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Recently, I got an email from networking associate introducing me to a licensed agent who was looking for a brokerage to call home. In our emails and chats, I learned that some other people had also suggested that she should speak to me, which is a gratifying thing to hear.
When we first met in person, I kept liking what I heard more and more; a professional through and through; a Masters in English from Columbia; a love of real estate; a respect for the profession from her 20+ year PR life (with clientele in all silos of housing and brokerage). Perhaps best of all, a self-effacing sense of humor that reminded me of my mother’s professional group of friends. Someday I’ll have to write about that- my mom had a group of cohorts who were smart, funny and laughed often. They were an admirable group, and Jeannette would have been right there with them.
There is more to Jeannette Boccini than that, but let me indulge in that first conversation. The more we spoke, the more impressed I became that this was a person who would become a big success in this industry. Smart, yes, funny, yes, aware, yes, but the subtext that most struck me was a concern that, given the significance and expense of a real estate transaction, that she would be trained well and supported strongly so as to care for the best interests of her unborn clients. I’ve spoken with hundreds if not thousands of new licensees- they seldom think that profoundly at first. It isn’t their fault, as the fiduciary ethos is too abstract in the beginning, but Jeannette had it before she even got started.
Another thing that speaks to the future success of an agent is their “why,” or their motivation for getting out of bed and making things happen daily. Jeannette’s articulation of her Big Why was eloquent and impactful. The picture being painted wasn’t just that of someone who would render great service and advocacy, but of someone who knew how to convert skepticism to trust. That is a rare gift.
After joining the firm I asked Jeannette to be on my sales team and train with me and Cristina Gameiro. At her own initiative, she also got extra training with the amazing Gloria Hernandez, manager of our Pelham office. Her initiation was punctuated by an aggressive pursuit of learning the business and always asking smart questions. Fast forwarding to this past week, and Jeannette had her first closing, with a happy client and more waiting in the pipeline. I couldn’t be more proud, and I couldn’t be less surprised.
You can reach Jeannette at 914.419.5999 or email her at jboccini@jphilip.com.
You can also give her some Facebook love here at her page.
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.