Insights from a Real Estate Recruiting Coach

This article distills the recruiting pipeline into five focused metrics essential for brokerage leaders who intend to grow with precision and efficiency.

Originally published in Inman News by Chris Pollinger, these benchmarks help simplify what many brokers find daunting: recruiting top-producing agents.

Recruiting is the foundational driver of brokerage growth—and yet, it is often the most avoided. The complexity brokers perceive is largely mental. When markets shift and operational costs escalate, growth becomes non-negotiable. You must own recruiting rather than outsource it.

Below, we break recruiting into five tactical funnel points so you can systematically move candidates from one stage to the next, streamlining growth with measurable goals.

Recruiting Pipeline Metric One – The Pool

Definition: The recruitable agent pool represents all licensed agents actively producing within your market area, excluding those already with your brokerage.

For brokers with physical offices, consider agents located within a 20-minute drive radius; for dense metropolitan markets, this could mean a few city blocks. Importantly, focus exclusively on experienced agents with at least three transactions in the past 12 months. This criterion filters out low producers who can drain resources and dilute brand reputation.

Quantifying this pool accurately sets realistic expectations for recruitment efforts and clarifies market share opportunities.

Recruiting Pipeline Metric Two – Your Target

Definition: Your target comprises agents with whom you have established two-way communication that moved beyond a cold initial contact. This might be a social media exchange, event conversation, or an introduction via referral.

Warming prospects transforms recruiting from “cold calling” to genuine dialogue, easing follow-up and engagement. The recommended benchmark is to add 10 new prospects weekly until you reach 250 warm contacts. At that saturation point, maintain momentum by cycling five prospects in and five out weekly. This churn enables sustained pipeline health and measurable consistency — a critical success factor.

Recruiting Pipeline Metric Three – One-on-One Meeting

Definition: This metric counts agents with whom you have conducted focused, business-first meetings designed around their career objectives, challenges, and goals—not a sales pitch or recruiting presentation.

These meetings provide essential insights for cultural fit and personalized value propositions. When scaling, target 3–4 meetings per week; in maintenance, 1–2 per week suffices. Meetings conducted away from your office, such as a coffee shop, foster authentic connection and trust.

Try a conversational cadence as follows: “Nice to meet you” (first meeting), “Great to see you again” (second meeting), “We keep running into each other—let’s grab coffee to talk business” (third meeting). This phased approach builds rapport organically.

Recruiting Pipeline Metric Four – Transition

Definition: Transition-ready agents are categorized based on when they are realistically open to moving brokerages. Unlike transactional clients, agents’ decisions hinge on frustration or dissatisfaction reaching a tipping point.

Classify your pipeline by probable timelines:

• A’s: Likely to move within 45 days
• B’s: Considering a move in 45–90 days
• C’s: Potential move beyond 90 days

This prioritization ensures your outreach cadence aligns with agents’ decision readiness, avoiding wasted effort on those not prepared to transition.

Recruiting Pipeline Metric Five – Onboarding

Definition: Onboarding refers to agents who joined your brokerage within the last 45 days—a critical window for cementing loyalty and fostering organic referrals.

An exceptional onboarding experience can generate 3–5 unsolicited referrals in the first six weeks—a clear signal of agent satisfaction and a multiplier for recruiting momentum. Consider every interaction an opportunity to deliver “wow” moments that affirm their decision to join your organization.

Remember: Recruiting success is inseparable from retention. Imbalance creates costly churn. For tools and guidance supporting either recruitment or retention, please reach out to RE Luxe Leaders™.