(And Keep Your Sense of Humor)
By Real Estate Recruiting Speaker and Coach Judy LaDeur
Do you have fun with your recruiting and your marketing? Most brokers think that recruiting letters should be serious and all about the money. However whenever NAR conducts a survey, most agents consistently place money at the bottom of the list, not the top! The reason for that is that most agents are emotional decision makers, which means that they base decisions on how they feel, not facts and money.
Most of us have our own “style” of recruiting, and we tend to treat others the way we want to be treated, or send marketing pieces that we would want to receive. Sending what resonates with you, will resonate with about half of the agents, but what about the other half? There are two distinct types of personalities and four different behavior patterns. Each makes their decision based on different criteria, and looks for different things. The two basic personality types are: Emotional decision makers, and Logical decision makers.
An Emotional decision maker makes their decisions on emotional factors. They ask themselves questions such as: Do I like this person? Would I be happy here? Do they like me? What type of support and training would I get from this person? Do I like their agents? Are they like a family here? Small talk and chit-chat are good for this agent. It helps to determine some things that you have in common. It also shows that you are interested in them, and the things that they care about. Emotional agents look for the right environment. In the interview they must “feel good” about you and what you have to say. They place less emphasis on the money, or facts that might prove that they would make more money. They know that if they are happy, they will be successful and in return, make more money. My experience shows that approximately 70% of all agents are emotional decision makers, and therefore about 70% of your interviews will be with emotional decision makers. By the way, they are the agents that will say, “I know I could make more money here, but I love my broker, and I like the people I work with, but thanks anyway!” They usually only leave their current broker when they become unhappy with the broker or the office. It is not usually to make more money.
A great way to get the attention of emotional agents is to send lumpy letters or lumpy follow up notes. What are lumpy notes? They are a note or letter with something “lumpy” inside. You could send a magnifying glass with a note that says, “Why not take a closer look at what (your company) is all about.” Or a compass with the note “Not sure which direction your career is headed? Why not take a look at (your company). We would love to for you going in the right direction.” How often do agents say “I am so busy, I don’t even have time to eat!” Send them a few granola bars with a note that says “The next time you are too busy to eat, have a bar on me, or better yet, let me buy you lunch! Enclosed is a certificate for a Free Lunch. The only catch? You need to take me to pay!”
Emotional agents love what makes them laugh. Need some ideas? Our Ultimate Real Estate Recruiting Letters and Marketing Resource Kit has over 40 Lumpy Letters designed to make recruiting fun and build relationships fast!
Logical decision makers on the other hand, look at the money and the facts. They do not need small talk in the interview. In fact, they find small talk and chit-chat irritating. Logical decision makers look at everything logically. If they could make more money somewhere else, then logically speaking they should look at that option. If the facts prove that another firm has more opportunities for them to do business, then they would look at that as an opportunity to move forward. They are very interested in technology and what you can do to support their ability to earn money easier by the use of technology. For logical agents, use letters which focus your tools and systems which help them earn more money in less time!
How can you tell if they are an emotional decision maker or a logical decision maker? It is in the face and the pace!
The face of an emotional decision maker is smiling and very open and genuinely friendly. If you smile at them, they instantly smile back. The face of a logical decision maker is more serious and business like in nature. Very, ‘matter of fact’. When you smile at them, you may get a courtesy return smile, but then it is back to business.
If you want to take your recruiting up a notch, take the time to determine what each agent will best relate to and what they are looking for, based on their behavior type. It will make a huge difference in your results!
Want to learn more? Visit us online today at www.JudyLaDeur.com. I recently launched our powerful letter library and marketing resource to help brokers and recruiters maximize their success rate in ANY market! Click here to learn all about it!