Templates and Clear Instructions

by | Feb 12, 2026

Most real estate offices operate like small, tight-knit communities.

Agents seem to participate in the community for common reasons but getting them to consistently focus on a set of productive activities can be a challenge.

To overcome this common obstacle, online community expert Rich Millington suggests a simple solution:

If you want better contributions from members, give them clearer instructions and templates to work with. It sounds obvious, but it so rarely happens.

Create a template with clear boxes of what’s expected in each area, give plenty of great examples members can see, edit, and tinker with.

Provide them with simple training they can take. And, most importantly, give them constructive criticism so they can improve.

There is a good chance you’re already using this basic formula to help your agents succeed.

But let me ask you a quick question:

Do you use the same formula to help yourself recruit?

Mundane activities like recruiting go better when you’re following a pre-planned regiment that include scripts, time-blocks, and ways to collect feedback on how you’re doing.

You already know that sloppy execution doesn’t work for selling.

It doesn’t work for recruiting either.

 

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.

Find a Struggle to Share

Find a Struggle to Share

If you want to connect with someone beyond the surface level, find something they’re struggling with and share in their pain.
Authors Chip and Dan Heath describe how this works:
One study found that when strangers were asked to perform a painful task together—in one case, submerging their hands in tubs of ice water to perform a sorting task—they felt a greater sense of bonding than did strangers who had performed the same task in room temperature water.
This bonding happened even though the task was pointless.