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Recruiting new agents is the top business challenge that brokers identified for this year, according to the 2025 Delta Real Estate Leadership Survey of more than 100 brokerage leaders. Many brokerages may be making their pitch all wrong.
“Stop feature dumping,” Jon Cheplak, broker and coach of “Cheplak Live,” said during the 2025 REALTOR® Broker Summit in Louisville on Tuesday. “It’s not about your features and benefits—it’s all about them.”
Indeed, “recruiting top talent isn’t about who has shiniest pitch or biggest paycheck, but knowing what high performers value,” said Tommy Choi with Weinberg Choi Residential in Chicago during another session on Tuesday during the summit.
There’s plenty of reason to figure it out: A solid recruitment plan—even “six months of recruitment can change that bottom line quickly”—can drive a company’s profitability, Cheplak said. “Brokerages should always be recruiting.”
Reach Out to Potential Agents—But Don’t Sell
Cheplak urged brokers aiming to affiliate more agents to set a realistic, measurable recruitment goal for the year and then get to work. Based on his research, he said, it takes 14 interactions with a licensed agent before that agent makes a move to a new brokerage. He recommended reaching out to five people a day, which could result in contacts with more than 1,200 potential recruits a year. “It’ll change your business dramatically—that’s a difference maker,” Cheplak said.
The work may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be, Cheplak says. A simple phone call and text can suffice: “You’re probably happy where you are, but if anything changes in the future, consider us as your next destination.”
When you do have the opportunity to talk to an agent, ask what they like about their current brokerage and training. “It’s a conversation—don’t sell,” he said. “It’s all about them. … ‘Did the first quarter go the way you thought it would?’” Handle any objections with questions and “echo back words that are important to them,” using empathy and showing your support.
A potential hook for attracting newer agents is offering an incentive, such as a new agent scholarship program. Commit to paying $300 toward their education, and for a $30,000 investment, you could potentially recruit 100 new agents to join your brokerage, Cheplak said.
Become a Place Agents Want to Call Home
Creating a “winning culture” that combines growth strategies, performance measurement, shared success and transparent communication will buoy your recruiting efforts, said Holly Mayberry, vice president of brokerage operations for eXp Realty, who also spoke at a session Tuesday in Louisville.
“We need to lead with purpose and vision,” she said. “Craft a clear vision that inspires and aligns your team. Make it specific, ambitious and authentic.”
- Meet agents where they are. “Create flexible systems that adapt to agents’ preferred work styles and location,” Mayberry said. That may mean creating virtual spaces where remote agents can collaborate in real-time, such as by using technology platforms, personalized coaching and always accessible documents and resources.
- Show that you value them. Mayberry said it’s important to celebrate agents’ successes in real-time. She will meet agents after a big closing and celebrate with champagne and sparkling cider. She also said that brokerages could align incentives, like structuring compensation and recognition, to directly reward agent priorities and success metrics.
- Check in. Measure your agents’ experiences. Conduct surveys for insights on how transactions went, agent satisfaction, and the brokerage’s strengths and opportunities.
- Motivate and inspire. Mayberry said it’s important to provide “safe-to-fail experiments, by encouraging innovation without fear of penalties,” to keep agents engaged.
As you grow your sales force, make sure you stay committed to your current agents, too. To track how you’re doing, set accountability and performance measurements such as the number of agents recruited, number of education offerings for agents, and agent retention over the previous year.
Retention Starts With Attention
“The easiest way to retain is to identify what problems your agents are facing and solve them,” Loredana Ghete, general manager at the Georgia Legacy Group at Keller Williams, said during a session at the REALTOR® Broker Summit. “Become a facilitator of intelligence and be problem solvers.”
Ghete recommends meeting with at least two of your agents each day to check in and identify any solutions to problems together. Her brokerage has several touchpoints with agents each week.
For example, there’s a daily “Mastering the Market of the Moment” phone call. Often, 150 agents will log on to the call, which highlights the latest market trends, offers a deep dive into MLS stats, such as the number of pending sales, closed sales, price reductions, expireds and withdraws. On a weekly video conference call, an experienced agent takes a prospecting call live in a role play for other agents. The brokerage also hosts weekly team meetings and offers a full training calendar for agents.
“We want to be in front of our agents daily,” Ghete said. “We’re committed to helping our agents to build influence.”
