By Margery Weinstein
RE/MAX, LLC, knows that its real estate brokers/owners require a different set of skills than agents do. While many of them also list and sell, their primary responsibility is to manage the brokerage and to grow their business. For most brokers, this means recruiting new agents. Due to a changing market environment, some brokers are challenged by their recruiting responsibilities. To provide helpful tips and ongoing motivation, RE/MAX University (RU) created the “Race to Recruit” program in 2010. This six-week, live training program was built around an auto race theme and offered incentives for top performers. Here is how it works:
- A Race to Recruit Web page was created on the RE/MAX Mainstreet extranet site for participants to register, submit performance results, or view the Leaderboard. Also, RU produced specific recruiting videos and placed links to them on the Web page for the participating brokers to access.
- To provide instruction and guidance throughout the Race to Recruit event, a weekly 90-minute video program was presented “live” from the RU TV studio at the Denver corporate headquarters. The programs were also available via 24/7 on-demand viewing on the RU Learn Web page. Each show included role-plays, interviews, and “feature video segments” of success stories, or stories about what NOT to do when running a brokerage office. Also, brokers could download accompanying print materials that reinforced program themes. Race to Recruit inspired scores of brokers to make calls, set up appointments, and recruit new agents. Brokers can still access the video programs whenever they choose, and even those who did not officially participate may view the shows and download documents any time, since everything is posted on Mainstreet.
Here are the results of The Race to Recruit program for a six-week period ending in December 2010:
Material Downloads (shows, documents, and supporting materials): 32,995
Calls made to prospects: 24,031
Interviews as a result of calls: 4,192
Agents recruited: 2,875 (during the six weeks)
Approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. RE/MAX agent count was recruited during Race to Recruit, marking it as one of the most successful recruiting programs ever employed by the company.
HAVE INPUT OR TIPS on this topic? If so, send them our way in an e-mail to lorri@trainingmag.com with the subject line “RE/MAX,” and we’ll try to include your advice in an upcoming edition of the Training Top 125 Best Practices/Executive Exchange e-newsletter.
