Recruiting experienced agents
Recruiting agents with experience can make a world of difference to your organisation’s sales performance, so it is important to have a powerful presentation which will impress and persuade them to join your team.
One technique you can use is to treat the experienced agent as if they were a buyer.
When working with a new buyer, I always sit them down and have a chat with them as a first step. I explain how I work, and how we will go about buying the house of their dreams. I then proceed to ask them a number of questions such as what they like and dislike about their current home. As we discuss locations, financial restraints, their lifestyle and their family life, I begin to match properties in our inventory with their needs. Before you know it, we've been out, looked at a couple of properties and they are back in the office signing a contract of sale.
Recruiting experienced agents requires a similar level of preparation and presentation. In fact, a good salesman will invariably recognise and appreciate someone else's successful sales pitch, and they may be sufficiently impressed by your salesmanship to want to join your team.
At the first interview, take a minute to talk about your company, including your accomplishments in the marketplace. Explain how you work, and that this interview will be to find out about each other and whether you want to work together.
Next comes the questioning process. Ask questions to find what their concerns are, what they want, why they are unhappy with their current company and what it would take for you to hire them.
This part of the interview is highly important, so have around 20–25 questions ready beforehand so that you can glean as much information as possible about their needs, experiences and processes.
Make sure you take the time to gather all the necessary information, rather than jumping all in when you notice that you and the salesperson have two of the same boxes ticked. It’s a natural instinct to want to give out information that could influence the sale, but it is important to determine their needs first so they aren’t overwhelmed by information irrelevant to them.
Once you have all the information you need, you can present specific packages that should currently meet their needs. After presenting those options, get their feedback and answer any questions that they might have.
Every presentation should be customised to meet the agent’s needs based on what they want instead of what you think they should want. Be sure to push the benefit of each system you present – such as additional income, a better work environment, systems that support their efforts and allow them to increase their production, or just make them feel better.
Then if everything is going well, you can discuss the various commission programs that are available. Your goal is to give them enough information so that they will be able to make a decision today, which by this point they should be able to do.
If they get excited about the various options you have presented, you’ll know you’re on the right track. Once you find the one for them, go through the details of the package briefly, and then you can move quickly and confidently and ask them to move into their new home - your office.
If they stall, or still have objections or concerns, handle them the way you would a buyer, remembering if they took the time to come in and talk, they can be hired.
