Would Gary Keller Hire Your Neighbor?

Here’s why talent is easy to find outside the industry:

• There is a larger pool of talent when you’re looking 👀 outside of the real estate industry.
• Gary Keller’s formula for finding 🔎 talent applies.
• Spend less time training because they’re already great at sales.💰

Gary Keller provided great insight in his book SHIFT on what to look for when hiring Agents. Now that you know what to look for, where should you look? Have you ever considered hiring sales professionals from outside of the real estate industry?

Benefit your business

Here are 3 compelling reasons to take a hard look at how outside sales professionals can benefit your business: 1. You Can Cast a Wider Net. Here’s a look at how the size of the candidate pool changes when you are seeking experienced agents vs. those experienced in outside sales: Tempe, AZ – 458 Agents – 1222 Outside Sales Boston, MA – 621 Agents – 924 Outside Sales Portland, OR – 100 Agents – 487 Outside Sales Houston, TX – 393 Agents – 1345 Outside Sales 2. They Don’t Bring Baggage. Outside Salespeople don’t come to the table thinking they know how the real estate business works. If you hire experienced agents who’ve been unsuccessful for the last 12 years working for another agency (or a few of them), they might be the problem not the agency.

Save time training

3. Less Training Time For You. That’s right. You may think it takes too much time to train into the industry but here’s another perspective. If you hire individuals who already have a track record of sales success, you only have to teach them how to sell a higher-priced commodity. They already know the language and technique of selling. How do you identify these top performers? Here’s where you can apply Gary Keller’s formula for finding top talent: Check References, Use a Behavioral Profile, Conduct In-depth Interviews, and Test for Knowledge and Skills. Also look for their need for achievement, they’re level of optimism and their competitiveness. It’s also a good idea to look for those who have to make money; secondary income earners are not typically as hungry and driven. Where might you find them? We’ve heard of servers in restaurants, salespeople in car lots, those doing phone sales, even the check out line at a local retailer. You never know where your next top performers may be hiding! Wherever you are when you identify talent, reach out. Your first mission should be to get them excited about real estate and then get them licensed. They can even still work their other job while working on their license.

They catch on quickly

Once on board, training them is easy. Apply shoulder to shoulder training by letting them hang out with you for 6 months. Deliver an overwhelming amount of value and all of your insights before turning them loose on their own. When they’re ready, give them a few leads, maybe some some buyers you’ve been unable to help. Let them take the lead and show some homes. Be there to answer questions and give feedback, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly they catch on. Your goal should be to take that outstanding sales professional with no experience in real estate, train them on the specifics of the very expensive products they will be selling, orient them to the industry, mentor them and give them everything they need to put their sales talents to work.