Building Trust Leads to Commitment

by | Jun 27, 2025

Researchers have discovered that humans are innately motivated to be consistent with the things they’ve previously said or done.

When engaging a new recruiting prospect, this is a helpful thing to know.

Consistency is activated by asking for small initial commitments that can be easily made.

When seeking to influence using the consistency principle, look for voluntary, active, and public commitments.

For new-to-real-estate prospects, the initial commitment to engage in the recruiting process happens when they apply.

For experienced agent prospects, the small commitment of ‘Is it OK if we stay in touch?’ should be proactively requested.

Why do these seemingly simple commitments matter?

Because it opens your recruiting prospects to being influenced by your follow-on communication and makes follow-on commitments more likely.

Subconsciously, they’re thinking:

I’ll read what you send me because I gave you permission to contact me.

I’m open to making a big commitment (changing companies) because I’ve already made smaller commitments to you over the last few months, and they worked out.

Influencing others is a subtle and nuanced process where small details make all the difference.

 

The Simple Psychology of Real Estate Recruiting [2nd Edition]

Unlock the secrets of effective real estate recruiting. Revised to include actionable frameworks for sharper execution and to help you turn psychological theory into a repeatable recruiting system.

The #1 Source of Recruiting Success

The #1 Source of Recruiting Success

Raising follow-up to the level of being the most important recruiting activity requires many hiring managers to make a paradigm change. The interview/recruiting appointment is not the end of the recruiting process–it’s the beginning. It just gives you the right to compete for this prospect’s attention in the months ahead.