…For Recruiting and Attracting The Consumer?

The post, the email, the marketing message that is going to generate more buyer leads, more seller leads or more recruits to your real estate office or real estate team?

I want to chat with you about getting conversions, which is our ultimate goal. People seem to believe that it’s going to be one ad. What’s the one ad that’s going to make the recruits want to join my team or company?

What’s the one ad, the ninja copywriting, the image that gets people’s attention and is going to cause them to engage and convert? And that’s the wrong question. It’s a body of work. One of the things I watch happen all the time is someone will see a post or an email that maybe one of my clients is using and it performs at a massive level. I share with them and they think they can go run it at their audience and get the same result. It doesn’t happen and they wonder why.

Marketing is not a one trick pony. It’s a series of events over time. And the first thing that has to happen is you have to build trust and that trust is built by not running conversion-based language at your audience all the time. You are burning through your list. You’ve got to make deposits in the business relationship equity account. I also have certain clients (massive branders) where I can go right to a conversion-based message immediately. Keep in mind they have been building authority in the marketplace. They have been making deposits in the business relationship equity account. They have been building trust.

So don’t fall for the trap. If you see a post or receive an email written really well and you get really excited about it and then you get let down because you copy it and it doesn’t perform well…

It’s due to what have you done to lead up to that message that matters as much or more. What deposits have you made? 95% of your audience is not in the consideration phase, they’re in the indifferent phase. So when you run conversion rap, as I like to call it, at them in an email, buy this, do this, join us, we’re amazing… you are irrelevant. What you need to think about is making those deposits in the business relationship equity account.

The other thing that you need to think about is this, message to market match. The one size fits all message isn’t going to work. Are you paying attention to the language that your audience is using when they post, when they interact on your posts, when they interact with you via email and text? Pay attention to the words because ultimately what you need to do is take the words they’re using and echo them back to them. That’s how you create the psychological and emotional bond. Everyone is trying to enter into the front of the brain with their words in all things they do for marketing. I want to sneak into the back of the brain through psychological and emotional bonds. When I’m echoing back the words that my audience is using, I’m miles ahead of the other person that’s using their scripted sales dialogue.

Why not let your audience provide the script or the language pattern that resonates with them? That’s how you build trust really fast. That’s how you spend less money and get better conversions versus someone that needs massive ad spend in whatever the objective is. Whether it’s recruiting or if it’s attracting buyers and sellers. You are building trust, you’re creating those bonds and ultimately when you continue to do that, you seed the next step. The other thing that you need to think about is the consumer awareness journey. The consumer being a recruit or a buyer or a seller. Where are they at? And there are some steps in looking at that.

Are they unaware?

In other words, they don’t have a problem. They don’t want to think about buying or sell. They don’t need something bigger or smaller. They don’t need to change real estate companies. So that’s the unaware phase.

Are they problem aware?

Is there an issue? Is the house too big, the house is too small? Do they feel they’ve outgrown the leadership or the real estate company they’re in? Okay, so then they require a different type of messaging. That’s why you need to move your messaging around to meet people where they’re at.

So you’ve got unaware, problem aware and they start snooping around and thinking they need a solution. I know what the solution is, I need this.

The the next step is you showing up and being that solution and you have moved them to your solution. Finally, ultimate awareness and choosing you. It’s a progression. You can’t have a one size fits all.

You’ve got to meet people where they’re at. Part of that is making deposits in the business relationship equity account that connects with them as a human being first.

You have two choices in anything that you send via email, anything that you post and all of your interactions.

Those two choices are strike an emotion or trigger friction. The triggering of friction is what most conversion-based marketing language does when someone hasn’t built trust and hasn’t made deposits in the business relationship equity account. Look real closely at that.

It’s like this, don’t be the person that shows up at the cocktail party that knows no one, but within five minutes everyone knows that you’re that salesman, that annoying salesman in their face, and then wonder why nothing good comes from your networking. This is what most people are experiencing with their emails that don’t convert, high opt outs and low open rates… And people want to say email doesn’t work. No, it’s the message. When people are posting something on social media and it doesn’t work or get a result. It’s not the platform, it’s the message. Are you meeting people where they’re at?

I hope you found that valuable. Hope you pay close attention to it. You’re going to find that if you actually pulled back on your calls to action in today’s social rules of engagement, in today’s email environment, your results will change dramatically.

You’ve got to make calls to action, but make more deposits. And then when you make those deposits, you build that trust. The next obvious step for them to take that feels natural and feels good is for them to engage and become a conversion that didn’t cost you a bunch of money and didn’t cause a lot of friction.

…don’t grow?

They’ve bought into myths which I will eliminate and get you on your way to growth…

Myth #1:  Our split, cap, fee, revenue share, etc. need to change for me to even be able to compete.

Myth #2: I don’t have time to recruit, I am too busy selling or running the day-to-day business.

In 1998, my third year as a branch manager I took over a job of an office of just over 100 agents.

To say I was scared would be an understatement. I went to work for a multi-office organization January 1 in a role where the company ALWAYS hired from within.

My nervousness, discomfort and a knowing many of the agents would be upset with the choice the company made in hiring from outside was through the roof.

I knew there was one solution to make a strong statement and have an immediate impact…

…have a MASSIVE recruiting month.

I was taught early…Recruiting Solves All Problems.

I was fortunate to recruit 12 agents into the office my first month, but there was a problem.

Ownership was very pleased with the result, but I was not. There were a ton of agents that didn’t join because of “The Splits” and “Fees”…

…or so I thought.

I went to ownership and said, “Well if the splits and fees were different I could of recruited 20 agents…EASY!”

At that point, he did one of the most impactful things for me and my career to this day

“OK Jon, here’s the deal. Go back to those agents and offer them anything you want to for the next 30 days”

…and so I did.

Any guesses on how many of those agents joined?

ZERO.

Right there and then I had a discovery that would change the course of my career, and to this day…

…do the same for Brokers, Owners and Team Leaders I continue to coach throughout the world. 

The first reflection I had was, “How many of my agents could go to another brokerage and cut a better deal?”

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM… and today, every single one of YOUR AGENTS could go cut a better deal with another brokerage or team.

How come they don’t leave?

LEADERSHIP!

My focus immediately shifted to reverse engineering what I was doing to retain the current agents in my office and look closely at what it was that made agents choose to join in the first place.

If there was ONE MODEL truly impacting my office and taking my agents, that model would of put everyone out of business long ago.

To this day there are so many different models it’s confusing. No one has put EVERYONE out of business.

It’s not the business model agents choose, it’s the leadership model they choose. Being the leader of choice.

I remember 2000-2002 as a General Manager of a Multi-Office, Tri-State Consortium of Real Estate Offices, Keller Williams was applying massive pressure to the market successfully.

They still do and while brand/model agnostic, I hold great respect for them. 

They were on an undeniable growth trajectory and I was even approached by them.

“Thanks so much..not interested. I know exactly what you are doing and it’s not what people think you.

You have everyone distracted by the profit share model, but in reality, you are attracting agents to community, belonging and an inclusionary process.

You are building on an abundant environment of cross-pollination and idea exchange with massive collaboration.

Your recruiting strategy is to hold training/recruiting events to allow agents to “experience your leadership…to create an experience of what it’s going to be like when they join, before they join.

I get it, I learned this lesson personally in 1998, it’s not about the splits, fee, profit share etc.

People don’t join or leave a business model, they join or leave the competency and relevancy of the leader, PERIOD.”

Again, all our current agents can get a better deal, how come they have not all left us?

Broker/Owners have reached out to me for years, frustrated because they have offered agents a TRUE no fee; 100% split for 12 months, 18 months and even 24 months…

The agents still wouldn’t join.

It’s not about the splits, fees and revenue share.

Time and again I see it happening to this day, agents joining Brokers, Owners and Teams for substantially lower splits and higher fees…Constantly.

People join or leave a leaders ability to demonstrate the best investment/return model.

Agents are investing a portion of their commissions in a partnership with THE leader who can demonstrate through their ability to facility growth for an agent and the Highest Return…

If agents join you because of the money (model) they will leave you because of money (model).

Agents leave you based on how they joined you and there will never be enough money to keep a relationship together.

But wait Jon, you just said it is investment/return…it is, along with the psychological and emotional bonds and your community they become connected to and their sense of belonging.

Again, how many of your current agents could go cut a better deal somewhere else? Ultimately every human being chooses with their heart and justifies with their minds.

So how do we put this all into action in the recruiting process Jon?

Prove it to me.

1. No one believes what they are told, they believe what they experience. Create an experience of what it’s going to be like when they join, before they join.

2. Everyone wants to buy, no one wants to be sold. STOP running conversion language “Join Us Join Us Join Us”. Ever have that interview you thought went really good and then the agent “ghosted” you…disappeared? Didn’t return calls, texts or emails?

Of course, you went to conversion language way too early. They weren’t ready, they were in discovery NOT consideration mode. So you were irrelevant in current space in time to them.

3. It takes 14 contacts on average before an experience agent makes a move. 14 contacts of value and deposits in the business relationship equity account. Asking an experienced agent to make a move prior to that when they have not raised their hand is simply moving an agent in the “indifferent” phase of change to “annoyed”.  I see it time and again working with over 70 leaders a week on my coaching calls.

4. The obstruction is not splits, fees, revenue share etc. We are going to an atm machine with our bank card trying to make a withdrawal from an account with no money in it. We make a call and can’t get an appointment, or interview with an agent and can’t get them to join.

The heart chooses, the mind justifies. We have not “made deposits in the business relationship equity account”. We have not built the bond and demonstrated our leadership at a high enough level for them to TRUST this is a better opportunity for them.

5. Coach, train and lead the competitors agents better than their current agents are so that one of two things happen.

A. The agent eventually sees value and wants to join.

B. Something happens at their current brokerage and they decide to join.

6. Recruiting is not a one trick pony or an event. It’s a series of events over time. Think about it this way, they are no different than a lead. You must market daily with the RIGHT MESSAGE on Social Media, Weekly Minimum Drip Campaigns, Operate in a CRM, and Daily Calling. It is no different than the expectations you have of your agents. Recruiting Requires A Proven System and Process.

7. Humans have 3 Favorite Subjects, Me, Myself and I. I always ask Broker/Owners, “So based on this TRUTH, how does your marketing message, call dialogue and interview look now? Is it all about you?”

No one wants to be “Feature Dumped”. Remember, everyone wants to buy, no one wants to be sold.

8.  Not Enough Time To Recruit?

How do you handle when an agent leaves and what is the true net cost to you?

1.  Market positioning

2.  Market perception

3.  Internal perception and the likelihood another agent or more could leave with them

My strong suggestion is make the time or hire someone today. It’s really that simple.

Final Pro Tip: If you are making calls and struggling to get appointments, it’s probably not what you are saying that’s the problem (although that could be part of it)

What are you sending them BEFORE you call them?

A.  We are so amazing, we are the best, we have the best deals.

B.  You are sending them nothing.

C.  You are warming them up, no longer making COLD calls, by sending them an item of value WITHOUT conversion language. You are invoking the law of reciprocity and the law of fair exchange which makes them feel obligated to talk with you and more likely to schedule an appointment.

We choose C and make deposits in the business relationship equity account so that when you make the call, you can make the withdrawal (get them to spend their time with you on the phone and meet with you)

This is how leaders are experiencing growth and profitability in the recruiting and leadership game.

If it’s time for you to grow, maybe we should have a discussion…

But why don’t they leave?

After over 20 years of working with leaders, still to this day, the number one obstruction in recruiting and retention is the business model they have to negotiate and or overcome…(Splits, Fees, Revenue Share, etc.)

Let’s first pause for a moment…could each of your current agents go out and negotiate a better split or fee somewhere else tomorrow?

Of course they could, but why don’t they?  Because you are meeting the expectations created when they joined.

Here are some basic guidelines you will find helpful so that you can…not only retain your agents…while at the same time, attract the right agents to your team or company.

Here are 7 quick tips every leader needs to know to retain your agents:

1. If agents joint you purely because of money, they will leave you because of money. Watch your messaging closely in the recruiting process.
2. Too much selling and not enough crafting of a long-term business relationship in the recruiting process will come back to haunt you after they join.
3. Be up front in the interview and let the agent know that you have flaws as a team or company and even as a leader. Truth and transparency wins every time.
4. Constant acknowledgment and creating an experience of belonging are two basic needs of agents that will always trump any amount of money, or you have hired the wrong people.
5. Constant feedback loops are a must. You will find more than anything, people just want to be heard.
6. Death by meeting, huddle and KPI will drive your agents into the ground and right out the door.  Less is more by the way when it comes to driving agent productivity.
7. Consistently deliver a powerful sales meeting that agents can’t wait to attend.  It’s a big deal.

people have to experience it.

I always ask leaders, “What is the single most greatest thing that will make an agent want to join your team or company?”

The number one response every single time…Culture.

I then ask everyone in the room “Sell Me Culture”.

You can’t sell culture, culture is something that must be experienced.

In many cases this realization is the tiny hinge that will swing a big door of growth open for their organization…I hope it will for you.

So if you can’t sell the single most greatest attraction to your organization, how do we allow people to experience it and ultimately join us?

How many times do agents or event you, go to a seminar, only to leave and do absolutely nothing that was taught?  We’ve all been there.  Coupled with learning new content to implement, we all need leadership to drive the action steps going forward.  Be the leader that helps agents before you actually help them as one of your agents for the future.  They will see your value in most cases being greater than their current leader and eventually join.

Sounds too simple?  It is but it isn’t.  It’s simple but most leaders won’t stay consistent.  Be that consistent leader giving value to agents in the marketplace and become the productive agent magnet.

the consumer and your recruit prospects.

First I want to say congratulations if you are using video with intention and consistently in your business…

It’s a really big deal.

…and before I go any further, to be clear, I mean “face to camera” video consistently building your credibility and authority in the markeplace.

There is nothing more powerful.

OK, so you’ve heard this before…and here is what is really exciting about it…

Most of your competition is not afraid of video, they are terrified.  This plays well for the agent like you committed to video.

I want to help you now be even more impactful with your video so you can generate more sales and recruit more agents.

Let’s first look at some compelling FACTS and then I will give you the simple FRAMEWORK for a video that has high impact:

FACTS

1. 50% of the impact of communication is from body language. Looks like you are beating the pants off the competition if they are only using text, email, and telephone.
2. The Nilsen Rating company did a recent study on video based on someone watching the first 3 seconds and found that:
   • Impact on ad recall goes up 47%
   • Impact on brand awareness goes up 32%
   • Impact on purchase intent goes up 44%
3. Video when used in Email
   • Boost open rates by 19%.
   • Boost click-through rates by 65%.
   • Reduce unsubscribes by 26%.

FRAMEWORK

The simple video formula that increases engagement and conversions:

1. Open a loop of curiosity: Ask a question that is answered in the content of the video or make a bold statement that is broken down in the video.
2. Then introduce yourself.
3. Tell your audience exactly what you are going to cover.
4. Future pace or foreshadow if you want to increase the likelihood of them watching the whole video.
5. Be informational and educational
6. Pivot and seed the next step telling them what you want them to do next.

As you can see from the data provided, consistent implementation of video with the right framework can dramatically distance you from the competition in both your sales and recruiting environment…

In a social media dominated world…and some old principles that still hold strong.

When I look at the marketing that is done in our industry and the guidance from coaches and gurus, the best way I can sum it all up is this…

It’s like everyone is single, walking into a bar on a Friday night and before they even know a person’s name, they have asked them to get married and have 3 children…

And we wonder why the consumer ranks us right up there with used car salesmen.

I’ve got great news for you…this strategy is causing your competition and maybe you, to miss out on 95% of the opportunities in the marketplace every single day and I have a solution.

Let’s first look at how this kind of marketing is going 100 percent against human nature.

1. Everyone wants to buy or to have something better, no one wants to be sold.
2. People don’t choose to work with you because of your sales skills, they choose to work with you only when they trust you.
3. The consumer has all the information they need at their fingertips, no longer do they have to listen to an outdated, cheesy sales dialogue you learned at a recent seminar.  You are one click away from being history.
4. 95% of your audience is the consumer awareness journey of indifferent, so in most cases you are saying the right things to the wrong people.

It’s all about your messaging…connecting with people where they are at, when they are there, in the form and frequency they desire…

And your competitors will continue to use the “One Size Fits All” message that works, with high cost of human and financial resource and low conversions.

We are going to meet people where they are at and pull them to us by building trust.  We are going to make deposits in the business relationship equity account while the competitors continue to try and make withdrawals from a relationship account that is overdrawn.  This is winning in today’s new Social Rules of Engagement.

Be The Information Portal

If 95% of the audience today is indifferent, that means only 5% of all consumers are in the consideration phase of taking action.  Running a marketing message at the biggest audience currently indifferent does one thing, turns them from indifferent to annoyed.  The “One Size Fits All” message is dead.  Here are 3 simple steps that can dramatically increase engagement, conversions and close more sales…and a formula for when to ask for business.

1. Provide the consumer with community organic community events information in the form of a video weekly (without calls to action).
2. Use video to interview local businesses.
3. Create a monthly market snapshot video.

The Formula (Budget and Frequency)

Before running any conversion based marketing at an audience, ask yourself one question, “Have I warmed up the audience or are they a cold audience?”  Remember, don’t ask someone to marry you and have 3 kids before you even know their name

If you are starting a campaign at a cold audience, my suggestion is to be the informant for 3-4 weeks constantly making deposits in the business relationship equity account.  Warm them up to build trust and then launch conversion campaigns at the same audience.

You will find a highly receptive audience that engages in your content and ultimately chooses you.

with the right message and a few other components

Ready, fire, aim recruiting won’t grow your real estate team or company.

As in all things you must have the powerful combination of the right message, consistency, measurement, adjusting where needed and relaunch.

I am going to give you the readiness and proper aim so that you can conquer the challenges you may be having in recruiting…and even support you in going to the next level if you have an already successful recruiting initiative.

One of the biggest mistakes in recruiting is not sending something to your prospects prior to calling – or sending the wrong message.

You will dramatically increase your contact to appointment scheduled conversions by sending out an item of value to your prospects prior to making a call.

What you are doing is invoking two critical laws; the law of fair exchange and the law of reciprocity.   When we give something of value to someone prior to asking for something in return, an appointment, we are more comfortable asking for the appointment. This is fair exchange.

The law of reciprocity simply states that when someone is given something they feel obligated to give something in return.  The return we are looking for again is an appointment. Send something an agent can use in their business today whether a strategy, tip, or even a business plan. There must be NOTHING in the content that promotes you, your company or your team.

Try it and let me know how your contact to appointment scheduled ratio starts to climb.

If your numbers don’t go up dramatically, you will need to take a look at your language patterns when making calls…

Email is dead said the guru

Email is dead if you don’t breathe life into it by marrying it with a calling initiative, you must marry your online activities with a consistent off-line strategy and system.  We have launched millions of emails over the last 8 years and here is what we have found.

100% Increase in email open rates when complemented by consistent calls

Start launching items of value to your prospects consistently and make calls behind each email campaign.

Engagement, Conversion to Recruiting Interview and the Hiring of Productive agents will start to increase.

but you can facilitate the best condition for them to choose or choose not to be productive.

At the top of the mountain team leaders, brokers, owners and managers are shouting, “Join our company or team and these great big results will appear…

The numbers don’t lie in most cases, a large percentage of agents in the real estate industry are just NOT productive…

I have found there are two types of agents that are productive…(we will get to that a little bit later in the blog)

NOTE:  Sorry, one of them is not an agent with a BIG WHY..so ridiculous

Here are the rules, like them or not:

No one is inspired by your “to do” list.

1. The number one way to get a human being to make a choice, change, and move into productivity is through self-discovery.
2. Your huddles, death by meeting after meeting, role-play to nausea, and endless training classes will NOT make an agent productive…
3. True training does not take place in the classroom, it takes place when the agent is in the action.
4. One size fits all leadership and training will not grow an organization.
5. You must meet each individual you lead where they are at on the continuum of growth and productivity.
6. Everyone has different goals in life and business.
7. Goals are antiquated, commitment is the NOW.
8. People will not perform until they know where they fit socially within a team or real estate company.

I have probably just flipped your script upside down and thats a good thing because if you are reading this, you are someone that is focus on growth.

Here is my simple tip.  Take a look at 1-9 above and see where you may be leading similar to the ways above that are NOT working and reverse engineer from that a new way of leadership.

A way that is getting beat results for many.