I’ve had the opportunity to attend a couple of national conferences in March, so I’ve been traveling more than normal.  During these times, I tend to be more of an eclectic reader.  Whether I’m waiting in the airport, sitting in a hotel lobby, or passing time while the plane climbs to 10,000 feet so computers can be used, there seems to be odd material that catches my eye, and I’m drawn in. 

One of the most interesting articles I read this week was on the progress that has been recently made in the fight to eradicate the world of malaria.  I know this may be a stretch, but I believe some of these new discoveries may also help you with recruiting.  Hang in there on this line of thought—I think you’ll enjoy it. 

As you probably know, malaria is a devastating disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, and is primarily transmitted through mosquitoes.  This pesky little insect is a most difficult adversary because of its size, propensity to breed, and persistence.   

For years, the strategy for combating malaria-carrying mosquitoes has been the extensive use of spray-based insecticides.  This method is problematic because it’s difficult to get a mosquito to stay in one place so it can be sprayed.  In turn, there are lots of environmental problems and health side effects with “carpet-bombing” large geographies with high-powered insecticides. 

However, for many years, researchers have been stuck in the spray-based insecticide paradigm with the focus on finding ways to minimize collateral damage.  This has been frustrating work, and only incremental progress toward eradicating the disease has been achieved.  The large majority of scientists working on the problem were stuck—until recently. 

Enter the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation… One of the foundation’s goals was to eradicate malaria, but to do so they quickly found they needed to challenge some of the basic assumptions that were restricting creativity.  More specifically, the researchers zeroed in on the belief that a mosquito needs blood in order to live. 

While this is true, it is only partially true.  It turns out that only female mosquitoes are cause for concern.  A mosquito “bite” is actually a process where the little pest injects two small tubes into its victim.  One tube delivers an enzyme that inhibits blood from clotting (this is what is left behind and causes itching) and the other tube sucks out the blood.  The borrowed blood is then used by the female to develop her eggs. 

So, why is this assumption that mosquitoes need blood in order to survive an erroneous assumption?  Because mosquitoes need blood in order to reproduce.  They need glucose (sugar) in order to survive.  Once researchers made this distinction, the creative juices started to flow. 

The strategy for insecticide use is now being inverted.  Instead of carpet-bombing with insecticide,  mosquitoes are “baited” with glucose stations.  The glucose containers in these stations are then laced with insecticide.  The mosquitoes kill themselves as they naturally respond to their most basic need. 

What’s even more interesting is that most of the research on this method was conducted more than 20 years ago.  The lead researchers were two medical entomologists from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  When asked why these methodologies were not used earlier, the professors said that no one had an interest, until the Gates Foundation got involved.  The rest of the world was blinded by the “blood needed to survive” paradigm. 

So, how does this apply to recruiting?  I believe that many hiring managers in the real estate industry think that real estate agents need money and broker-provided services in order to survive.  This belief leads to a focus on such things as commission-splits, feature/benefits checklists, technology platforms, and other such tit-for-tat items that often soak up the attention in a recruiting discussion. 

Of course, real estate agents need these things in order to grow their business (reproduce) and eventually flourish.  But, they don’t need these things in order to survive.

There is something more organic that you may have been missing… 

Real estate agents need relationships in order to survive.

Let that statement sink in.  If real estate agents are not able to develop and maintain a substantial set of credible professional and personal relationships, they will die.  No amount of broker provided services can compensate for this deficiency, and the best commission splits in the world will amount to nothing.  

Maybe a set of improved recruiting strategies (especially experienced agent recruiting strategies) will be hatched if this principle becomes your new starting point.  

Like the malaria researchers, you may find yourself with a renewed sense of creativity that lifts you above the most commonly used experienced agent recruiting strategies.  These ingrained strategies, I am often told by our clients, are producing diminished results and are very difficult to find the motivation to sustain. 

Most hiring managers still use a “carpet-bombing” approach of promotional activities with the hope to capture a few new recruits along the way.  The holy grail of recruiting is getting to a place where you can attract competitive agents to your business.  Even a mosquito can’t resist this!

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. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.