In my
previous life (pre-Tidemark), I was a case manager for Big Brothers and Big Sisters in New Hampshire. Before that, I worked as an "at risk" youth counselor for another non-profit organization. 

While
the backgrounds of those I served was not pretty, the outcomes of my efforts did make a difference. In my previous positions, I had to set my goals for the long-term.  Short-term results were either nonexistant or difficult to detect.   

Obviously,my experiences are not
in the same vein as most real estate owners and managers, but there are some suprising similarities between the roles. In fact, if you're going to meet your retention and
recruiting goals, you will be more successful if you approach the problem from a framework of helping those you want to recruit and retain. This is what worked at Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and it can work for you as well.

The starting point of this process is gaining an understanding of what is causing the individual to struggle (ie. what are his/her needs).  The only way to truly get this information is to naturally engage in a relationship building process. 

Once you can identify an area of concern and
can help that person navigate through it, you have become an incredible source
of value and authenticity–two critical components in retention and
recruiting.

Brian
Patrick Eha, assistant editor for Entrepreneur.com, recently wrote an article
discussing the work of the late Zig Ziglar.  Below is an excerpt, which is very relevant to my point.

“If you want to achieve your goals,help others achieve theirs. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar did
just that, reportedly traveling more than five million miles in his career and
touching a quarter of a billion lives. Fortunately for us, he left behind a lot
of sound advice.

'You will get all you want in
life if you help enough other people get what they want,' Ziglar famously
said. Put his maxim into practice: Next time you're in a meeting, focus on
discerning the other person's needs rather than your own.

Form personal connections with
customers.
 Customers often buy from the
businesses and sales professionals whom they like on a personal level. Do a
little research before meeting with your next client and look for common
ground.” 

Try substituting “customer” and “client”
with "agents," both existing and those whom you wish to recruit.

Once you get to the point of helping people
solve their problems or overcome obstacles impeding their success, you will have
taken one giant step towards your recruiting and retention goals.

Take it from a Big Sister…helping others achieve their goals will naturally help you
achieve yours.

Question: 
What difficulties do your candidates commonly face?  Have you figured out a creative way to help
them over these obstacles?  Take a minute
to share what you’ve learned…

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