I get this question all the time from brokerage owners and team leaders: “How do I start recruiting today when I don’t have everything built yet?”

They often feel stuck in a catch-22: They think they need to build their vision first in order to start recruiting, but they don’t have the money or resources to build it because they don’t have agents yet.

Here’s the answer: People will buy into your vision as long as you can articulate it clearly and tie it to a timeline.

When you’re talking to agents, say something like:

"I’ve got this vision of the kind of company I want to build. I’m looking for a few people who want to get in on the ground floor and help me build it. We call them ‘founder agents.’ They’ll be right there, side by side with me, helping shape this vision. Can I explain to you what I’m trying to create?"

If you can sit with people and lay out a clear vision of what you’re working...

Have you ever lost an agent? I have.

If you're a broker owner or a team leader, you probably have too. At some point, an agent decides to leave, and it feels terrible—like getting punched in the face. It's emotional, and you might wonder: Why did that happen? Was it my failure, or is it just part of the industry?

Here's the hard truth: it often is a failure on our part.

Specifically, it's a failure to understand where that agent was in their career. And that failure stems from a lack of communication with the agent.

Retention—that's what we're talking about here. Keeping agents starts with building relationships. And relationships come from spending time with your agents.

Time leads to relationships, and relationships lead to retention. So, the first step is spending more time with your agent team.

Now, you might say, “Jim, I’ve got a 200-agent office. There’s no way I can spend more time with all of them.” But it’s not about hours of...

If I sat down with you right now as a brokerage owner or team leader and asked you, "What's next for you after real estate?"—what would your response be?

Think about it. You might say, "I want to be on a beach somewhere," or "I want a cabin in Colorado," or maybe even "I want to live in Alaska." Whatever your dreams are, it likely takes you into an aspirational, dream-like state.

Now, here's the reality: 70 to 80% of brokers in your market, if given the right circumstances and opportunity, would choose to exit.

Why?

Because 70 to 80% of them are losing money. Many would be far better off selling their firm to you, transitioning their agents to your company, and then working for you. This would allow them to earn a consistent income, start saving for retirement, and ultimately achieve their dreams of escape.

What stops them from pulling the trigger?

One word: ego.

But what if there were a way to move past that ego barrier and help them feel comfortable making the decision?...

Let’s do a quick quiz for team leaders and brokerage owners to test how well you know your agents. This is essential for agent retention. While recruiting is critical, retaining your agents is just as important—if not more so. Retention is all about re-recruiting your agents consistently: every week, every month, every year.

Here’s the key: friends don’t leave, and friends refer friends. Your agents—your customers—need to see you as more than just their leader. They need to see you as a friend. And that kind of relationship only happens when you invest time in them and approach your interactions relationally, not transactionally.

Many brokerage owners and team leaders make the mistake of thinking transactionally. They view agents as numbers in a model—hiring 10 new agents a month and watching eight leave. It’s a churn-and-burn approach that feels like a meat grinder.

That’s not how you build a strong company.

A successful...

As a real estate broker or team leader, there’s one thing that might be holding you back from growing your team: distractions. Whether you realize it or not, your main job as a team leader or brokerage owner is to recruit experienced agents every single day.

If you’re not recruiting, you’re not bringing in new "customers." And here’s the shift: when you transitioned from being a superstar agent, closing millions in sales to leading a team or brokerage, your focus changed. You’re no longer selling real estate to buyers and sellers. Your agents are now your customers, and the more agents you have on your team or in your office, the more profit you bring home.

Here’s the catch: as soon as you stop recruiting, you cap your ability to earn. Unlike being an agent, where sales directly increase your income, being a team leader requires constant recruitment to grow.

Your ultimate goal should be getting out of production entirely. And there’s only...

I want to share one of the best strategies I’ve heard from a top agent in years. This story comes from my friend Dan, who had a client searching for a specific type of property.

Dan started making calls and came across a duplex owner. While driving by the property, he saw the owner outside mowing the grass. He introduced himself:

"Hi, I’m Dan. I have a buyer interested in multifamily properties, and I was wondering if you’d consider selling these units."

Her response? "No, I think I’m going to hold onto them."

But here’s where Dan worked his magic.

Dan didn’t stop at the first “no.” Instead, he asked a follow-up question:

"Can I ask why you’re holding onto them?"

Her answer? "I think I’m getting a good rate of return."

Dan responded: "That’s great! And if you are, you should definitely keep them. But if I could find you something with a better rate of return, would you consider selling these?"

That opened the door to...

Other than your direct sphere of influence, what’s the second-best source of business for REALTORS? Let me share my perspective and see if it aligns with yours.

We know 70–80% of our business comes from our sphere. So, what should we focus on to generate the remaining 20–30%? In my 35 years of coaching, I believe the biggest opportunity lies in your buyer pool.

Buyers are the ultimate magnet for sellers. The question is, are you using your buyers effectively as a lure? I call this strategy In Search Of (ISO) ads. Here’s how it works:

Think of yourself as a fisherman. The lure on the end of your line could be a free CMA or tips on getting top dollar for a home. But the best lure is a live buyer ready to purchase.

For example, if I have a buyer interested in a specific neighborhood, I’ll let the neighborhood know:

• "I’ve got a live buyer moving from Sacramento. They’re ready to purchase within the next couple of months, but nothing on the...

Join this conversation with certified Ninja Coach and real estate rockstar Shelly Culbertson as we dive into what drives high performance results with top REALTORS. Drilling down into the essence of what gives buyers and sellers clarity is an essential skill for every REALTOR to master. Shelly provides a step by step plan for working with you potential clients to naturally and organically help them move forward with their real estate goals. This is a can’t miss conversation.

Every year, NAR studies home buyers and sellers and compiles the data into a report called the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. It examines metrics like how buyers and sellers behave, how they find agents, and what technology they use.

I pulled out some key insights today that are especially relevant to lead generation.

First, let’s talk about how sellers find their real estate agent. Any guesses? Here’s the data: 77% of sellers find their agents through a referral or repeat business. That number is increasing, not decreasing. Last year, it was 69%, and now it’s up to 77%.

Despite predictions that online leads and new technologies would reduce this percentage, that hasn’t been the case. Referrals and repeat business remain the dominant ways sellers find agents.

Now, how many agents do sellers typically interview before hiring? You might think there’s a lot of competition, but the reality is this: 81% of sellers interview only one agent. While we...

If I were to walk into your office right now and put my hands up in the air, asking, “What do I feel? What’s the energy in the room?”—you might think that sounds a bit new agey, especially when it comes to running a real estate company or team. But it’s true.

You can feel the energy in a room.

Let me give you an example. How many of us have been to a concert? You can feel the energy, right? A better example is a sporting event—you can feel the waves of energy when a point is made or lost. The energy is palpable.

Now, who sets the tone for that energy? It’s the players on the field, the musicians—the people performing. They create the energy in the room.

As a leader, whether you're a broker or team leader, you are the one setting the energy in your office. You create the weather. And how do you do that? It’s through your positivity, your enthusiasm, how you carry yourself, and how you walk into the building.

If you walk in with...