Worth Clark’s Ryan Michaelis talks recruitment strategy and brokerage growth

In the newest episode of the RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt chats with Ryan Michaelis, chief growth strategist at Worth Clark Realty, about business growth through recruitment, flat-fee models for agents and the effects of the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) settlement on buyers and sellers across the industry.

Michaelis started his career at Worth Clark with a leadership approach focused on supporting agents through their professional journey via growth opportunities.

The conversation kicks off by diving into Michaelis’ background in real estate before arriving at Worth Clark. His career started in property management before he made a transition to Worth Clark as a property management agent. Eventually, Michaelis hit his stride as an agent and found enough success to be able to recruit others to his team. Once the company decided to leave property management behind and lean into real estate sales, Michaelis adopted many other roles and supported Worth Clark along the way. 

Velt follows up with a question about Worth Clark’s growth plan and its flat-fee model that essentially gives agents a 100% commission for each transaction they participate in. Michaelis describes Worth Clark as a virtual platform that allows agents to truly tap into the support they need to succeed. Worth Clark operates in 18 states and is ranked as the 39th-largest independent brokerage in the country.

Michaelis attributes the company’s growth to his recruitment-first mindset, which he said hasn’t changed over the years.

“A lot of it has to do with our referrals from our own agents,“ he said. “Nearly 70% of the agents that join our company are referred to us by our very own agents, and if we have a chance to speak with those agents, 80% of them are joining Worth Clark.”

Michaelis also mentions that the company invites broker-owners to bring their agents to Worth Clark for team training and other exercises that promote synergy. 

After wrapping up that discussion point, Velt segues into the NAR settlement and asks Michaelis to share his thoughts. He explains how Worth Clark has prioritized support and guidance for agents with resources during the post-settlement change period. The company holds regular training sessions to prepare agents for clients who aren’t up to speed on the industry changes. 

But Michaelis also doesn’t believe that the settlement-mandated changes will affect what the brokerage does in the market.

“I think evidence can be seen in our transaction growth. Our 2024 Q1 transaction growth clocked in at 12% year over year, followed by 13% this past quarter when the market was overall down 3%,” Michaelis said.

Support, growth opportunities and reputation are the top reasons that agents join the Worth Clark team, Michaelis said. It’s about growing the brokerage with the right type of agent instead of merely recruiting as many bodies as possible. 

“So much of the success can be attributed to our recruiting efforts, attracting our ideal agent and having opportunities available for our current agents to grow,” he said.

To close the conversation, Michaelis shares his insights on the future of the industry and some key leadership lessons he’s learned over the years. Michaelis believes that Worth Clark’s model is perfect for the current climate in real estate, as agents look for flexible and supportive brokerage services to help them run their businesses.

In terms of leadership, he places transparency at the forefront of qualities that make a good leader. Being humble and forthcoming as a leader is the best way to make progress as a leader, and Michaelis urges real estate executives to follow suit with their companies.