CB Warburg’s Guzman: Being ‘very nice’ key to recruiting

That is the fifth installment of Inman’s Speaking Expertise collection. You should definitely 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 lately insisted, in terms of Coldwell Banker Warburg, that’s truly true.

“I really want to say that we truly here have something special,” Guzman informed 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.”

Following years as Coldwell Banker Warburg’s chief working officer, Guzman was promoted in January 2024 to the function of Regional Vice President — a place that noticed her take over management of the model.

Her rise marked a major 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 serious change prior to now a number of years, and it was as much as Guzman to ensure issues continued working easily.

Chatting with 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 superb factor. She described a supportive neighborhood that wins over business execs one after the other, and which values neighborhood. The important thing to successful the perfect expertise, in different phrases, is outwardly standing out, offering assist and simply being good.

“We want someone that is a good person,” Guzman mentioned of the brokers she seeks out.

What follows is a model of Inman’s dialog that has been edited for size and readability.

Inman: Discuss 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 function 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 plenty of occasions. And the occasions, we opened them as much as the brokerage neighborhood. That allowed us somewhat bit extra publicity and to satisfy completely different brokers that have been in all probability already interested by leaving their agency. This gave them the chance to discover one thing completely different. And we’re very completely different.

I do know you in all probability hear this from all the companies. All people’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 we’ve got. And it’s confirmed to work as a result of we’ve recruited fairly just a few brokers

The philosophy is that it’s an surroundings the place collaboration is primary. So day one, when individuals are available in 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 plenty of ping pong occasions in one among our places of work. That was successful. I truly acquired two, three brokers that very same night time. In order that was nice.

I simply would have gatherings in other places. I did a Halloween social gathering. 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. Lots of partnership occasions as properly. 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 method that almost all firms use. I didn’t need to do this. I wished this to really feel extra private. I would like individuals to know that we actually are investing in them. I would like them to know that I do a little analysis and I do know who they’re. I do know a few of the issues which can be vital to them.

So, what’s one other technique to entice individuals to come back to you? Occasions. Discovering issues that individuals like and are taken with.

What types 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 business. 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 superb particular person? You already know day one. We all know day one that somebody actually is concerning the neighborhood, is about scaling their enterprise. These are the brokers that we wish.

After you have recruited anyone, what do they inform you 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 here are very nice. While you be 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.” All people’s heat and we welcome everybody.

We’ve got an open door coverage. You might have entry to management, together with myself. My door’s all the time open. There are all the time individuals in my workplace.

And we’ve got probably the most fabulous PR staff. Our PR right here is for everybody, not simply the highest 1 p.c. 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 funds can also be vital as a result of most firms — and that is one factor that no person actually is aware of about us — most firms cost the itemizing assist price to their advertising funds. So sure, they’ll offer you $15,000 on your advertising funds, however you must spend that cash in your itemizing assist, that means images, brochures, ground plans. That comes out of your advertising funds.

With us, your advertising funds 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 funds is for. It’s not on your itemizing assist. We cowl 100% of that assist.

I’ll share one other factor that we do very well that almost all firms don’t have. I don’t know if you recognize this, however 75 p.c 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 bundle. We’ve got somebody in home that’s been with us for 30 years who’s a board bundle woman. She does probably the most incredible board packages.

Our charges by way of what number of board packages get authorized, I feel it’s someplace round 99 p.c, which is unimaginable. That doesn’t price our brokers something. So day one, you are available in and you’re employed for us and you’ve got somebody that may assist you with board packages.

How does being part of Coldwell Banker match into this equation? You have been with Warburg lengthy earlier than it turned part of Coldwell Banker, so that you’ve seen either side. How does being part of Coldwell affect your means to search out expertise, and discover the best 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 offer you an instance. The worldwide community has been unimaginable. We’re in over 40 international locations. So what does that imply? Meaning I’ve partnerships with places of work 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 have 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 usher in 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.

For those who needed to share a message with brokers proper now, what would you say to the individuals working within the trenches of the business at this second?

Nicely, you recognize, perhaps I shouldn’t say this as a result of it sounds imply, however there may be higher. Discover the corporate that basically will assist you in a significant manner. And by that, I imply, Coldwell Banker Warburg, in fact.

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 word was added to this story after publication. 

Electronic mail Jim Dalrymple II