What Does a Non-Productive Agent Really Cost You?

What does that non-productive agent really cost you? I don’t believe most brokers realize they are doing irreparable damage to their companies by hiring those who aren’t going to go right to work—and keeping those who won’t work. Here are the 3 biggest consequences to recruiting I see. What do you think?

Non-Productive agents kill your recruiting three ways.

1. Likes attract. How can brokers hope to hire that great producer when they have more than 10% of their office as non-producers? I can see it now. “Sure, I’ll come to your office. I’m a top producer, and I just love to be dragged down by those non-producers. It will be my pleasure to waste my time with them.” Not.

2. Kills your recruiting message. Do you have a training program? Do you use it to recruit? Here’s the real message: “We have a training program. All our new agents go through it. We don’t get any results from the program, so it really doesn’t work. But, join us.” You can’t possibly show how successful your training program makes your agents because your training program can’t possibly get results—poor people in and no actions and accountability required.

3.  Kills your agents’ desire to provide referrals to you. Your outcomes and hiring practices speak more loudly than you could possible speak. Why would one of your good agents possibly refer someone to you when your good agent doesn’t see those you hired starting right out and making money fast?

This Market Won’t Cure Your Hiring-Retention Problem

In a fast market, ‘accidental sales’ buoyed poor agents and made them look at though they were actually selling enough real estate to be a ‘median’ agent. When the market left, so did the agents’ ‘mirage’ of decent production. Now, brokers, need to hire with purpose (using a stringent, professional interview process). Then, they need to put agents right to work with a proven start-up plan.

What do you think a non-productive agent costs the company? What isn’t in my line items that you’ve observed? Click here for a document I’m sharing with you so you can see what I think the real costs of poor hiring and retention costs a company.