Real Estate
Simulator helps Prudential Gardner recruit
Many real estate brokerages want to
find more new agents – but they want to be sure
that the new recruits have what it takes to succeed.
At the same time, people considering a career in real
estate will be more interested in coming forward and
giving it a try, if they are more certain that they
will be successful.
This is the situation faced by Rick Haase, Real Estate
Broker with Prudential Gardner. As a successful broker,
Rick is interested in recruiting but found he needed
a way to not only encourage more potential recruits
to apply but to make sure that they are the right potential
recruits.
Rick’s success in this area has improved dramatically.
· In September 2002, he only
added six new agents, in September 2003, he added 28.
· October 2002 saw only 14 new agents join his
company, by the first half of October 2003 alone, he
had 22.
· In all of 2002 he had 163 new agents join;
so far in 2003 – up to mid-October – he
has already added 106
He gets over 100 new recruiting leads
each month, has increased his hiring by over 20 percent,
and finds the selection process both easier and able
to produce a better group of new agents.
What’s changed? Five months ago,
Rick started using Real Estate Simulator, a new computer-based
technology produced by Upward Motion, which allows potential
recruits to “test drive” what it’s
like to be a real estate agent.
It’s easy for recruits to use
– in their own home or from any Internet connected
computer, they can experience a video-based simulation
that recreates the common challenges a real estate agent
encounters. The Simulator allows the prospective agent
to “talk” and interact with the virtual
customers on the screen, handle their objections, and
if possible, close the sale. It answers the question
in the prospective agent’s mind: “Do I have
what it takes?” more effectively than any other
recruiting tool on the market.
The vitality of the Simulator means
that Rick’s company is approached by more prospective
agents. More importantly for Rick, because the prospects
already have a good idea of whether this challenging
career is for them, these recruits are already qualified
and eager.
As well, Rick’s hiring managers
use the report generated by the Real Estate Simulator
to make interviews more effective. They spend less time
on general “Tell me about yourself” kinds
of questions, and more on questions that zero in on
each recruit’s specific strengths and weaknesses.
Partly because of the structured, purposeful questions
that result from the Simulator’s reports, his
hiring managers enjoy their work better.
As well, the Simulator’s insights
help develop a training program that suits the individual’s
needs – building confidence in each recruit that
the company can and will help them succeed.
Rick’s hiring managers report
that the success of the Simulator goes further yet –
it helps them hire recruits who are more energetic,
committed and passionate. |
