Over the past few years, many real estate agents have entered the brokerage industry, writes coach Var Workman. What are your top recruiting tips?
A large-scale migration of agents is underway. For example, the Recruiting Insights report on migration comparisons for Q1 2025 revealed a 66% year-over-year increase in agent moves. Many agents have entered the brokerage industry over the past few years.
Some saw an opportunity and did so. Some are due to burnout. To be honest, part of it is because the market made it look easier than it actually was.
As the market changes, have our messages, strategies, and recruitment processes changed as well? In most cases, the answer is no. In a skills-based market, hiring isn’t about who has the flashiest brand or the biggest promise. Answer one question for your agent:
“Would you actually help me build a better business and a better life?”
Here’s what I’ve learned after decades of recruiting and coaching: The reason most hiring conversations fail is because they start with a sales pitch. Even worse are generic statements like, “Please let me know if you’re open to change,” or “Are you satisfied with your current situation?”
My top recruiting tips are simple and effective at every level. By learning how to use the CURE Determining Needs Framework developed by Cleve Gaddis, you can transform your hiring conversation into a problem-solving conversation that helps us and earns us the right to invite.
CURE changes the way you hire by forcing the conversation to be about them, not you.
Agents rarely quit because they say it out loud. They talk about splitting, leading, and supporting, but the root of it is usually something more personal.
“I feel stuck.” “I don’t have a system.” “I’m working too hard.” “My business has infiltrated my personal life.” “I don’t know how to get to the next level.”
And the list goes on. CURE helps uncover that reality.
C = Current status
Good hiring starts with context. If you skip this step, the rest is all guesswork.
You want to understand what the agency’s business is really like. We want to understand how it feels to be in the agency business, not just production numbers.
Questions like:
“How is your business doing?” “Describe the last 90 days: lead sources, appointments, holds, bottlenecks, etc.” “Do you think there are different levels of revenue or production? What do they look like?” “What systems are working well for you right now?” “Which systems do you think have room for improvement?” “How is work currently reflected in your personal life?” and “Can you truly exist separately?”
And my favorite is, “If you could snap your fingers and design a business that better fit your ideal lifestyle, what would that look like?”
The answer tells you a lot.
U = Understand the problem
Once you understand the situation, you need to uncover the friction. This is where many leaders rush or avoid altogether. You shouldn’t. Because problems create clarity.
listen:
“Looking at everything you’ve shared, what do you feel is the most difficult thing to maintain right now?” “Where do you feel like you’re working the hardest and getting the least benefit?” “What’s the part of your business that consistently slows down everything else?” “If nothing changes next year, how will your income and livelihood be affected?” “What’s not in place yet that you know should be in place by now?” “What needs to change so that this business becomes exciting again rather than exhausting?”
In my experience, if agents can’t articulate the problem, how can they be part of the real solution? So by asking questions to gain a deeper understanding, it starts to become clear that there may be clearly visible areas to improve their lives, production, and customer experience.
R = ripple effect
This is an unpleasant step. It is also the most powerful. Ripple effects connect today’s frustrations to tomorrow’s realities.
listen:
“What will happen if nothing changes in the next 90 days?” “How will staying at this level affect your family and situation in the long term?” “What might happen at home, at work, with friends, etc. that will make you appear different?” “If things don’t improve, how much longer do you think you will continue on this path?”
This is not a fear story. It’s about honesty. Agents don’t change until staying the same becomes more painful than doing their job.
E = Enlightenment
Only after listening will I talk about solutions.
Enlightenment is about helping agents understand what is possible based on who they already are.
It sounds like this:
“You’ve already built X.” “If you add the right systems and coaching, you can close Z.” “We believe you can do it.”
In some cases, you can also share your own story.
“I remember thinking that when I made 30 deals on my own, I would never find the time to hire and train an assistant. Actually, I had no choice but to do it. That decision doubled my business and gave me my life back.”
Then ask:
“How would you feel if that dissatisfaction were resolved?” “How would it be different for you and your family if your income doubled?”
At this point, you are no longer pitching to an intermediary. You are providing a path forward.
This is the reality. New broker owners feel pressure to sound impressive. A big promise. big presentation. Big story. got it. However, the best recruiters I know aren’t very good talkers. They are great listeners.
This simple CURE needs determination framework will take your recruiting efforts from persuasive to clear. We help you hire agents who fit, stick, and grow. And even if they choose not to take action today, they will feel heard, understood, and valued, which is where meaningful relationships are built.
It’s the difference between building a brokerage firm that barely survives and building a brokerage firm that actually grows.
So if you want one recruiting tip that works in any market, it’s this. Stop trying to sell yourself. Start diagnosis. Use CURE to earn invitations.
