Fillmore Career Night Best Ever

Fillmore Real Estate held it’s first Career Night of 2010 last night and there was standing room only out the door attendance.  “What the heck is going on here?”  It’s a cold night in January, competition with the President’s State of the Union Address, and the fact that it’s a tough real estate market would have all been explanations if the turnout was not so large..but come on now, there’s gotta be something here.  Isn’t that the way we think as brokers? Why the spike in interest?

I will attempt to explain the possible reasons why we had such a great success last nite:

THE NEW YEAR RESOLUTION:
People like to make a difference in their lives at the beginning of the year, and now more than ever, they are acting on their dissatisfaction with what they were doing previously.  2009 wasn’t great for many industries, and if someone wasn’t doing well, they are looking for something better.

THE FLIGHT TO QUALITY BROKERAGE FIRMS:
We received a lot of experienced agents from other companies that attended our event.  Agents are not settling for companies that do not provide the services and tools that they need to compete in this market.  It’s not just about split anymore.  You need a firm that can prove that they can market properties better and get the job done.  Agents are searching for firms that offer great training and technology.  They are searching for an environment that fosters teamwork.  They want to work somewhere where they will have a llittle fun while they work.   Ok, so some don’t wanna have fun..but they certainly don’t want a hostile and destructive working environment..and that’s for sure.

THE QUESTIONS ASKED
Agents who attended seemed to be interviewing our firm on the ways we attract customers,  the ways we advertise online, and the ways that we assign leads.  I believe that the agents today are getting more specific on what they are looking for and they will not settle for firms that do not raise the bar with the customer experience.

At First Blush, it seems that our capture rate for this event will be over 80% with most candidates already completing their real estate licensing course and/or are already working in the industry for another firm.

AGENTS WANT GREAT BROKERAGE FIRMS – NOT GREAT SPLITS!
I think that we’re on to something here.  It’s going back to the way it used to be…the way I believe it should be.
The brokerage firms are best positioned to provide great services and they should do so in creating an amazing agent experiences and enabling agents to use the best tools for their customers.  Brokers should be the main focus in creating the model and actions that agents should take to represent YOUR brand which translates to providing excellence in customer satisfaction.

PRINT ADS DON’T WORK:
Instead of placing the habitual print ad, we shifted to online ads on Craigslist (only 25 bucks) and we actually received a few candidates from there.
We ran an email blitz for everyone who contacted Fillmore in the past two years about a career but never joined.
A follow-up phone call to every one of those possible candidates really helped show these possible candidates that they should come down and find out why this may be the best time to get into the business…if you’re serious!
Each Branch Manager was responsible for bringing down some candidates to the event.
Agents were offered compensation for those candidates that they brought in to the company too.
This team effort really helped.

Summary:
Our career night efforts were picked up a little bit, but I think the market conditions and the flight to quality have added substantially to the success of our career event.  Perhaps the word is getting out there that we’re the right place to be, and those that were on the fence are hoping onboard.

My dad always said, “Create a company that is fair and offers the agents the best tools and training available.  If you  build a company that is constantly focused on providing excellence in customer satisfaction, you will attract the consumer and top quality agents that recognize that providing great service is the best way for sustained success.”