Make Your Ops Team the Driver of Recruiting & Profit with Brooke Riecke

[00:00:00] Brooke: If you're sitting there thinking like, I don't even know where to start, this is super overwhelming. Really, just ask yourself what's falling through the cracks right now? And that's probably where you're gonna need that the most, and it's almost always the best place to begin.

[00:00:19] Mie: Okay, let's be honest. Operations rarely gets the credit that it deserves. But if your team is trying to grow and you want more agents and more closings and better retention, then guess what? Ops isn't just supporting that growth, it's driving it. So whether it's onboarding agents, tracking, production, building scalable systems, your operations leader is the engine of that business.

[00:00:38] Mie: So if you're an ops or you are building that muscle on your team right now, then this episode is for you. We are gonna be breaking down how operations drives the three biggest levers of growth, recruiting, production, and retention.

[00:00:51] Mie: Let's get into it. All right, everyone. Welcome back to the Reside Platform podcast. I am Mia Yamashita, and today I am joined by someone who lives and breathes this topic. My partner in all things ops and growth.

[00:01:02] Mie: Brooke Reiki, who by the way, have been working together now. For five years and, , , several organizations together. And so we are finally reunited and now getting to do a podcast together. It's awesome.

[00:01:13] Brooke: I know. Thank you so much Mia. I'm really excited for this one, and you know, not only. Because like you're one of my favorite people and you know, you've been such a big part of my career growth and just my growth as a person. , But I'm really excited about this one because I really believe that this is where the magic happens.

[00:01:31] Brooke: When you are gonna give your operations leader that clear ownership of recruiting, production, and retention, that's where you're gonna unlock a whole new level of momentum on the team.

[00:01:40] Mie: That is so true. And you know, we've both worked behind the scenes on dozens of real estate teams now. Honestly, I think it's more, maybe we might be over a hundred

[00:01:48] Brooke: I.

[00:01:48] Mie: and yeah, I think we're in the hundreds. And you know, when ops is aligned and organized and empowered, that's when things start to scale.

[00:01:57] Mie: So let's break this down and start with recruiting.

[00:02:00] Brooke: Definitely. Yeah. So I think with most people when they think about recruiting, they're gonna assume that it's just the team leader's job. But honestly, some of the best recruiting systems that we have seen were designed and ran by ops. If you think about it. Are wired to build those repeatable systems.

[00:02:17] Brooke: They're the ones who can actually turn, oh, hey, we should start recruiting into that like real pipeline and actually build that momentum. You know, in my experience, I've seen operations create recruiting dashboards. They automate follow ups, and then they even build that like full agent onboarding experience before that hire is made so they can prepare for when somebody is ready.

[00:02:41] Brooke: I always ask, you know, if you had somebody that said yes to join your team right now? Are you ready to handle that? Are you ready to take them on? Do you know where to point them? And that kind of operational foresight is what makes your team way more attractive to the right people. So really, if you're in the op seat right now and you're listening to this, don't wait to be told to help with recruiting.

[00:03:03] Brooke: Go ahead and step in, because you're always wanting to expand your team, right? You're always wanting to find those right people. And you just treat it like any other system. Get clear on the goal and then reverse engineer it. So if you're not sure you know where to start, I think it's a great place to start by asking how many agents do we want on our team by the end of the year?

[00:03:21] Brooke: And then break it down. How do we get there? How many dials do we need to make to get an appointment? How many appointments do you need to get someone to say, yes, I wanna join the team? I.

[00:03:30] Mie: Not to mention that's job security. And, at the end of the day, this starts with clarity. So if you're listening and you're not really sure like who you're trying to attract, here's a really easy first action step. , Build your agent avatar. What is their experience level? Who is the ideal agent on your team?

[00:03:47] Mie: So what is their experience level? Do they value coaching? Do they understand tech? Are they flexible? And then I would also recommend listing three pain points that that dream avatar or that dream recruit is likely experiencing and then solve for them.

[00:04:02] Brooke: Because you most likely have that solve. It's just about finding it, and once you've got that clarity and who exactly you're trying to attract, then it's time to look at the how, so you can take a good. Hard look at your systems and say, you know, what are we currently doing? Are we tracking those recruiting conversations the same way we would attract a lead or, you know, contact a lead?

[00:04:23] Brooke: , Do you actually know where agents are falling off in the process? Most teams don't know that information, and that's where that things break down. You might have a great first call, you send them over the info about your team and then maybe even get like, oh, sounds great. I would love to talk about this more.

[00:04:39] Brooke: then what typically happens is nothing. There's no follow up. There's no next step. There's no visibility. That person just falls through the cracks, and that's not really a recruiting problem. It's more of a systems problem. And so if you're really serious about growth, you need to have that visibility into your recruiting funnel.

[00:04:58] Brooke: So you know, really just like in sales, if you think about it, it's not about just one great conversation. It's about those consistent touch points, the intentional follow up, and really that clarity on where people are in the process. So whether you're using, you know, a CRM or spreadsheet, wherever you're tracking this information around your recruiting, the key is really to just create that structure of some sort.

[00:05:20] Brooke: So you should be able to see at a glance who's in conversation, who's stalled out, who's getting close to joining. Really without that, you're just flying blind and you're likely leaving those great agents on the table. That would be a great fit for your team.

[00:05:33] Mie: Yeah. And I think another thing that's important to mention is that you shouldn't try to do it all. Like pick one recruiting channel to start. Maybe you're, , gonna lean into events or referrals or targeted outreach, but just commit. And then with that one recruiting channel, build a very. Simple 30 mini day plan around it.

[00:05:52] Mie: So for example, maybe you're doing like a women in real estate coffee meetup with five hand selected invitees, or I'm a big fan of pick up the phone and dial and, , you know, there's really simple CRMs out there. I mean, even within Reside we have one that is, , , you know, unique to our, team owners that we recommend.

[00:06:09] Mie: Having your recruit, leads inside of and making calls and sending text messages and so, you know, pick one thing and run with it. When you try to do all things, it's very likely you're gonna be mediocre at best at any of them. Okay, Brooke, let's talk production. , Because obviously if agents on your team aren't producing growth stops literally right there.

[00:06:30] Brooke: Absolutely, and you know, to get real around it, most agents, they know what to do. They know, call your leads, follow up, set appointments, everything that they're hearing on a daily basis, but knowing, and then. Actually doing it consistently are two very different things, and that's where the operations come in.

[00:06:49] Brooke: We create that culture, that structure, the tools, the accountability process that makes that consistency doable. And one of the best places to start around production are, you know, your smart list or those, you know, call lists. Are they actually gonna guide you to those right daily behaviors? You know, if your agents are opening follow up boss or whatever CRM you might be using, is there a list that says, these are the people you need to call today.

[00:07:14] Brooke: Is it right in front of their face saying, Hey, here's who's raising their hands right now. Here's who you should call. And if not, that's a huge gap. You would want those lists that remove those guesswork and drive action. So start with something like hot leads, needs calls today. And make sure agents know exactly where to focus.

[00:07:32] Mie: Yeah, if you are going to, , leave it on the agents to organize it, that is time distracted time, not on the phones time, not lead. Generating time. Not creating production. And then I would also add are. Being tracked in a way that's actually gonna help them improve. So I mean, you can even boil this down to one key metric to track this week.

[00:07:51] Mie: So you could do conversations per day or appointments set and then just share that number weekly in a scoreboard, or like a slack post. I am a big fan of focus on two minute conversations in our RISE training that we have in reside. we have a six week training where agents of all production, , levels, all experience levels come and, train with me twice a week.

[00:08:11] Mie: , and we have, , five pretty intense metrics that they're following during that six week period of time. But I always say. If there's one metric that you nail, like if all of the other ones went away, the one that I would prioritize is two minute conversations, because I know if you get your 22 minute conversations for the next six weeks, your business over the next 90 days is gonna be fine.

[00:08:31] Brooke: Absolutely. That's where everything leads to. If you're having conversations, you're bound to get appointments. You're bound to get people to say yes. The more appointments that you get and you're the more people that say, yes, you're bound to glow something, it just is a whole, process of reaction just by having those right conversations with the people that are raising their hands. And one thing that I always tell our ops leaders when I coach with them is start small, but start publicly. And that visibility is gonna drive engagement. So you don't need this like giant dashboard or that weekly report right away. You just need some sort of momentum. So even starting with something like a Monday message of some sort, or just a weekly notification of, Hey team, we had 24 conversations last week.

[00:09:16] Brooke: Let's hit 30. Shout out to Mia for leading with seven. You know, that takes two minutes to post, to share, and then it instantly reinforces that behavior that you want more of over time. That's gonna turn into culture.

[00:09:29] Mie: Yeah. And it also is a signal to your agents that you're paying attention. , and I see this a lot where, , team owners, they say it once and they're like these are adults. I shouldn't have to say it over and over and over again, but the squeaky wheel gets. The oil. And so the thing that you keep in front of your agents is the thing that they're gonna prioritize because they know it's the thing you prioritize, you saying something one time and being like, and this is the law, this is the rule.

[00:09:54] Mie: Like this is the standard. And then there's no application around it. There's no support around it, there's no systems or structure around it. Mm. It's not really then. Okay, let's, switch gears and, . Talk about retention , and how operations plays into that. And we know that ultimately retention is where that long-term ROI is gonna come from.

[00:10:11] Mie: And this is where I think that ops can really be the big difference maker. What do you think?

[00:10:15] Brooke: Yeah, absolutely. I think the key to real retention is gonna be making every agent feel known, seen, and then really just supported, especially we're just in a fast moving, high expectation environment like most. The teams out there right now, it's easy for agents to feel lost in the shuffle, especially when you know, they're not the top producer.

[00:10:35] Brooke: They're not getting the main focus, but it doesn't mean they can't be the top producer. Eventually, you know, that moment agent feels like no one's paying attention to their progress or their struggles. They're gonna start looking elsewhere, and that's why, you know, just even a simple like consistent check-in will go a long way.

[00:10:51] Brooke: Even if it's just one personal conversation a week, 15 minutes, whatever you can give. And it doesn't have to be that some sort of script or any formal meeting or formal like agenda. It's really just asking, you know, what's one thing that you're proud of lately? Like, what's been going well and what's an area that you feel stuck or maybe you could use some more support on?

[00:11:10] Brooke: And then really what? can we do as a team to better support you so you feel equipped to handle. You know those things that you're feeling stuck in and also celebrating what they're proud of, and their wins. And those three questions really are going to open up that trust, show that you're invested, and then often uncovered some issues you know that you didn't know of before they even become a big, problem.

[00:11:31] Mie: and something else that, , comes to mind with this is how we do accountability, , especially as your team starts. To scale, you know, it's not very scalable for a team owner to be doing a one-on-one with every single agent on the team. And so I really do like that you simplify that to say like, it's even just like a consistent check-in.

[00:11:50] Mie: , and I think this is where we can get accountability mixed up a little bit too, is sometimes we think accountability is like this harsh drill instructor, drill instructor approach and really like accountability. Effective accountability is. , Surrounded by psychological safety. So if you are showing up and asking, you know, what's one area that you feel stuck, or How can I support you better, like you mentioned, , it doesn't mean that you don't hold boundaries or that you don't hold standards, but it means that you're willing to walk alongside them in their struggles and in their wins.

[00:12:20] Mie: and I think it's also, , , good to mention that, not to assume that everyone wants to be recognized the same way. All right, we've got some, , , action steps here on this. , Number one is have each agent complete, like, , a disc quiz or five languages of appreciation, or even just reading the voice.

[00:12:38] Mie: And, , the five voices and figuring out which one they are. I think the disc is probably the most simple. Figure out who it's, that you're working with and then, you know, just record that preference in your team notes or your CRM and actually use it. You know, if you have someone who's a, which by the way, most of the population is going to be a high s like we very much value stability, but you're gonna, you know, have a lot of high Ds, a lot of high I, you're gonna have some, you know, dcs in the mix.

[00:13:03] Mie: And so each of them might take a, different approach in the way they want, be connected with.

[00:13:07] Brooke: Absolutely. And I think one more thing that we can remind people of is making that growth visible. So if agents. You know, or wanting to leave your team most of the time it's not because they're unhappy or you did anything wrong necessarily, it's just because they can't see a, future with the team. they don't really know what the next step looks like, and they're gonna start to look for somewhere else that next step will be visible to them.

[00:13:31] Brooke: And that's why I love creating some sort of like, you know, growth roadmap or a 30, 60 90 or like a, here's a. Years plan or something that it's gonna map out what growth on your team actually looks like from a brand new agent that has zero deals, brand new into real estate. Then becoming that rising star, what it looks like to get, you know, 5, 6, 10, you know, transactions a month.

[00:13:54] Brooke: And then maybe even transitioning into like a team leader or like a mentor. What does that look like and where do they wanna be? And I think it's really important. That's where it comes in of knowing who your agent is and where their best fit would be. And okay, you wanna be a mentor, you do, you know, that's more of their.

[00:14:11] Brooke: Their style. Here's exactly how we're gonna get you there. And it doesn't have to be, you know, super rigid or corporate feeling at all. It just has to be clear and visible. It should be something that you're talking about in onboarding. You revisit during the check-ins and then you're celebrating when people are, hitting those milestones, which having something like that is very rare in my experience of, Hey, here's where we're gonna get you to where you wanna be, and it makes you really attractive to agents.

[00:14:37] Brooke: So when an agent sees that progress and knows what's possible, they're gonna stick. around a whole lot longer.

[00:14:43] Mie: Yeah, I agree with that. , and I think it also highlights how critical it is to have systems. Around that, and then to leverage it. I mean, how many team owners do we work with every single day that are clinging, clinging to all of the things? and you really need to let go and empower your operations admin, , not only to drive these systems, build these systems and, , , deliver them to you, but to like let them make mistakes to learn.

[00:15:05] Mie: You know, it's not gonna be exactly the way you would do it. Maybe it'll be better. At the very least it'll be different. , But you know, the way that you help and empower them. And, , , encourage them to step outside of their comfort zone is where you're gonna see growth as well. , Okay, let's wrap with this.

[00:15:19] Mie: , If you're in ops, you're not just managing tasks, you're actually managing growth.

[00:15:24] Brooke: Exactly. You're the one that's gonna drive those systems behind recruiting, production, retention. And then when you really do that intentionally, you are creating a scalable, sustainable momentum. You're not just in the background, you're at the center of what makes the business work and it becomes visible.

[00:15:41] Brooke: I.

[00:15:42] Mie: Yeah. So, okay, so this week, why don't we pick one of those action items that we just shared, literally just one and implement it. Don't try to take on all of them. Small moves, consistently applied are gonna create massive results. So let that compound effect, , take hold and do its thing.

[00:15:57] Brooke: If you're sitting there thinking like, I don't even know where to start, this is super overwhelming. Really, just ask yourself what's falling through the cracks right now? And that's probably where you're gonna need that the most, and it's almost always the best place to begin.

[00:16:10] Mie: I couldn't agree more. That is so good. Thanks for listening to the Reside Platform podcast. We are so glad that you're here and we can't wait to see how you take this and run with it.

[00:16:18] Mie: Let us know.