The secret to recruiting a sales superstar? There isn’t one

Recruitment is one of the biggest challenges in the real estate industry. It is something that companies are constantly working on for a very simple reason, roughly 33% of new real estate agents will leave after two years .

The question is then how do we know who to recruit? How do we know who will become a real estate super star and who will fail? 

Unfortunately the answer is it is not possible to know who will make it and who will not who will succeed and who will not.

This is not something that is unique to real estate agents and real estate sales. It is something that happens in most industries that are highly competitive and depend on individuals pushing themselves.

In his book The Transparency Sale Todd Caponi compares sales to professional sports and brings the US’s National Football League’s recruitment as an example:

“Teams start scouting next year's talent the day after the current year’s draft… These scouting department staff members have substantial budgets, and spend their time watching these potential recruits play in college, high school, and in some cases, since middle school….they’re also analysing their off-the-field behaviours, study habits in college, and their demonstrated levels of intelligence… over 30o potential draftees are brought in by invitation-only for a series of intense testing. “

“The results? In an analysis of the past twenty years of player drafting,

• 16.7% of the players drafted never ended up playing for the team that

• drafted them;

• 37.0% of the players drafted were never able to make a positive contribution to the team

• 15.3% of the players drafted tenure with the team was deemed “underwhelming.

Meaning 69% of professionally-recruited players essentially fail on their athletic endeavours.”

Recruiting salespeople is very similar. While questions, personality tests, aptitude tests and peoples past give you an indication of their potential. It is impossible to know who will make it and who won’t. Because only when people actually start working as real estate agents will they know if they like it, if they can handle the rejection, if they are willing to do what they are meant to do and unfortunately most realise that they don’t only after they start working.

What can we do? Make sure that we are honest with potential real estate agents about the hardship of the business, have a very serious conversation with them and check if they are prepared.

When they start providing training, give them the support they need but also keep them accountable. It is better for them to quit quickly than suffer for two years and then quit.

There is no way to know who will make it and who will not. Some people who have all the right pedigrees quit after six months and others who have nothing to show become superstars, it comes down to the individual's desire and this cannot be measured.