Think that high performer at your competitor’s office is untouchable? Think again.

Here’s something most real estate principals don’t want to admit: they’re losing sleep over agent turnover while simultaneously believing the best talent is locked away at other agencies.

The reality is far different.

One in three marriages fail. Not romantic marriages—agent-business marriages.

That top performer at the agency with higher market share than yours? They’re probably considering their options. The experienced agent who seems perfectly settled at your competition? There’s a good chance they’re quietly frustrated with something.

The mistake most principals make is approaching recruitment like a desperate cold call: “Hey, want to grab a coffee and talk about joining my business?”

When the answer is no (and it usually is), there’s nowhere to go from there. The door closes. The opportunity dies.

Real recruitment doesn’t happen in a single conversation. It happens over 12 months—sometimes longer.

This is what we call the Recruitment Upgrade system, and it requires a complete shift in how you think about bringing experienced agents into your business.

Before you can recruit anyone, you need to answer a simple question: if a high-performing agent asked you five questions about your business right now, could you answer them confidently?

• How’s your culture?
• What database systems do you have in place?
• What’s your vendor management process like?
• How do you support agent development?
• What makes your business different?

If you’re stumbling over those answers, you’re not ready to recruit. You need clarity on your own offerings first.

Think about it from the prospect’s perspective. They’re not just looking for a new logo on their business card. They’re evaluating whether your systems, culture, and support structure are better than what they currently have.

This is where most principals fail. They focus on what they want (an experienced agent who can hit the ground running) instead of what the prospect needs (a business that actually solves their current frustrations).

The Recruitment Upgrade system teaches you to reverse engineer the entire process:

1. Get crystal clear on what you’re offering
2. Identify your dream team from competing agencies
3. Build a 12-month communication plan (not a single coffee meeting)
4. Use probing and relating-based questions to understand their world
5. Act as if you’re the number one agency in your market—even if you’re not

That last point is critical. If you’re the second, third, or fourth-ranked business in your area, you still need to operate with the confidence and consistency of the market leader.

It’s not about arrogance. It’s about discipline.

• How many hours per week are you dedicating to recruitment?
• How many potential prospects are you actively following up?
• How many open homes are you visiting to connect with agents?
• How many people do you have on a structured communication plan?

Most principals spend all their time working IN their business (sitting in lounge rooms, listing and selling) instead of working ON their business (building systems and recruiting talent).

Ask yourself this: in the last seven days, how many hours did you spend on recruitment versus deal-making?

If the answer makes you uncomfortable, that’s your starting point.

One of our clients, Harrison & The Estate Agents in Hobart, went through this exact journey.

They had a new leader come in, and we immediately focused on the Recruitment Upgrade system. We started by building their dream team—a list of PAs, sales agents, and property managers from competing businesses they’d love to have.

Then we built the plan.

Not a “let’s see what happens” plan. A structured, systematic plan with clear actions and timeframes.

The result? Over the past couple of months, three experienced agents from competition have joined their business.

But here’s what really made the difference: they got clear on their internal offerings first. They worked hard on their culture, their database systems, and their support structures. So when conversations with prospects happened, they weren’t fumbling for answers. They were confidently explaining exactly what made their business different.

Remember: one in three marriages fail. If your competition doesn’t have strong systems and genuine support, their agents are already looking elsewhere. Your job is to make sure they’re looking at you.

Recruiting experienced agents isn’t about being sneaky. It’s about being consistent.

You need a business blueprint for recruitment—just like you’d have for listings or sales. At the end of every month, you should be reviewing:

• How many conversations did you have with potential recruits?
• How many open homes did you visit?
• How many SMS messages or follow-ups did you send?
• How many people moved closer to joining your business?

The outcomes don’t always happen immediately. But if you stop doing the work, you’ll miss the opportunity when it finally arrives six months down the track.

Here’s the bigger lesson in all of this: recruiting top talent uses the same principles as winning listings.

You’re not pitching. You’re building trust.

You’re not closing. You’re opening conversations.

You’re not selling your business. You’re helping prospects see whether your systems solve their problems.

It’s the same systematic approach we teach for database management, vendor relationships, and buyer engagement. Break the process down into component parts. Build consistency. Track your progress. Adjust as you go.

One in three marriages will fail—but they don’t fail overnight.

That’s why the Recruitment Upgrade system isn’t a quick fix. It’s an 18-month journey of building relationships, demonstrating value, and positioning your business as the obvious choice when an agent is ready to move.

The principals who win at recruitment aren’t necessarily running the biggest agencies. They’re running the agencies with the clearest systems, the strongest culture, and the most consistent communication.

When an agent at your competition starts questioning their future, your name needs to be front of mind. Not because you cornered them at a conference. But because you’ve spent 12 months showing them—through your actions, your systems, and your consistency—that your business is where they belong.

Stop assuming top performers are ungettable. Start building the systems that make your business unmissable.

The recruitment upgrade isn’t just about filling seats. It’s about building a high-performance team that drives your business forward while you focus on leading, not selling.

One in three agent marriages will fail. Make sure the next one starts with you.

Ready to build a recruitment system that attracts top talent? Book a brainstorm call with Jess Densley and discover how to position your business as the obvious choice for experienced agents looking for their next move. Book your brainstorm call here.