In chemistry, a catalyst is an intermediary that causes another chemical process to spontaneously happen or happen more quickly.
For example, the catalytic converter in a car contains platinum which serves as a catalyst to change carbon monoxide (a dangerous gas) into carbon dioxide.
Like in chemistry, recruiting picks up pace in the presence of a catalyst event.
There are two types of recruiting catalyst events–reactive and proactive.
Reactive Catalyst Events. These are events that happen without your direct involvement.
For example, a manager leaves a competitor’s office. When this event happens, the agents in that office are suddenly more susceptible to being recruited.
Proactive Catalyst Events. These are events that you start with the intention of creating a reaction.
For example, you make a cold call to an agent questioning the financial sense of their broker’s compensation model. How much did your broker make on your last transaction?
High performing recruiters are always looking for catalyst events or creating them on their own.
Without them, recruiting moves too slowly.