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That is the fifth installment of Inman’s Speaking Expertise collection. Make sure to try Half 1 with Compass, Half 2 with The Company, Half 3 with eXp Realty, and Half 4 with Redfin.
Kevelyn Guzman is aware of everybody in actual property claims that their firm is exclusive. However, she just lately insisted, relating to Coldwell Banker Warburg, that’s truly true.
Kevelyn Guzman
“I really want to say that we truly here have something special,” Guzman advised Inman earlier this month. “And this year, one of the things that I did was try to showcase what we have. And it’s proven to work because we’ve recruited quite a few agents.”
Her rise marked a big turning level for Coldwell Banker Warburg, which had lengthy been a household agency overseen by Frederick Warburg Peters. Guzman’s rise additionally happened two years after Coldwell Banker acquired the New York Metropolis agency, beforehand identified merely as Warburg Realty. And final month, the corporate introduced it was opening its first brick-and-mortar location in Brooklyn.
All of which is to say, the corporate has skilled a interval of great change up to now a number of years, and it was as much as Guzman to ensure issues continued operating easily.
Talking to Inman for the Speaking Expertise collection on agent recruiting, Guzman made the case that, at the least within the eyes of brokers, change has been a great factor. She described a supportive neighborhood that wins over trade professionals one after the other, and which values neighborhood. The important thing to profitable the very best expertise, in different phrases, is seemingly standing out, offering assist and simply being good.
“We want someone that is a good person,” Guzman stated of the brokers she seeks out.
What follows is a model of Inman’s dialog that has been edited for size and readability.
Inman: Speak to me about your recruiting philosophy in 2024. How did you go about discovering expertise?
Kevelyn Guzman: We’ve employed about 25 brokers this 12 months. After I stepped into this position in January, one of many issues that I instantly did was not solely connecting us to the worldwide community, the Coldwell Banker international community, but additionally internet hosting a whole lot of occasions. And the occasions, we opened them as much as the brokerage neighborhood. That allowed us somewhat bit extra publicity and to fulfill totally different brokers that had been most likely already occupied with leaving their agency. This gave them the chance to discover one thing totally different. And we’re very totally different.
I do know you most likely hear this from all the companies. Everyone’s doing one thing that makes them particular, and I don’t disagree with what they’re saying. However I actually need to say that we really right here have one thing particular. And this 12 months, one of many issues that I did was attempt to showcase what now we have. And it’s confirmed to work as a result of we’ve recruited fairly a couple of brokers
The philosophy is that it’s an surroundings the place collaboration is primary. So day one, when folks are available right here, they really feel like there’s an surroundings the place they will develop their enterprise, and colleagues which can be keen to leap in and assist them.
So what sort of occasions are we speaking about right here?
I did a whole lot of ping pong occasions in certainly one of our workplaces. That was a success. I truly acquired two, three brokers that very same evening. In order that was nice.
I simply would have gatherings elsewhere. I did a Halloween get together. I additionally host this occasion referred to as What Strikes Her. That’s additionally been key. I did an occasion at Etro, which is a luxurious boutique right here on Madison Avenue. A variety of partnership occasions as nicely. I’ve all the time invited the brokerage neighborhood.
The place did the concept for these occasions come from?
All of us get the textual content messages. So, hiring recruiters, they search you and discover a agency that you just’re with, after which they chilly name. Or they ship you a textual content message. And that’s the strategy that almost all corporations use. I didn’t need to try this. I wished this to really feel extra private. I would like folks to know that we actually are investing in them. I would like them to know that I perform some research and I do know who they’re. I do know a number of the issues which can be necessary to them.
So, what’s one other strategy to entice folks to come back to you? Occasions. Discovering issues that individuals like and are fascinated about.
What kinds of brokers are you on the lookout for?
It’s a mix of issues. I’d say the primary one is somebody that’s extremely motivated that basically needs to be on this trade. We wish somebody that’s moral. We wish somebody that could be a good particular person.
And the way have you learnt somebody’s a great particular person? You recognize day one. We all know day one that somebody actually is in regards to the neighborhood, is about scaling their enterprise. These are the brokers that we wish.
After you have recruited any individual, what do they let you know about why they joined?
It’s not only one factor. However the first one — and that is going to sound like, actually, is that basically a factor? — is that individuals listed below are very nice. While you be a part of us, it’s a welcome with open arms. There’s no, “Oh my gosh, there’s a new agent here. I have to go hide my files or lock my things.” Everyone’s heat and we welcome everybody.
We have now an open door coverage. You’ve entry to management, together with myself. My door’s all the time open. There are all the time folks in my workplace.
And now we have essentially the most fabulous PR staff. Our PR right here is for everybody, not simply the highest 1 %. At different companies, solely the highest producers get PR. Each single particular person, even somebody that has no expertise that’s simply joined the agency, is ready to get some form of PR.
Then our advertising price range can be necessary as a result of most corporations — and that is one factor that no one actually is aware of about us — most corporations cost the itemizing assist value to their advertising price range. So sure, they’ll provide you with $15,000 on your advertising price range, however you must spend that cash in your itemizing assist, that means pictures, brochures, ground plans. That comes out of your advertising price range.
With us, your advertising price range is designed on your agent model. If you wish to do an internet site, if you wish to do a life-style shoot, if you wish to, you recognize, actually scale your enterprise, that’s what your advertising price range is for. It isn’t on your itemizing assist. We cowl one hundred pc of that assist.
I’ll share one other factor that we do rather well that almost all corporations don’t have. I don’t know if you recognize this, however 75 % of the buildings in New York Metropolis are co-ops. And that signifies that to be able to get a purchaser in, you must do a board package deal. We have now somebody in home that’s been with us for 30 years who’s a board package deal woman. She does essentially the most unbelievable board packages.
Our charges by way of what number of board packages get authorized, I feel it’s someplace round 99 %, which is unimaginable. That doesn’t value our brokers something. So day one, you are available and you’re employed for us and you’ve got somebody that may make it easier to with board packages.
How does being part of Coldwell Banker match into this equation? You had been with Warburg lengthy earlier than it grew to become part of Coldwell Banker, so that you’ve seen each side. How does being part of Coldwell influence your capacity to search out expertise, and discover the precise expertise?
Having been in a small boutique for a few years and now having this large powerhouse behind us, it has made all of the distinction.
I’ll provide you with an instance. The worldwide community has been unimaginable. We’re in over 40 nations. So what does that imply? Which means I’ve partnerships with workplaces in Spain. They get to market our properties there. And vice versa. So there’s this nice international connection.
Simply this morning, we had Portugal right here within the workplace, the primary workplace in Portugal. They had been right here this morning speaking about their market and connecting with our brokers. And a month in the past I had the Caribbean right here. So each month I herald somebody to attach with our brokers. After which in return, we promote one another’s listings. That’s one thing that we didn’t have entry to earlier than.
Should you needed to share a message with brokers proper now, what would you say to the folks working within the trenches of the trade at this second?
Properly, you recognize, possibly I shouldn’t say this as a result of it sounds imply, however there’s higher. Discover the corporate that basically will assist you in a significant method. And by that, I imply, Coldwell Banker Warburg, after all.
Replace: What Strikes Her is a marketing campaign Coldwell Banker initiated in 2020. Guzman and Coldwell Banker Warburg launched their New York Metropolis chapter in 2023. This observe was added to this story after publication.
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