According to one of the top real estate executives in the country, you ask your agents.

A few months ago, Steve Brown of Crye-Leike sent a quick survey to his agents that contained the following questions:

Why did you join Crye-Leike?  

Why do you stay at Crye-Leike?

The agents were asked to provide three one-word answers to each question (free-form, no drop-down menus or prompting). Some clear patterns emerged.

Agents joined Crye-Leike because of:

Reputation
Training
Convenient Location to an Office
Positive Connection with the Broker.

Agents stayed at Crye-Leike because of:

Support
Tools
Positive Connection with the Broker
Co-Workers Feel Like Family

Based on the feedback, Steve created word-clouds to visually demonstrate the results to everyone in the company. Poster-sized copies of the word-clouds were placed in each office.

“These word clouds are a snapshot of our DNA. They help us remember who we are when we recruit and train.”

This is a great example of how to discover your employer brand. 

Employer brands can be changed and optimized over time, but you can’t set a new destination until you know where you’re starting.