Awesome Insights from Recruiter Carl Vandergoot
By Julie Escobar
There is so much to be learned from like-minded colleagues in our industry and it’s just incredible when someone is open to sharing their knowledge with others. This week, we caught up with a terrific broker and recruiter Carl Vandergoot who gave us his insights for becoming and staying a profitable recruiter in today’s market.
Here’s an excerpt from our interview:
Q: First, Carl, can you tell our readers a little about yourself and your business?
A: I sold real estate for 29 years the last 7 as Broker Owner of RE/MAX Centre City. I do not sell real estate anymore, just manage and coach our agents. I have sold nearly 1,800 homes in my career, and I use this in our “Coaching with Carl” program, to increase the production of our agents. We are a team of 105 Realtors — of which 99% are full-time agents. We have the highest per person production in our city by 50% over our competition. Our company is agent driven, THEY are our customers. Both our staff and I are totally dedicated to providing as many tools possible for our agents to do business at a high level. We provide the highest level of service to our agents by giving them the freedom to sell and not worry about the details. We have a Virtual Assistant, Pre-Listing Packages and Listing Presentations that we fully customize and prepare for them. We create Client “pop-by” gifts, Just Listed and Just Sold cards and much more.
Q: Wow – that’s awesome! What kind of trends and changes are you feeling in the market as a broker and recruiter?
A: Market changes would be pressure on lower commissions (That’s why we create the programs we do–to fully arm our agents when going on an appointment.) I believe that there are two types of real estate companies emerging…the Full Service Brokerage which is totally focused on the agent and the companies where the primary feature is a low fee. Agents who really want to grow their business are looking for a full service Brokerage to help them do more business. The public is much more educated today and they have tools that never used to be there in the past…primarily the Internet with access to all the data. Agents today need to sell their services and their negotiating skills more than ever before.
Q: What would you say are the top practices you use to recruit (and keep) a solid, cohesive team of agents?
A: Let them know that you care about them and their customers. Be innovative with new ideas and technology, and provide more tools and services to make it easier for them. I have learned that most agents can have a great idea but never implement it…that’s what we do and they love it.
Q: Do you have a favorite “Judy strategy” that’s worked for you in your recruiting efforts?
A: I have many…the best are the “Lumpy Letters”.
Q: If you had to give one great piece of advice to a new or even experienced recruiter and broker –what would it be?
A: That’s easy: PICK UP THE PHONE!
Q: Great advice Carl! If our readers want to connect with you – what is the best place to do that?
A: Sure – you can find me through my site: www.carlvandergoot.com
Thank you so much Carl for sharing your experience and ideas. We appreciate the opportunity to connect industry leaders from all over the globe who are willing to share what it takes to succeed with less stress in our business!
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