Why do agents stay at a company rather than leave and go somewhere else? Forty-three percent of agents report the number one reason they're loyal to their current company is not their compensation plan. In fact, only 13% rate their compensation plan as the number one reason they're staying.

Forty-three percent rate the culture at the company—the culture, the vision, and the leadership of the company they're working at—as the number one factor for sticking around and staying loyal. So think about that from your perspective as a brokerage owner or team leader.

What’s your culture like when somebody comes in? How do they feel about working in your environment or office space? Does it feel like a family? Does it feel like you’ve got esprit de corps, you're having fun, you're energized? Is it a fun place to be with a shared vision of what you're trying to build? Or do you not have that?

If you don't have that, you're at risk of losing people to other firms that have a better vision, bett...

If you're a brokerage owner or team leader, I want to talk to you about something that's kind of outside the box—and that is what we call “adoption rates.”

What's adoption? Adoption means you bring in technology, a system, a tool, or maybe a training program into the company, and you watch as only 20% of the people utilize it—and 80% do not.

That's the rule of thumb: The 80/20 rule.

So you start to wonder why the heck you would bring anything into this company? You feel tempted to cut everything: the technology they’re not using, the training, the mentorship program—this, that, and the other.

Well, remember there's also an 80/20 rule in production too:

20% of the people are doing 80% of the production.

So when you cut these things, you might actually be hurting the people who are supporting the company the most.

But I want you to rethink the 80/20 rule for a second.

When we measure whether we should cut, keep, or add something to the company, don’t just look at whether people a...

If you're a broker, owner, or manager running weekly team or office meetings, here’s one key component you might be missing: the “Genesis Conversation.”

The Genesis Conversation happens when someone talks about a new listing, a new escrow, a pending deal, or a closed sale. When they share that win, ask them:

• "Where did that lead come from?"
• "What was the genesis of that client?"
• "How did you find the buyer or seller?"

When you get everyone in the room sensitized on what’s actually working and creating results, something powerful happens:

Your whole team focuses on what creates results.

Most of the time, you’ll find that 70-80% of the business comes from repeat and referral clients. But you’ll also uncover seasonal patterns or specific lead sources that are currently hot—like open houses, sign calls, online marketing, farming, or targeting absentee owners.

It’s a simple but effective way to direct your team's attention to activities that produce results.

And it's a key trai...

I want to give you a strategy to start using every day in your office.

As you're walking through the halls and having conversations with your agents, follow those conversations up by asking, "How’s your pipeline?"

You’re communicating to your team that you care about their performance and want to help them reach the next level in their business.

By asking those magic words—"How’s your pipeline?"—you’re going to unlock a lot of meaningful conversations.

People will say things like:

• "I wish I was doing better"
• "I feel like I'm underperforming"
• "My last listing just sold"
• Or "I’ve only got one escrow left and I’m worried about paying the bills"

You’re going to hear a lot of that. And that’s exactly what you want.

Don’t avoid those conversations… go straight at them.

Because if you’re not having that talk, someone else is... and that someone is likely trying to recruit your agents by offering them a solution.

You are going to be that solution.

When an agent shares a challe...

Here’s a question: Of the three types of real estate companies I’m about to describe, which do you think is the most dangerous to own in terms of survival?

• Type 1: Small boutique company with 1–30 agents, operating in a metro or small town.
• Type 2: Mid-size firm with 30–70 agents, maybe up to 100 in a bigger city.
• Type 3: Large firms with 70–100+ agents, scaling up to hundreds or even thousands.

Which one is the most dangerous?

For brokerage owners watching this, the answer is the mid-size company.

Here’s why: mid-size companies lack the economies of scale that smaller or larger companies enjoy.

• Small boutique companies operate on a lean footprint with minimal staff. They can hit their niche, maintain high profitability, and foster strong loyalty among their agents. They’re easier to manage and highly efficient.
• Large firms benefit from collective contributions. Even small amounts from many agents add up, allowing for investment in larger offices, better technology, more
...

I get this question all the time from brokerage owners and team leaders: “How do I start recruiting today when I don’t have everything built yet?”

They often feel stuck in a catch-22: They think they need to build their vision first in order to start recruiting, but they don’t have the money or resources to build it because they don’t have agents yet.

Here’s the answer: People will buy into your vision as long as you can articulate it clearly and tie it to a timeline.

When you’re talking to agents, say something like:

"I’ve got this vision of the kind of company I want to build. I’m looking for a few people who want to get in on the ground floor and help me build it. We call them ‘founder agents.’ They’ll be right there, side by side with me, helping shape this vision. Can I explain to you what I’m trying to create?"

If you can sit with people and lay out a clear vision of what you’re working towards, they’ll buy into it. It doesn’t have to be 100% built yet—that’s what you’re wor...

Have you ever lost an agent? I have.

If you're a broker owner or a team leader, you probably have too. At some point, an agent decides to leave, and it feels terrible—like getting punched in the face. It's emotional, and you might wonder: Why did that happen? Was it my failure, or is it just part of the industry?

Here's the hard truth: it often is a failure on our part.

Specifically, it's a failure to understand where that agent was in their career. And that failure stems from a lack of communication with the agent.

Retention—that's what we're talking about here. Keeping agents starts with building relationships. And relationships come from spending time with your agents.

Time leads to relationships, and relationships lead to retention. So, the first step is spending more time with your agent team.

Now, you might say, “Jim, I’ve got a 200-agent office. There’s no way I can spend more time with all of them.” But it’s not about hours of one-on-one time. Even five or ten minutes can...

Let’s do a quick quiz for team leaders and brokerage owners to test how well you know your agents. This is essential for agent retention. While recruiting is critical, retaining your agents is just as important—if not more so. Retention is all about re-recruiting your agents consistently: every week, every month, every year.

Here’s the key: friends don’t leave, and friends refer friends. Your agents—your customers—need to see you as more than just their leader. They need to see you as a friend. And that kind of relationship only happens when you invest time in them and approach your interactions relationally, not transactionally.

Many brokerage owners and team leaders make the mistake of thinking transactionally. They view agents as numbers in a model—hiring 10 new agents a month and watching eight leave. It’s a churn-and-burn approach that feels like a meat grinder.

That’s not how you build a strong company.

A successful brokerage or team thrives on community, culture, and relatio...

If I were to sit down with you today and talk about why an agent should join your firm, what would be the top five reasons?

I do this all the time—teaching live classes and coaching brokerage owners and team leaders. This is a conversation I love to have. Often, I'll hear things like, "We're a family-oriented organization, we have a great culture, we do a lot of social events, we're really engaged with the community, and we're hyper-local. Staff is great, we have an open-door policy."

Those are all great things… But these are centered around what I call “soft value.”

Soft value is what keeps agents at your company. It’s important for retention—and trust me, you want to retain agents.

But if you’re going to move agents from one company to another, you need a different conversation, one focused on “hard value.”

Hard value moves agents, soft value keeps them.

So, what's hard value? It’s anything that helps me close more transactions in the next 12 months. When I'm sitting across fro...

As a real estate professional, you understand the significance of company culture in shaping the success of your brokerage or team. Building a positive and engaging culture is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent in the industry. In this article, we will explore the various aspects of creating a fun and vibrant real estate company culture that fosters productivity, collaboration, and employee satisfaction. 

1. Define Your Company's Core Values

The foundation of any strong culture lies in the core values that guide the actions and decisions of the organization. Take the time to identify and define the core values that align with your vision and mission as a real estate company. These values should reflect what your team stands for and what you believe in as a collective.

For example, one of your core values could be "Excellence," where you strive to provide exceptional service and go above and beyond for your clients. Another core value could be "Collaboration," e...