WorkPuzzle

I Dare You.....

In past blogs I have focused on the relational aspect of recruiting.  There is another aspect just as
important, but perhaps not as intuitive, and that is the habitual side of a recruiting strategy.  It is one thing to identify a strategy or process, but another to commit to the execution of said strategy.

The single most important aspect of any recruiting strategy is engagement, be it prospecting, interviewing or following-up.  It is the foundation of any recruiting process, without it you cannot build and sustain a recruiting pipeline that will convert to hiring talent.    Paul Castain, Vice President of Castain Training Systems, wrote a blog extolling the pitfalls of inconsistent prospecting relative to sales, but I usually see parallels in the wonderful world of recruiting in general.

To summarize, Paul pointed out three problems with inconsistent prospecting, two of which stood out to me:

1. You’re visibility is severely diminished.  Without consistent contact your prospects won’t really know who you are or feel connected to you in any meaningful way.   People want to work with people they know, like and trust. If you are not engaging with them they won’t engage with you.
2. You’re giving your competition the advantage. You could have the best brand in the world, but if you aren’t talking with a prospect, you know your competitors are.

I would say the number one complaint I hear repeatedly from managers regarding the task of recruiting, is that they just don’t have the time.  There are meetings to be had, fires to be extinguished, agents/staff knocking on doors… This is where the habitual side of recruiting comes into play. 

Schedule your “engagement time” (yes, another feeble attempt at re-framing the term recruiting).  I mean, literally put it on your calendar like any other appointment.  Put on the proverbial “do not disturb” sign and shut your door.   Make this a recurring “appointment” as many times per week as you can to:

1. Make calls
2. Send emails
3. Document your action for the day, including a date for follow-up contact or scheduled meetings
4. Rinse and repeat

I don’t know if I have any “dare devils” out there, but like Paul did for those in sales, I challenge you to open up your calendar and schedule your “engagement time(s)” and kick-start your recruiting habits.

---

 

Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. .

The Perfect Conference

Earlier this week, Dave wrote an insightful blog on how to improve your presentation skills.   There were several great tips that would help even the most experienced presenter to make improvements. 

But, what if you do find yourself attending more presentations than you do actually giving them? It may surprise you, but there are best practices for getting the most out of situations where you’re on the receiving end of presentations.

For an owner or hiring manager, many of these receiving opportunities come at conferences.  The real estate industry is not alone in its affinity from getting together under the auspices of the professional conference.  

Besides being fun to attend, the sharing of information and the face-to-face networking has numerous benefits.   There is no doubt conferences will continue to be an important business tool in years to come.

The downside of professional conferences is they often cost thousands of dollars to attend, and they are not of equal benefit to everyone attending.  This is why a recent article by Siraj Datoo and Gideon Lichfield caught my eye.  The article titled The Complete Guide to Getting Your Money’s Worth Out of Conferences, was originally published on QZ.com and list 13 insights on the topic.   Here are the five I found most helpful:

 "Arrive a day early so you’re not groggy.

An extra night in a hotel might seem indulgent, but it can pay for itself in the value you get out of the event. Arrive the day before a conference starts and work from the hotel that day. When everyone else at the opening reception is haggard from their flights, you’ll be fairly relaxed and in a better state to network.

Be careful where you put your nametag.

If you hang your name badge around your neck it can be hard for people, especially casual passers-by, to see. Instead, put it as high as you can on your chest and next to the shoulder of the arm you shake hands with—so for most people, on the right lapel. That puts it directly in people’s line of sight when you greet them.

Don’t go to many talks—talk to people instead.

There’s a reason why an increasing number of conferences are happy to live-stream their talks and panels: They know that’s not what people pay for. Big-name speakers may draw the crowds, but going to talks is like visiting an aquarium. You look at the fish and they are doing their shtick and you cannot interact with them.

Instead, spend time in the hallways. It’s the chance to meet lots of people with similar interests, and that’s the only thing that makes a conference an irreplaceable experience.

Don’t be shy, and don’t hover

If someone you want to talk to is standing alone, just walk up and say hello. The nametags at conferences ‘imply a social contract’ that people are open to discussion.

If your target is talking to someone else, get into his field of vision from some distance away and walk up to him calmly but confidently, looking straight at him. He will usually become aware of your approach before you get there. You then have a window to interrupt politely, introduce yourself, and either join in or agree to talk later. There’s nothing more irritating than having a conversation with someone else hovering on the edge.

Be helpful to organizers—you never know when it’ll come in handy.

Get to know the organizers and try to help them out, says Vardi. If you’re a constructive member of the community, you may be able to suggest other people to invite—and nothing builds capital with contacts like getting them invited to a conference they want to go to."

Hopefully, these ideas will help you make the most of your next conference.  For more ideas, read the rest of the article on this topic.  If you’re becoming proficient in the use of social media, there are some new aspects to attending conferences that may prove helpful as well.

Bottom line…a little planning, purposeful effort, and attention to detail will insure you’re getting a return on your conference investment.

---

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. 

The Perfect Presentation

Really? I don’t know that there is a “perfect presentation” but there are certainly some very successful ones. Think of Steve Jobs or Tony Robbins; different personalities and different topics, but both extremely engaging.

I selected this topic for a rather selfish reason. Most of the time I get a favorable response to my seminars, but there have been a few times when I have been left with the feeling that the audience was not fully engrossed with what I had to say. The dazed looks or multiple yawns are usually the first signs!

There are a few scientific facts that are helpful:

“Think of your short term memory as your brain’s Post-It-Note. Like a Post-It- Note it doesn’t have huge capacity. On average our brain can hold onto fewer than 7 items for no more than 10-15 seconds.” (March 18, 2013 Hubspot, Marta Kagan).

There is also a theory called the Picture Superiority Effect that says that concepts are much more readily remembered if they are presented in picture form.

Although studies and theories are always important, perhaps the most relevant proof is how you react to different presentation styles. I like to feel that the presenter is comfortable with the material and that his/her manner genuinely reflects how they feel about the topic. The best presentations have knowledge, passion and emotion.

There are many differing guidelines as to how a speaker might achieve these goals, but here are a few that seem to appear on everyone’s “tips” page.

1. Simplicity:  “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” (Leonardo DaVinci). In all of the presentations I have given or attended, the most memorable and effective are those that don’t overwhelm us with too much information. Keep your delivery to two or three key points. This lets the audience absorb and retain what you really want them to know. By using this method you inevitably repeat; which is great, as that also aids in retention. And be sure to use simple English – don’t be too technical.

2. Be Comfortable: There are lots of ways to achieve this. Some speakers are just “naturals” but that’s rare. The best way to feel comfortable and be relaxed and effective is to know your material. This means practice and rehearse. How much practice depends on you, but you should never rely on your wits or the Power Point to direct the presentation.

3. To Power Point or Not: Although educational presentations may benefit from long winded text or bullet points, most slides are best restricted to powerful images or carefully selected words or phrases. Remember the Picture Superiority Effect.

4. Show Your Passion: If you aren’t passionate about your topic you won’t be able to ignite your audience. Demonstrate your emotion through voice and motion. Get your audience excited about what you have to say. Even if they don’t agree they’ll remember what you had to say. Make sure you have a clear and compelling beginning, middle and end. It’s a bit like a three act play.

5. Control the Environment: Make sure you are focused on your audience as much as you want them to be focused on you. If you notice they are distracted move the presentation along. Remember you are in control!

I am going to take these points to heart and hope they are helpful to you as well. And I hope you will be able to attend my next seminar – it should be close to a “perfect presentation.”

---

Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Lessons from Harvard Graduates

Earlier today, I found myself mesmerized by an online book named If I knew then: Advice on careers, finance, and life from Harvard Business School's Class of 1963.

As the name describes, a list of Harvard Graduates from the class of 1963, on their 50th anniversary of graduation, offer advice on a number of topics ranging from careers, business, marriage, leadership, happiness, wealth and several others. I thought this might come in useful as a resource in leading and inspiring others. 

Business

Ralph Linsalata

"Never use the pronoun “I” except when taking responsibility for a problem or mistake. When success occurs, it should always be “we” or “they.”

Communication with all employees is critical. Strategies must be explained repeatedly — as many as 20 times — before most people really understand them.

The right culture is also critical. It takes a long time and an exceptional amount of effort to change a bad culture. Most companies fail because they do not have the right culture. 

All competitive advantages last for a very short time. You have to be paranoid to stay as the leader of a successful company."

Judy Ley Allen

"Surround yourself with the smartest, most ethical people you can find. Set clear goals, communicate them clearly, and delegate."

Happiness & Success

Artie Buerk

"When I entered Harvard Business School, I was staggered by the ability of classmates (especially Ivy-Leaguers) to talk. Everyone seemed trained to be very articulate. In my mind, people were given two ears and one mouth for a reason: one should listen many more times than one should talk.

Active listening requires understanding what you are hearing, asking follow-up questions, and watching body language. The better one listens, the better one learns.

As one ages, it seems that people tend to talk more about themselves and less about the people they are talking to. Listen more and talk less for success."

John A. Fabian

"The most successful lives are those people who have had a very positive impact on a great many other people."

Marriage & Family

Ralph Linsalata

"Tell your spouse and children that you love them every day, no matter how you feel.

 Do not bring your problems home with you.

Realize the joy that comes from helping your spouse and children excel in their fields of interest and enjoy themselves.

Develop within your family a sense of obligation to help others.

Spending quality time with your family — not just time — is critical.

Choose a spouse who will understand and support you, and one for whom you will  do the same. Life is much better if you can help each other grow and expand your  knowledge, experiences, friends, and capabilities."

Gerald (Jerry) Wolin

"When raising children, make sure they grow up to be independent. Too many of us want to make life easy on our kids and save them from anguish. That is not always the best course of action."

Donald P. Nielsen

"Marriage is an 80–20 partnership, on both sides. If you each understand that, you always go out of your way to please your spouse. When both partners do that, you have a happy marriage.

The greatest gift you can give your children is to love one another."

=====================

It's hard for any of us to imagine 50-years into the future--especially when we're young and inexperienced. This is one of the reasons it's so important to learn the lessons of those who have more experience.  As you lead and coach the young agents under your care, share these insights and the insights of others who have gone before us.  It will not only enrich your coaching experience, but it may also make you a better person in the process.

 

---

Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Become a “Talent Gatherer” and You May Forget You’re Recruiting

In my quest to encourage, promote and assist our clients in their recruiting efforts, I often find myself trying to find a new way to approach the work of recruiting. 

Most all of the managers with whom I have worked understand the need for consistent recruiting results, but they really languish in the execution of that task.   In helping them overcome this common state of mind, I often find myself trying to reframe this experience into something less objectionable.

I have written in the past about changing one’s mindset from the concept of recruiting to the reality of relationship building, which most managers do naturally well. 

I have also discussed the idea of the recruiting process mirroring that of the sales process.  In any sales process, it’s common sense that one prospects, identifies a client, and nurtures that relationship consistently and thoughtfully until it closes. Looking at the recruiting process from that perspective should not feel objectionable—especially to those managers who love to sell.

So here I am again, trying to playfully trick hiring managers into falling in love with the recruiting process.  Margaret Heffernan, an entrepreneur and author, brought this new vantage point to my attention.   Consider how she has learned to find and engage talented individuals for her business:

“Every CEO I know worries about people and talent. How do you find and keep the right people? Why is it so hard to find employees when you need them? Why does recruitment take so long and cost so much?

These questions contain the answers. Most leaders fill slots as they arise--and that's the wrong way around. What more creative leaders do is collect talent, all the time. At conferences, visiting other companies, at community events, talking to the parents of their children: they scan the horizon constantly for energy, talent, and drive.

Then, when they find those qualities, they can do one of three things.

They can notice and move on--and remain frustrated.

They can notice, develop a relationship with the people who've caught their attention, and keep lines of communication open. (They're like casting agents who watch every movie, see every play--even school plays--and know immediately what to do when a spot opens up.)

But the boldest of these CEOs go even further: they just hire the talent in the confidence that great people make themselves useful. This doesn't always look efficient but it can be terrifically productive. How many business owners can seriously afford to keep talent out?

Talent gatherers are, in effect, impresarios. They are always recruiting because they just love finding new talent, connecting to it, and nurturing it. It's their nature, not just their job. Everyone else is just trying to catch up.”

From Margaret’s perspective, real estate owners are indeed bold because they understand the need to constantly be on the lookout for potential talent.  They encourage both their managers and their agents (in the form of referral programs) to be constantly performing the recruiting function as they go about their normal business duties.

But in Margaret’s description, most real estate hiring managers get stuck on points one and two.  It’s all too easy to see opportunity and take no action. 

But, it’s also too easy to only consider those “actors” who seem to be close to a “role” you need to fill. This is equivalent to a hiring manager only taking notice of those who are already licensed or in school for real estate.  Those candidates are perceived to be the most visible and easier to communicate with since you most likely run in the same circles, but this is a limited source for recruiting.

For me, the third point relates to opening up the hiring aperture to hiring new agent talent.  By beginning a dialog, (i.e. starting a relationship) with highly skilled individuals in your community you open up the door to on-boarding a new pool of talent that could convert at any point in time. 

Does this type of recruiting seem time consuming to you?  Even if your efforts don’t directly produce a hire, might they become your next client or referral?  It seems to me you are already building these relationships…why not explore the possibility of a career in real estate with them as well?

---

Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. .

Shopping for a Broker: Are New Agents Buying What You’re Selling

Earlier this year, our company had the privilege of hiring Helen Jackson.  Helen is a very talented individual who I’ve known for many years.  She has served our community (a mid-sized suburb of Seattle) in many non-profit, education and athletic advisory roles.  She is known and admired by more people in our community than I could begin to count.

Her daughter Emily grew up playing baseball (not softball) with a couple of my sons.  I remember frequently asking my boys…"Did Emily strike you out today?" The answer was often…"Yes, she did!"  That’s a tough thing for a teenage boy to admit. Emily is now playing softball at a Division-I college in Illinois.

When Helen agreed to work with our company, I was eager to hear her perspective on our business and the role we play in the real estate industry.  Being competitive herself and working with so many high performers over the years, I suspected her insight would be helpful.

I’ve not been disappointed.  She has worked in a consulting role with one of our clients in the Midwest over the last couple of months.  As a recruiting coordinator, she works closely with both hiring managers and candidates.

Last week, she offered to record some of her thoughts on working in this new role.  Her thoughts (in this dialog) are from the candidate’s perspective, and I thought they were worth sharing.

"I've been working with Tidemark for several months as a recruiter and I am continuously surprised at how very few individuals truly understand the challenges and opportunities of becoming a real estate agent; particularly in choosing the right broker.

My mother was an agent and a broker well into her sixties and mentioned many times that it allowed her to survive as a middle-aged widow with no other form of income. As a broker, she had several agents working in her firm and she always said that making sure your agents were successful was the same as having a successful business.

But that was in the time of the real estate boom, in a small New England town where she knew most of the residents. What about today, I wondered?

Today, the real estate market seems to work like the stock market, albeit a little slower, but still driven by the economy and the whims of buyers and sellers. So, the broker an agent chooses is extremely important.

In researching what makes a great broker, I realized that the characteristics of a good broker are exactly what I would want in an agent if I were buying or selling a home.

I developed the following acronym to express those defining features:

Honesty. Tell me what I can expect financially and explain the relationship of the broker and agent in clear and concise terms.

Opportunity. What are the opportunities; how long will it take for me to realize the opportunity and where are the pitfalls?

Mentoring. What classes and training are offered. Who teaches the classes? Is there a fee?

Expenses. What are they? Do you assist in developing an expenses spreadsheet? What are the splits? Can I really make a profit? How?

Support. Are you there for me? Can I come to you for advice; encouragement? Do you reach out to me to see how I am doing?"

 

Do a quick inventory:  Do you find yourself positively addressing these issues during your interactions with candidates?  It’s important to remember that new agents are “buying” a business relationship with their broker. Helen has done a great job of identifying what many of the best buyers are seeking.

---

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. 

How to Reach the Recruiting Goal Line-Part 2

Hopefully, you had the opportunity to read Part 1 of this discussion.  I thought Dave did a great job of explaining how gaining momentum in the recruiting process requires a focus on completing small tasks over time.  If you’re not a football fan—hang in there: We’re almost done with the football analogies.

For the Seahawks, the “small task” that kept them out of the end zone (a week ago Monday) was a failure to convert on 3^rd down. 

Likewise, if you’re experiencing a lack of hires, the source of the problem is always earlier in the hiring process.  If you identify and fix the upstream problems, the hires will come.

After reading Dave’s post, I spent some time studying the source article in the Seattle Times, and I was surprised what I discovered.   There was a short quote by one of Seattle’s receivers that caught my attention:

"Every week Pete Carroll (the Seahawk’s Head Coach) asks his team a rhetorical question, in which the answer never changes.

Said receiver Sidney Rice, ‘He always asks us…what do we have to do to win in third and 10-plus? And the answer is always: Stay out of that situation.'

The Seahawks have not done a good job avoiding third-and-long situations. The Seahawks have had 29 third downs this season and 21 of them have been 3rd-and-6 or longer. Of those 21, 14 have been 3rd-and-10 or longer.

Seattle has converted on 38 percent of those third downs, which ranks 18th in the league, but it’s not a sustainable way to operate. Rice said facing 3rd-and-long allows defenses to play Seattle differently than they normally have to because the threat to run the ball is gone. "

I think there are two applications from this part of the article:

1.  Professionals use metrics.  Considering these guys are a bunch of dumb football jocks, they sure do use math a lot!  Why?  Because they’re professionals, and professionals use metrics.  You should know and track the recruiting metrics that lead to your hiring success—that’s what professionals do.

2.  Don’t do all of your recruiting on 3^rd down.   Our staff works with hundreds of real estate hiring managers in different parts of the country.  At least once a week, we hear one or more of these hiring managers try to convince themselves they don’t want to meet with “new to real estate” candidates until they are already licensed or actively enrolled in real estate school. 

In recruiting, this is equivalent to gaining no yardage on 1^st and 2^nd down and facing 3^rd down and long yardage on every interview.  At this point in the recruiting game, your competitors know exactly what you’re going to do and will easily key upon your weaknesses. 

We have one client who insists on conducting only late stage interviews.  They regularly lose 50% of their recruiting opportunities to competitors—even though they are the best company in their market.   

This happens because they wait too long to engage the candidates.  At this point in the hiring process, the candidates have no relationship with the hiring manager.  They are very susceptible to being fooled by lower splits, accepting gimmicky promotions, and believing promises that will never be kept.

In contrast, we regularly see clients who engage candidates early in the process that have “lost to competitor” rates of 10% or less.  Why?  The candidates tend to sign with the person they trust.   When objections are raised late in the hiring process, they can be thoughtfully discussed and handled with the candidate’s best interest in mind. 

Getting the hire under these conditions is often a small nudge at the end of the process instead of lobbing a pass into a crowded group of competitors and hoping for the best.

How did the Seahawks do last Sunday?  They had a huge come-from-behind win in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  While there were definitely some miraculous plays that helped them win, there was a small stat buried in the box score that many people will overlook:

"The Seahawks converted eight of 12 third-down situations, for a season-high percentage (.667), including their final six. The Seahawks finished with 415 yards, their third-highest total of the season. Their 26 first downs were the second-highest total."

The Seahawks learned their lesson and put themselves in a position to win.  Hopefully, you will do the same.

---

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. 

How to Reach The Recruiting Goal Line

If you happen to be a football fan you will know that the recent Monday Night Football game, Seattle Seahawks vs. the St. Louis Rams, was a disappointing win for the Hawks. 

That’s right a win, not a loss; so why disappointing? 

The Seahawks, as do many other professional sports teams rely on consistency, rhythm and what some might call “staying on schedule” to reach that ultimate goal – the touchdown.

The comments about that game, from the Hawks coaches and players, may give some insight into reaching your own goal line. 

The following is an excerpt from an article in the Seattle Times. 

"Quarterback Russell Wilson always talks about staying on schedule. By that he means picking up positive yards on first down, then doing the same on second down to be in good position on third down. Negative plays or no-gains throw Seattle off schedule.

 That’s what happened against the Rams. The Seahawks averaged just 1.1 yards on first down, and that’s not including a penalty on guard J.R. Sweezy. As a result, Seattle was just 2 for 11 on third down and now ranks 28th in the league in third-down efficiency.

“I don’t think we were good on any down,” Baldwin said. “First down was terrible as well. We couldn’t stay on schedule, couldn’t get any rhythm.”

As a recruiter or hiring manager, you are the quarterback of the recruiting function of your business. It is up to you to make sure you get that “yardage on the first down” that lets you stay on schedule and move “down the field.”

You do this by knowing what you want to accomplish, finding efficiencies in your plan, and keeping on schedule to ultimately meet your objective. None of these objectives are possible without metrics.

To continue the sports analogy, what if we divided your ultimate goal into "downs?"

Just like football, getting to the next down requires building a schedule of tasks and analyzing the results.   Examining the metrics is the best way to win in recruiting. 

Here is a list of common recruiting metrics that should become second nature to any recruiting professional within the real estate industry:

Number of connections with candidates: (live calls or email exchanges)

Number of additions to pipeline (permission to follow-up)

Number of one-on-one interviews (face-to-face)

Number of enrollments in licensing school

Number of follow-up connections (post-interview)

Interview-to-hire percentage

Post-Interview pipeline-to-hire percentage

Licensing school drop-out percentage

Number of offers

Number of hires

Lost-to-competitor percentage

If you’re meeting benchmarks on these recruiting metrics, you’ll also be consistently gaining momentum in your recruiting process.  You’ll find it easier to stay on schedule, create a comfortable rhythm, recognize efficiencies, and successfully reach your goal. 

---

Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.