at the highest levels, I can tell you that almost never works.

Why?

Because what’s going to create higher production and higher GCI isn’t motivating your current team to produce more. Now, we want to do that—that’s absolutely a goal.

But what’s actually going to help you hit those goals is recruiting.

Recruiting and adding more players to your team, and adding their production to your overall production—that’s what enables you to hit these goals.

Because if we’re counting on every agent in the firm to suddenly have a 20, 25, or 30 percent increase in volume just so we can pay our bills and create profit, what happens when they don’t?

Then you, as a company leader or team leader, fail to hit your goals.

You cannot afford to bank on the fact that agents are going to start producing more, because inevitably, they don’t.

So what we have to do is recruit our way out of this situation.

The way you do that is by looking at what your current agents are producing over the last 12 months. You create a number that tells you very specifically what that looks like.

Maybe they close, on average, seven deals. Maybe they close, on average, $2.2 million.

Then you divide that into your new production goal—whatever that goal is—and it will tell you very specifically how many agents you need to add to your roster.

Now, if your current agents increase their production, and I hope they do, fantastic. But I’m not counting on that.

What I’m counting on is what I can control.

You can’t control your agents’ production.

You can motivate. You can train. You can coach. You can buy new technology. You can add more staff.

But at the end of the day, you can’t control whether they’re going to produce more real estate results.

What you can control is your own actions every day when it comes to your recruiting strategy.

And when you do your job recruiting as a team leader or brokerage owner—when you’re adding producing agents to your roster—your production will rise. Period. Full stop.

So if you want help with this and you’re saying, “Jim, I hear what you’re saying. I want to recruit. I just need guidance. I need accountability to recruit at a higher level,” sign up for a discovery call with me below:

Sign up your discovery call here.

It’s 30 minutes, and you’ll be talking to me directly.

Let’s talk about your company. Let’s talk about your goals. Let’s create a plan and a strategy to help you hit every goal you’ve set.

You can do it—you just need to focus on what really moves the needle, and that is recruiting on a daily basis.

Love to have that conversation with you. Have a great day, and good selling.