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The Real Estate Brokerage “Danger Zone”: Why Mid-Size Firms Struggle (And How to Avoid It)

 

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...
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How to Recruit Agents for Your Brokerage (Even If You’re Just Getting Started!)

 

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...

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Why Agents Leave Your Brokerage (And How to Stop It): Proven Retention Strategies for Team Leaders

 

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...

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7 Questions Every Broker Should Answer to Keep Agents Loyal & Boost Retention!

 

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...

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How to Use “Hard Value” to Recruit Agents from Other Brokerages

 

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...

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The Importance of Building a Fun and Engaging Real Estate Company Culture

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...

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How to Successfully Retain Top Realtors for Your Real Estate Firm

Recruiting and retaining top realtors is crucial for the success and growth of your real estate firm. However, it can be a challenging task in a competitive industry. By understanding what realtors are seeking in a brokerage, being proactive in hiring, leveraging technology, creating a positive work environment, and offering attractive perks and benefits, you can build a strong team of realtors who will contribute to the long-term success of your firm.

Here are 5 Ways to Retain Top REALTORS at Your Firm 

1. Foster a Positive Work Environment

Create a positive work environment that fosters collaboration, teamwork, and mutual support. Encourage open communication, recognize achievements, and provide regular feedback to realtors. Foster a sense of belonging and community within your brokerage, making realtors feel valued and appreciated.

2. Provide Ongoing Training and Development

Invest in the professional development of your real estate agents. Offer ongoing training...

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How to Retain Amazing Agents and Skyrocket Your Real Estate Business

       

People ask me all the time, Jim, how do you retain amazing agents? You've recruited and retained some of the best agents in America. They've stayed with you for years. You took a company from a hundred million to 1.4 billion over 10 years, created a company from 39 agents to one of the top companies in America. How'd you do it?

Well, the answer is, I want you to think about the people that work for you. Just think about the landscape of people that work for you today. And I want you to ask yourself, how many of those people consider you to be their personal friend? And if the answer is, I don't think any of them do, you have a problem because you're looking at them transactionally. And that's the first mistake.

It's the same mistake agents make when they look at their clients and customers transactionally too.

I look at the top agents in America. The top agents in America don't look at their buyers and sellers as buyers and sellers. They...

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