Richard Milligan (2025)

13/05/2025

Logical persuasion is about using facts and data to make your point. Let's say you're launching a team. Here's how you'd use logical persuasion:
• Highlighting Market Strengths: You start by sharing why the job market is impressive. For instance, it might have the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. and fast growth.
• Real Estate and Employer Data: Knowing key details like the median real estate value, future projections, and top employers in the market adds credibility.

Here's what this looks like in action:
• Data-Driven Roadmap: With facts about the recruiting talent pool, like knowing there are 82 people doing 8 million or more, you show you understand the market.
• Focusing on Top Performers: If you know the top 30% of agents and have a ranking list, you can target them effectively.
• Marketing Strategy: Your marketing department can then build a seven-step communication campaign to reach these top agents as you launch in the market.

Using logical persuasion means you're not just making claims; you're backing them up with solid data. This builds trust and shows that you're knowledgeable about the market. It's a powerful way to convince others that your company is valuable and well-prepared to succeed.

12/05/2025

One big mistake in my recruiting career was not having a system to stay in front of people, especially the "cold" ones.

These are the recruits who say "No, I'm good. I'm happy" when you reach out.

Many think this is a dead end. "They're happy, so there's nothing I can do."

But that's where I was wrong.

You don't need to give up on someone just because they're not immediately interested.

Having a system to discover their "why" shows you're a leader worth following.

It's about consistently staying in touch, not to ask for meetings or recruitment questions, but to genuinely connect.

"Are you okay? I saw your company in the news."

This kind of engagement, without pushing for anything, brings real value to them.

Understanding their "why" through this approach changes the game.

09/05/2025

Your recruiting process reveals who you are as a leader.

Be relational.

Be value centric.

Be a leader who knows the dreams and why those dreams are important.

Who we are some of the time is who we are all of the time.

08/05/2025

You're not struggling to recruit because you don't have opportunity.

You're struggling because you haven't clearly defined your vision.

People don't follow comp plans.

They follow clarity.

They follow conviction.

They follow vision.

So if you want to attract better people, build a tighter culture, and lead with more authority, you need more than ambition.

You need a framework.

Here are the 4 core pillars of a strong vision, and how to build yours:

1. Identity: Who are we really building for?

"We exist to help [specific type of person] become [who they're called to be]."

Define your ideal teammate beyond production.

Think: mindset, values, energy, and potential.

A great vision filters in alignment, and filters out distraction.

2. Direction: Where are we going?

Paint the future in vivid detail:

– How big is the team?

– What kind of markets will you impact?

– What kind of legacy are you building?

– What makes you different?

If your team doesn't know the target, they'll never feel momentum.

3. Belief: Why does this matter?

This is your why beneath the why.

"We don't just build teams.

We develop leaders. We restore trust in this industry. We give people a place they can belong and grow."

When your reason is real, your recruiting becomes magnetic.

4. Invitation: What's their role in it?

Make it personal.

"Here's how your skill set fits.

Here's what you'd help us shape.

Here's the seat we're building around someone like you."

Vision that's owned = vision that moves people.

How to Develop Your Vision Framework:

– Reflect on your top 3 hires: What made them thrive?

– Ask: "If I could build my dream team, who would be on it?"

– Write your story: why you started, what you're building, and who it's for

– Record yourself speaking it aloud

– Repeat it weekly to your team, until it feels lived-in

The takeaway?

You don't need better slides.

You need better language.

Because when you lead with clarity, you stop recruiting to fill seats, and start recruiting to build a movement."

07/05/2025

Logical persuasion is about using facts and data to make your point. Let's say you're launching a team. Here's how you'd use logical persuasion:
• Highlighting Market Strengths: You start by sharing why the job market is impressive. For instance, it might have the lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. and fast growth.
• Real Estate and Employer Data: Knowing key details like the median real estate value, future projections, and top employers in the market adds credibility.

Here's what this looks like in action:
• Data-Driven Roadmap: With facts about the recruiting talent pool, like knowing there are 82 people doing 8 million or more, you show you understand the market.
• Focusing on Top Performers: If you know the top 30% of agents and have a ranking list, you can target them effectively.
Marketing Strategy: Your marketing department can then build a seven-step communication campaign to reach these top agents as you launch in the market.

Using logical persuasion means you're not just making claims; you're backing them up with solid data. This builds trust and shows that you're knowledgeable about the market. It's a powerful way to convince others that your company is valuable and well-prepared to succeed.

06/05/2025

Some recruits need a second voice.

A bigger vision.

A new layer of trust.

But if you escalate too soon, it feels forced.

Too late, and the moment passes.

So here's the question:

When should you bring in a regional or executive leader to help close the gap?

The answer isn't about hierarchy.

It's about alignment and leverage.

Here's how to know when it's the right time:

1. When vision exceeds your role

If the recruit's career goals stretch beyond your lane, bring in someone who owns that next level.

"You mentioned wanting to build a region, let me connect you with someone who's helped others do just that."

You're not handing them off.

You're expanding the conversation.

2. When the recruit needs proof, not promises

Sometimes they've heard the pitch, now they want the receipts.

Introduce them to someone who's lived the transition:

– A former peer

– A senior leader with their same background

– A team member who's 6-12 months ahead of their journey

Let others close the credibility gap for you.

3. When momentum stalls but interest remains

They're not ghosting, but they're not moving.

Inject fresh energy by bringing in a second voice.

"There's someone I'd love for you to meet, not to recruit you, but to help you think through the next chapter with more clarity."

This keeps the door open without adding pressure.

4. When the next step isn't yours to give

If comp structure, market expansion, or unique flexibility is on the table, escalate to someone with decision-making authority.

"Rather than guess, I'd rather you hear directly from the person who can shape that opportunity."

You shift from recruiter to advocate.

The key is timing and tone.

You're not passing them off.

You're pulling them deeper into a vision that includes them.

Done right, escalation doesn't feel like pressure,

It feels like progress.

And progress builds trust.

05/05/2025

I remember a pivotal moment in my career as a Recruiting Leader. My company told me that if I could recruit other branch managers, they'd promote me to area manager. Excited, I set out to recruit. However, I quickly faced a challenge. Other branch managers were confused: why would a branch manager recruit another for the same position?

Here's what I learned from this experience:
• Value Over Title: I realized that if I could offer these managers something valuable, particularly in terms of leadership for their business, my title wouldn't matter. They would be drawn to the value I could bring.
• Recruiting by Revealing More: By showing them that more was available through my recruiting approach, I was able to attract branch managers with teams.

The big takeaway from this experience is about the importance of value in recruiting. It wasn't about the title I held or the ones I was offering. It was about the relationship and the additional value I could provide to their careers.

One of the common pitfalls in our industry is the tendency to oversell when recruiting. This approach can put you at a disadvantage as a leader. The key is to focus on what genuinely matters: the value and support you can offer to someone's career and business. This shift in approach can make all the difference in attracting the right talent.

03/05/2025

Information doesn't inspire action.

Identity does.

That's why most playbooks and presentations fall flat.

They share facts… but don't build feeling.

So if you're building out tools to support your LOs, attract recruits, or scale leadership…

Ask this first:
Does this feel branded, or just templated?
Does this feel like us, or like everyone else?

Here's how to build playbooks and presentations that actually land:

1. Anchor it in vision, not just content

Before you show the "how," remind them of the "why."

"We didn't build this to be more efficient, we built it to multiply the impact of leadership."

A strong opener sets emotional tone and authority.

2. Infuse your language, not just logos
Don't just paste your brand colors on a Google Doc.

Use internal phrases. Name your systems. Add culture cues.

Instead of "Onboarding Plan," try:

"The First 30: Your Launchpad at [Company Name]"

Make every touchpoint feel lived in, not lifted.

3. Build it as if it's being shared on your behalf

Ask: If someone shared this without me present, would it still build belief?

Use clear structure:

– What this is

– Why it matters

– How we do it

– What to do next

Every tool should be a recruiting asset.

4. Design for clarity and confidence

Avoid wall-of-text slides or 15-page PDFs with no flow.

Think:

– Visuals over volume

– Clean formatting

– Bold section headers

– Quotes from team members, not just bullet points

If it feels elevated, it positions you as elevated.

5. Include proof + participation

Add quick-win case studies.

Build in questions like:

"Where do you see yourself in this framework?"

"Which part excites or challenges you most?"

Great tools aren't one-way. They create dialogue.

The takeaway?

Every time you hand someone a resource, you're telling a story about who you are.

Don't just deliver information.

Deliver belief.

Deliver identity.

Deliver brand.

And make them want to step into it.

30/04/2025

Most leaders ask what do you want to do?

But the game changes when you ask:
"Who do you want to become?"

If you're a recruiter, a leader, or a builder of great teams, you cannot afford to stop at surface-level questions.

Because the best people aren't just looking for jobs.

They're chasing alignment.

Here are 7 powerful questions that uncover someone's real motivation, their legacy, vision, and internal compass:
1. What does success look like for you, 5 years from now, beyond title or income?
2. What impact do you want your work to have on others?
3. If you could design your dream team or culture, what would it feel like?
4. What problem do you feel most called to solve in this industry?
5. When do you feel most alive in your work?
6. Whose life or career do you want yours to resemble? Why?
7. If nothing was off-limits, what would you build?

These aren't just interview questions.

They're mirror questions. They reveal who someone is becoming.

People don't follow titles. They follow vision.

And recruiters who ask legacy-driven questions?

They build movements, not just teams.

Want to recruit with purpose?

Start with better questions.

29/04/2025

My first great business leader once told the 25-year younger version of me something that would change my life.....

I was on the edge of receiving my first big opportunity as a leader. I had a lot of grit and determination but zero real experience leading a team. I remember asking this question.....

If you had to give me one piece of advice in being a leader, what would it be?

He gave me one sentence that would take me years to fully understand.......

He said, "your success will be predicated on your abilities to set clear expectations and beliefs."

It was simple but holds true so many years later. If you can unpack and live out setting expectations AND beliefs, you will leave those under your leadership better for having served alongside you.

It may be simple, but definitely not easy.

25/04/2025

Having more resources than your competitors is a significant advantage, and your vision should clearly communicate this to potential recruits. To effectively showcase this, there's a practical exercise I recommend for leaders.

Here's the approach:
• Going Beyond the Company Offer: Consider all the elements of your employment agreement, including compensation and any special conditions. But don't stop there.
• Documenting Your Leadership Value: Create an additional document that highlights the unique value you bring as a leader. This could include the way you support and coach your team, your approach to one-on-one meetings, accountability practices, assistance in growing their business, and involvement in real estate presentations.

This is about recognizing and articulating the full spectrum of what you offer:
• Highlight Your Unique Offerings: Detail the special aspects of your business development strategy and any unique products or services you focus on.
• Creating a Value Stack: Compile these elements into a "value stack" – a comprehensive list of all the benefits and resources you offer, which might not be available at other companies.

By doing this, you make it clear to potential recruits that joining your team means gaining access to a wealth of resources and support that they might not find elsewhere. It's about showing them the tangible and intangible benefits of being part of your organization, going beyond just the basic terms of employment to the broader support and growth opportunities you provide. This strategy can make a compelling case for why your leadership and company stand out in the market.

24/04/2025

Recruiting isn't about closing fast.

It's about staying close.

But here's the challenge:
How do you follow up long-term without annoying the candidate?
How do you stay on their radar… without feeling like a telemarketer?

You ask for permission, and you earn the right to stay in the conversation.

Here's a simple 3-part framework I teach leaders to use:

1. Acknowledge the timing
"I totally get that now may not be the right time to make a move."

When you acknowledge their current reality, you build trust.

2. Ask for alignment
"Would it be okay if I stayed in touch over the next few months, just to keep the conversation open?"

This shifts follow-up from "nagging" to agreed-upon access.

3. Set the tone for future value
"I'll make sure anything I send your way is relevant to where you're headed, not just where you are today."

Now you're not a recruiter.

You're a future-focused partner.

Bonus tip: Keep it human and low-pressure.

Text updates.

Quick voice notes.

A win your team just had.

A leadership thought that made you think of them.

The goal isn't to sell.

It's to stay worth replying to.

Because the best candidates aren't always ready on the first call.

But they do remember who stayed connected the right way.

Play the long game, with permission, not persistence.

24/04/2025

Attracting the right people to your team isn't just about what you offer; it's about who you are.

Your vision and core values aren't just fancy words; they're the magnets that draw people towards you.

When you know what you stand for and share it, you become a leader people want to follow.

Define and clarify your vision and core values.

Share your beliefs and attract those who align with them.

Find your "why" and let it guide you in pursuing and engaging others.

Becoming an attractive leader means going beyond the basics.

It's about digging deep to understand what drives you and how that aligns with the people you want to bring on board.

When you lead with your vision, values, and why, you're not just filling positions; you're building a community.

Remember, people are drawn to leaders, not just roles or companies.

Make your leadership the reason they come and the reason they stay.

Pursue clarity in your purpose, and let your authentic self be the guide that brings the right people to your team.

22/04/2025

A difficult season is to move towards this mindset of I've got to get lean and mean. In order to move through this, and so in order to do that, I have to say "no" to almost everything.

18/04/2025

Creating a memorable first impression in recruiting hinges on presenting a compelling vision. Here's how to make it count:

1. Vision as First Impression: Ensure your company's vision is the first thing a recruit learns about.
2. Make Your Vision Memorable: A strong vision makes you unforgettable.
3. Show Commitment and Knowledge: Demonstrate a deep understanding of the recruit's market.
4. Use Data to Impress: Share unique, insightful data about the market to show thorough research and commitment.
5. Communicate Non-Optionality: Convey that what you're doing in the market is essential and strategic.

By focusing on a clear, data-driven vision of your market, you not only impress recruits but also establish your commitment and deep understanding of their environment. This approach positions you as a leader who's not just interested in recruiting talent but genuinely invested in their market and success.

17/04/2025

So many people treat recruiting as a negotiation. "I'm trying to win and get you to do things my way." That's inherently confrontational, and that's not at all the situation we want to create. Instead, how can you be on the same side of the table? Find a way where you can both work towards the same goal.

15/04/2025

The best way to attract great talent is to provide better leadership than what they currently have.

14/04/2025

When we talk about our plans, the words we choose can make a big difference. They can show how serious and confident we are. Let's think about two ways of saying something:
• Strong and Confident: Saying "We're coming to town" sounds sure and strong. It shows you mean business and you're ready to make things happen.
• Less Confident: On the other hand, saying something like "We sure would like to find someone pretty in your market to hang our banner" sounds less sure. It's like you're just hoping for things to work out, not like you're sure they will.

The way we talk about our plans can really change how people see us. If we use words that sound strong and sure, people will think we have a lot of power and know what we're doing. It's more convincing. But if we use words that sound like we're just hoping for the best, it doesn't sound as strong. We want to show people that we're not just trying, but that we're doing and we're sure about our success.

11/04/2025

Here's what's important in today's recruiting landscape:
- Recruiting has Evolved: A clear example is a recent conversation with a veteran who hired over 700 loan officers and is now struggling to recruit.
- Strategic Approach is Key: The current market demands a more strategic approach to recruiting.
- Vision as a Core Element: Vision, defined as "the seed of desire," plays a pivotal role in effective recruiting.

The recruiting world has undeniably changed. To be successful, we must adapt our strategies. Part of this strategic shift involves understanding and utilizing the power of vision. My experience with an impulsive buy on Instagram – an igloo ice chest that doubles as an air conditioner – illustrates how presenting a vision can create instant desire. In recruiting, we must convince top talents that "more is available" with us.

Finally, structure in our approach is crucial. The way we frame our conversations and the sequence in which we present our points have a significant impact. A well-structured approach leads to success. It's about adapting to the evolving dynamics of recruiting and ensuring our strategies are aligned with the current market needs.

10/04/2025

As a recruiting leader, you have to be aware of what language you're using.

Now I know that sounds like your Mom saying "watch your language", but I find that most recruiting leaders use very tentative language when they're sending videos, when they're typing messages, a lot of times even over the phone, and they do it because they're very, very relational.

They would say "I hope you can make time to meet up with me". That's tentative, right? One of the things I found is that he, or she who is most confident is most right. Or let me give you another framework. Certainty breeds influence. You want to have influence the recruit? Use strong language. "I believe" is strong language. I believe if you met with me on Friday I can bring you a lot of value, and help you grow your business. That is a certain language. It's a confident language.

Change your language and you'll change your results.

09/04/2025

Your reputation is your brand. Leaders must consider their personal brand. If you recruit, you must understand this. Your leadership brand matters! If you are leading with company brand and believing this matters most understand, you will lose the game of recruiting.

There will be another Attractive Leader in your market who gets the importance of this. Here are a few principles to activate around:

1) Be clear on whom you were created to be over what the world wants you to be. Be you! That is uncopyable and uncopyable is precisely what you want to be. Different is better than better!

2) Give value with no strings attached. Activate the Surrogate Leadership Principle. This states that where leadership is lacking, and you bring value, people will move towards you.

3) Integrity is everything! If you get "over your skies" it's okay to say I messed up! If this is you, then do everything in your power to correct this. Don't avoid conflict! Leader up and deal with it head-on!

How are you building your leadership brand? I would love to hear your thoughts!

"Reputation doesn't grow linearly; it grows exponentially." - Rory Vaden

08/04/2025

When teams share values they become interdependent.

This means that they look to the team for a handful of things:

1) Coaching
2) Inspiration
3) Accountability

Interdependence is always the sign of a heathy team as this creates identity.

A lack of identity is a sign of a "recruitable team."

Leaders insulate their team from outside recruiting efforts when they give their team an identity.

07/04/2025

Here are 3 reasons to stop posting "We Are Hiring" on LinkedIn if you want highly qualified candidates.

1) Highly qualified candidates don't respond to job postings. They are already have a good idea of where they are going before they ever make a move.

2) It cheapens the position by making it non-exclusive. Desperation is never attractive.

3) It opens the door to non-qualified candidates. This creates a ripple effect. Lots of low value conversations. Thus little time to find the right candidates. Then forced to settle with the hires you make.

In my time as a coach I have found too many say "LinkedIn Sucks!" Most don't understand how to use this platform to connect and have valuable conversations. If you want a simple blueprint for success drop me a DM and ask for my 4 Steps To LinkedIn Recruiting Success.

04/04/2025

Having a clear roadmap is crucial in leadership, especially when recruiting. Let's unpack this idea:
• The Advantage of a Roadmap: If you have a roadmap and your competition doesn't, you're already ahead. The assumption is that many current leaders lack a roadmap.
• The Reality for Most Leaders: Sadly, a vast majority, about 99.99%, don't have clear roadmaps. This leaves a gap that can be exploited.

Imagine this scenario:
• A Competitor with a Vision: If someone enters your market with a compelling vision and a clear roadmap, and you don't have one, they instantly have more energy, authority, and credibility. They know the market and can present an exciting future.
• Comparing Roadmaps: When you have a vision, you need to ask yourself: Is my roadmap significantly better than just staying where they are? You must be able to confidently say it's a "level 10" on the scale of effectiveness.

In essence, a strong, well-defined roadmap not only shows where you're going but also establishes your credibility and authority. It's about offering something more concrete and exciting than the current state of affairs, making your opportunity more appealing and forward-thinking.

03/04/2025

As humans, we naturally love stories–the ones that take us to another world full of adventure and imagination.

Story-telling activates things inside the brain's hippocampus that formulate dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin–which spark good feelings inside our body.

And that's why we want to fully tell our story when it comes to social media. We want to share our struggles, our periods of growth, and the times we failed.

René Rodriguez, author of the book Amplify Your Influence, explains this principle:
""Using the methods that marketers use like video, blogs, social media, articles, old school phone calls, texts, and emails, today's leader can share more of who they are . . . Communicating to their audience what they believe about leadership, teamwork, vision, values, dealing with uncertainty, etc., they can craft a coherent story about what they want to achieve in partnership with everyone in the organization. It is critical that the leader also shares their personal origin story in their branding. An ounce of vulnerability from a leader goes far in today's world.""

Remember, content creates connections. And we never know who could later become a critical character in the book of our lives.

01/04/2025

Temporary: salary, commission, benefits, company swag

Eternal: serving others, relationships, culture

There's a verse in Corinthians that says this: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Over the years, I've found that anything worth doing is usually intangible.

That's why recruiters never find long-term success when they offer, "We're a little bit better than that other company. We sell more; we make more; we do something better."

We have to realize that offers can be matched, but vision, core values, and a larger why cannot. I often refer to the BAM zone. This stands for:

BELONGING

AFFIRMATION

MEANING

Once people feel secure in their finances, they'll start looking for the next step. They won't be looking for more money or more security. Instead, they'll be looking for the things that matter to help them feel self-actualized.

It's time to focus on dreams instead of dollars. We need to start emphasizing impact over investments.

Only then can we truly see what's most essential.

28/03/2025

As humans, we naturally love stories–the ones that take us to another world full of adventure and imagination.

Story-telling activates things inside the brain's hippocampus that formulate dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin–which spark good feelings inside our body.

And that's why we want to fully tell our story when it comes to social media. We want to share our struggles, our periods of growth, and the times we failed.

René Rodriguez, author of the book Amplify Your Influence, explains this principle:
""Using the methods that marketers use like video, blogs, social media, articles, old school phone calls, texts, and emails, today's leader can share more of who they are . . . Communicating to their audience what they believe about leadership, teamwork, vision, values, dealing with uncertainty, etc., they can craft a coherent story about what they want to achieve in partnership with everyone in the organization. It is critical that the leader also shares their personal origin story in their branding. An ounce of vulnerability from a leader goes far in today's world.""

Remember, content creates connections. And we never know who could later become a critical character in the book of our lives.

27/03/2025

Lead by example, and make it easy for others to follow you. When they see you, they'll think of it this way "if he can do that, then I can do it too."

Richard Milligan

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