I read some unexpected comments recently following the announcement of a Southern California brokerage's recruiting campaign.
Since having heard last month about a local brokerage in our area launching a Donald Trump "apprentice-style" recruiting competition, I've checked in periodically to find out the results. The winner: Paul Benec, a practicing agent from South Orange County, California. Mr. Benec won-out in a novel five-person recruiting competition launched by the McMonigle Group, a ten-agent Newport Beach, California-based brokerage specializing in luxury estates. It was co-sponsored by Coldwell Banker Previews International.
The competition started in October with an initial pool of about 10-15 candidates. Candidates were ideally to have had agent licenses already (don't know how else they could've gotten around that and still be legally compliant with California real estate practices) but they didn't need to be seasoned agents. Candidates received training from the group and faced-off in competitions including lead gen., open houses, listing presentations, and so on. The winner would receive the "you're hired!" announcement in association with a position with the McMonigle Group.
So all that's well and good. Congratulations to Mr. Benec. But, interesting to me was that following the announcement in local media, it was soundly panned in reader comments on at least one local media blog.
I don't get that. I mean, here was a creative approach to recruitment that blended a laudable candidate selection process, mentoring and competency development (candidates received training from the brokerage as part of the competition), community job placement program (the runner-ups were to receive positions in Coldwell Banker Previews International), and PR and marketing (what a great way to publicize the competency of your staff to your clients and prospects).
But even with all that, some comments panned the announcement as a "deplorable" practice or engaged in ad hominem attacks by devaluing the broker/owner's contributions as nothing more than having married into a rich family. For my part, I think such comments fall somewhere between sour grapes and "jelly beans" (a phrase coined by a friend meaning jealousy.)
I've always been an advocate for higher/more selective professional recruiting standards for our industry. Especially when you think about agents representing assets that amounts to the biggest investment many consumers will make in their lifetime.
I applaud Mr. McMonigle and Coldwell Banker for this creative approach to a candidate selection process that rises well above the common practice of "mirror testing." (Uh, that is, place a mirror under a candidate's nose to see if fog forms indicating a living/breathing body.)
Congratulations, Mr. Benec! And to Mr. McMonigle, keep at it, keep raising that bar!
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