Recruiting: 6 Reasons They Stay and How to Move Them–Do you know? If youa��ve recruited, youa��ve heard the commona��and expecteda��objections to coming to your company. There are only about 5 or 6. But, what can you do to convince someone who is intent on staying where he/she isa��to make the move?
In this first blog, we’ll explore the first 3 reasons.
Most Common Reasons Agents Stay Where they Are
When I knew I was going to write this blog, I asked my friends on Facebook and LinkedIn to share with me what they thought were the most common reasons agents dona��t make the move. Here they are:
1.A�A�A�A�A� Starting over is time-consuming.
2.A�A�A�A�A� Re-branding can take away from your productivity.
3.A�A�A�A�A� They are a�?happy where they area��.
4.A�A�A�A�A� They arena��t convinced the grass is greener.
5.A�A�A�A�A� They are afraid of change.
6.A�A�A�A�A� They have gotten an offer from their present ownership to entice them to stay (better commission split, freebies, ownership, etc.)a��theya��re a�?bought backa��.
Some of these, I think, are valid, maybe for the wrong reasons. Leta��s look at each of them, along with exploring why people make certain decisions, and how you can affect those decisions.
1.A�A�A�A�A� 1. Starting Over is Time-Consuming
Well, thata��s true. It is. And, the longer wea��ve been in a job, the more comfortable we are there. At face value, we can all agree with that. So, as a recruiter, what can you do to ease the burden of transition? You can create a transition plan that takes away the pain. Do you have a checklist, along with the personnel, to make that transition painless (or at least almost painless)? Show you are dedicated to managing the transition so the agent can be more productive. One of the things youa��ll learn as you take them through the items on the transition plan is that most agents either have no database or a database they havena��t updated to years! So, youa��ll want to assign an assistant to update or create the database. Your transition plan should include a pre-written email and hard copy message that is customized and sent by the assistant to a designated number of people in the agenta��s database.
Managing the transition process really works. Armed with an assistant dedicated to implementing the transition plan, a top producing agent actually got more referrals and doubled his income the year he went from company A to company B. Why? Because the assistant a�?drovea�� the contacts to the agent, increasing by far the a�?touchesa�� the agent had made to his valued past clients.
Click here to get my transition plan.
2. Re-branding Can Take Away from your Productivity
This is similar to the first a�?stay where I ama�� reason. But, it goes further. Put yourself in the agenta��s shoes. How would you like to face ordering new business cards, changing your logo on all print/electronic materials, updating your website, your blog, your social media? Overwhelming. So, that must all be included in your transition plan.
Proof is in the outcome: Be sure to gather testimonials of those youa��ve helped transition, along with their income increases. That speaks volumes to the candidate!
3. They are a�?happy where they area��.
Of course they are. Wea��re all where we are because we believe it is safer, less fearful, and more predictable than the unknown. And, wea��re happy theya��re happy. But, herea��s the real question: Do you believe they would be happier with you? Do you fervently believe you can help them further their careers? Thata��s where it starts. If you believe they would be better served to be with you, ita��s your job to gain the skills to help them start feeling more comfortable with the a�?unknown.a��
The Motivational Cycle Gives Us Clues for Supporting Change
Leta��s look at how each of us decides to make a changea��in anything. What causes you to finally make any change? How discontented to you need to be before you take action? The motivational cycle gives us clues:
A�Starting the motivational cycle. First we have unrealized discontent. For example: One of our bathrooms has cried out for some re-modeling, and I have ignored the cries for years. But, finally, for some reason, I recognized that cry for a�?polisha��. I had talked to a contractor months ago but didna��t follow through (investigation). Recently, I finally realized that discontent (I looked at the peeling wallpaper behind the door one too many times!). Now, because my conscious discontent has been nagging me, I just made the call to the contractor. A�Ia��m ready to take action and get that bathroom looking nice! That will mean my need is realized. But, guess what? Ia��ll have another episode of discontent!
Our job as a�?motivational cycle facilitatorsa�� is to help the candidate feel the maximum amount of his discontent.
Which agents have you tried to recruit who have thrown these barriers in your way? How skilled have you been at removing them?
Tune in for the next blog to explore the other 3 reasons agents give that they stay.
