One of the questions we often get from hiring managers is…”How do I consistently get high quality candidates to make the commitment to become real estate agents?”
As we observe this process, it
always seems the best candidates are on the fence because they don’t have to
become agents. Since they have talent
and marketable skills, they usually have the option of doing something else. Often, that “something else” is just staying in
their current job or career field.
How do you get these candidates off the fence and headed towards becoming your next top performing agents?
According to new research recently published in Harvard Business Review, keep them focused on a great outcome they will personally realize if they become real estate agents.
The research on this topic was conducted by Dr. Mark Goulston and Dr. John Ullmen and is summarized in a new book called Real Influence: Persuade Without Pushing, Gain Without Giving In. Here is a excerpt from the HBR article:
“
Few people like to be pushed into doing something, or sold hard on it. And few like to push or deliver a hard sell. But at the end of the day, or even the end of a conversation, you do have to move things forward. So how do effective leaders really get things done?
As part of the research…[we] interviewed more than 100 people who "get things done," but who aren't pushy. But when we asked them, "Who persuaded you to do something really important?" more than a few arched their backs and replied defensively, "Nobody persuaded me to do anything important!"
When we switched tactics and asked, "Well then who positively influenced you to become the person you are?" they leaned back, smiled, took a deep breath of satisfaction and replied, "Now that's a different story!"
This small change in perspective seemed to help the researchers uncover several consistent and repeatable patterns among great influencers. As a hiring manager, these patterns could be very helpful—don’t you think?
I won’t steal the author’s thunder by revealing all their secrets, but I did find one of their techniques very compelling: Great influencers learn to communicate great outcomes.
“When people paint a picture of a great outcome, they're not trying "to persuade people to do something important." They're trying to "positively influence them" to get them to a better place.
Take the story of Jim Sinegal, co-founder and former CEO of Costco, largely seen as the heart and soul of that great company. Jim is very humble and doesn't like to be given too much credit for his and Costco's success.
He often tells the story of how, as a recovering juvenile delinquent still headed in the wrong direction, he was working as a bagger at FedMart in San Diego. One day he was singled out by the legendary Sol Price, the founder of FedMark who is viewed as the father of the warehouse store concept.
Price saw beyond where Jim was, even beyond where he wanted to be, to where and who he could be — and focusing on that "great outcome" let him influence Jim, even as others had failed to persuade him. Price's dedication to customer value and the caring treatment of employees lived on through Jim and is so ingrained in the Costco culture that those values live on beyond his stewardship as CEO.”
For a real estate hiring manager, there is an important lesson in this approach. If you try to persuade someone to take the next logical step in their work life (ie. become a real estate agent), you’ll likely come across as “salesy” and meet resistence.
But, if you effectively “paint a picture of a great outcome” for the candidate during the interview (and consistently during the follow-up process), the research suggests that this will produce a different result. You’ll become a positive influencer rather than a ineffective persuader.
Question: What type of “great outcomes” do you think would be compelling to the candidates you are interviewing?
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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.
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