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This may be a longer “welcome” post than typical. David Lewis joined the firm earlier this year and I invited him to train under Jenn Maher’s team in our Putnam office, and, not surprisingly, in his short time here he has impressed. He recorded his first closing this past week and has another scheduled for next week. That not the big brag. I’ll get to that.
To give you a sense of his background and the mentality he brings to the organization, I’m first going to quote his self-authored bio:
I spent over 35 years in advertising and design, marketing everything from real estate to photographic equipment and aircraft fasteners. But now I’m dedicated to pursuing a lifelong passion for real estate.
As a newly-licensed agent with my marketing background I could choose almost any brokerage to work for, and I interviewed with a lot of them, but I chose to work for J. Philip because of their innovative technology and their team-oriented focus in servicing buyers and sellers. In an independent agency like J. Philip, both I and my clients have direct access to top management and all of their expertise. New technology is adopted quickly, problems resolved easily, and transactions move smoothly without having to consult a distant head office.
My job is not just about the sale but about long-term relationships, building trust, providing the best service, and being on top of all the details from the beginning to the end of the transaction. Success is a client that is 100% satisfied and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend me to family and friends.
For the biggest purchase you will make in your lifetime, you need the team at J. Philip. I’ve done the research and this is where I’ve chosen to work.
Nice. You have to love the prior background, the fearless manner in which he renders his experience, and how he frames his talent with the tools and resources at his disposal.
Here’s what I really love about the guy.
David did indeed do his research and found the firm online. We scheduled an interview at my office and at the last minute, my caregiver for my 12-year-old son Gregory couldn’t make it. This meant that I would have to either reschedule our meeting or David would be subjected to an introductory interview with the owner of the firm…and an energetic boy with autism who doesn’t exactly lose much sleep over respecting personal space. It was like having a conversation next to a busy train station.
I chose the latter, figuring that if he could handle the Gregory Express storming through periodically then he’d fit in just fine.
Dude didn’t flinch.
His licensure wasn’t completed at that time, so I didn’t hear from him right away afterward. I wasn’t sure if we scared him away or not until he called to let me know he was all set and ready to start. His training went well, and he began doing business right away. I recall one interaction on his first transaction where it took all of a minute to get a sense of his strong advocacy for the client. I love that.
David is the goods. You can reach him at 914-734-5099 or email at david.lewis@jphilip.com.
On Recruiting Real Estate Agents
One of the jobs of a real estate manager is that of a recruiter.
Sadly, recruiting often devolves into poaching. Hiring managers pour over programs and stats for hundreds of hours to see who they can pitch, what they can offer, and how to woo them to consider leaving their firm. They look for small signs, vulnerabilities, and run small test flags up the pole ad infinitum to those ends. One of the cute approaches is the “post close” letter they send to agents on the other side of a transaction:
I am the Manager at XYZ Realty, and I wanted to take time from my busy day to congratulate you on the recent sale you closed with our firm.
My agent, Thor, told me what a professional, fine-smelling, well-groomed, and um, professional person you were in the transaction.
Hey, if you ever want to have a chat about your career or a future that could be awesome <insert benign sounding hint that my firm is superior to yours without overtly saying so>, I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee. Of course, everything would be completely confidential.
And stay classy!
Yours,
XYZ Manager (who will announce on Facebook that I have again changed firms in 6 months)
My agents get these letters all the time. They show them to me. I tell them to include them in their listing presentation, so when a prospective client voices a muse about listing with XYZ Realty, we can show them that XYZ Realty is so awesome that they aspire to hire our agents.
So, in no small way, I appreciate the favor.
Jenn Maher got one of these letters and laughed- she and the other agent (who was clearly poorly trained and/or had attitude issues) had substantial conflict and the manager never bothered to edit their form letter. Can you say “bad form?”
I’m actually not decrying the practice of writing a letter to a colleague at another firm after a closing to test the recruiting waters. There is some wisdom in that you know this agent is active and productive, they have hopefully seen how your licensee is enjoying their professional home and benefits from your tools, and they may be open-minded. What I am saying is that if you’re going to reach out, do so mindfully so that they feel spoken to, not spoken at.
Recruiting is part art, part science. I don’t pretend to be an expert. I will say that our best recruiters over the years have been our agents themselves. I cannot think of any agent that left our firm with “the letter” as a catalyst, and as a matter of fact (knocking on wood) our attrition is pretty low. The mechanics of changing firms, depending on the amount of business one does, is actually a pain in the rump. Therefore, for many, things have to be pretty bad where they are to justify the hassle.
In many ways, it’s a lot like dating or prospecting for listings. You kiss frogs, experience rejection, hone your message, and look for new ways to find and attract talent. Even then, the process of onboarding and retaining the talent is another universe of skill and craftsmanship.
Retention, unlike recruiting, can be summed up more simply: Be too good for them to ponder leaving. We aspire to do just that.