When agents love your leadership, believe in your support, and feel like you’re making a tangible impact on their business, they’ll show up. Not because you have to, but because you want to, writes Lori Muller.
Brokers always ask me: “How do I get my agents to attend meetings, training, and company events?”
This is an obvious question. Especially when you look at the explosion of real estate agents moving to virtual brokerage models over the past five years.
So why are agents moving to a virtual model? Simply put: freedom.
Established agents, those with solid business books, want the autonomy to run their business like a business. They don’t want forced meetings that don’t change direction. They want flexibility, efficiency, and control over when and how they engage.
However, where virtual models struggle is with new or less productive agents.
These agents often lack the discipline, structure, and guidance needed to grow a sustainable business while working from home. They need guidance, accountability, and exposure to the experience of other agents. Without it, many will fail or fail altogether.
For this reason, it is imperative that brokers stop trying to serve everyone in the same way and instead build a support system based on the different demographics of agents within the brokerage.
Group 1: New and low production agents
These agents are hungry. they want to learn. They are passionate about their work, but need structure, guidance, and accountability.
What they want is:
A clear roadmap Consistent guidance Someone invested in your success
For this group, meetings and training are not an inconvenience, but a lifeline. When built correctly, these environments provide clarity, confidence, and community.
Group 2: Medium-sized manufacturers
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Medium-sized manufacturers are consistent, reliable, and often strong brand ambassadors. However, they usually fall into two different camps:
Content Manager: I am happy with my current production and want to maintain my lifestyle and business model. Growth-minded builders: They’re ready to do bigger things, like start a team, hire an administrator or virtual assistant, scale operations, and expand their brand.
This second group is especially valuable and especially easy to lose.
They are looking for:
Peer-to-peer learning Mastermind Strategic and legal guidance A broker on your side when it matters most
They’re not looking for typical sales meetings or one-size-fits-all training.
They are deeply focused on their business, not the brokerage, and often participate in communities and build their own brands. Attending an office meeting is not your top priority. It’s not because they don’t care, it’s because they don’t see the relevance.
So how can you serve them all?
The answer that most brokers overlook is: Ask your broker.
Speak privately with your agent and ask:
What are your short-term goals for this quarter? And what do you hope to accomplish in the next one, three, five years? As your broker, how can I support you within this framework and help you achieve these goals? When these goals are achieved and the framework is in place, how do you envision your life, both professionally and personally?
Then, and this is the important part, we’ll show you how we can help you get there.
Give them a roadmap. Show them the tools. Connect them with the right person. Support their goals as well as the brokerage’s objectives.
Everything changes when agents realize that your leadership is less about management, compliance, and company policy, and more about their growth and dreams.
Return to original question
So how do you get your agents to attend meetings, training, and events?
you don’t.
You create a raving fan base.
Earn loyalty by providing value. Build trust through leadership. Retain your agents by aligning your services with their vision.
When agents love your leadership, believe in your support, and feel like you’re making a tangible impact on their business, they’ll show up. Not because you’re asked to, but because you want to.
And that’s the real goal of brokerages and brands: organic appeal. Natural retention. Growth is built through relationships, one agent at a time.
Because when agents win, brokers win just as much as they do.
Throughout this month, we are focusing on ‘New Mediation Strategies’. How securities companies operate in 2026 will be no different than before. From corporate giants to finicky indies, we map the new playing field and talk to brokerage leaders across the country about what’s working now and what’s next.
Lori Muller is the founder and CEO of PAR+NER Real Estate, a coaching, consulting, speaking, and event powerhouse located in Appleton, Wisconsin. Connect with her on Facebook or LinkedIn.
