Use this education-based recruiting flywheel to attract top agents. Learn how to leverage CE credits, designations, and in-house licensing to bring agents into your brokerage.
Let’s be honest—most brokers are still trying to “sell” agents on why they should join their team or brokerage. But in 2025, the best recruiters don’t chase agents. They attract them using what I call the Recruiting Flywheel.
At the heart of this flywheel? Education.
Specifically:
- Real estate designations and certifications
- Continuing education (CE) credit offerings
- In-house licensing programs for new agents
Let’s break down why this works—and how you can start spinning that flywheel using the Agent Management Portal (AMP).
VIDEO: The Recruiting Flywheel: How CE, Designations & Licensing Tools Attract Real Estate Agents
Step 1: Attract Agents with Designations
Want to get a steady stream of agents through your doors?
Offer free training sessions where agents earn real designations. For example, host a 2-week Negotiation Skills course and award attendees with the Certified Negotiation Specialist (CNS) certificate at the end.
It’s simple:
- Use AMP to host the course live or via Zoom
- Download agent workbooks and presentation slides from AMP
- Play our training videos, teach it yourself, or add a live Q&A
- Award designations backed by Icenhower Coaching & Training
What happens next? Agents from other brokerages start showing up. They get exposure to your systems, meet your agents, and see your leadership in action.
Step 2: Offer CE Credits to Your Market
Here’s the next layer: Continuing Education (CE).
Real estate agents are required by law to earn CE credits to maintain their license. So why not be the one providing them?
The Agent Management Portal now offers CE integration, which means you can:
- Host CE credit-eligible courses
- Attract new agents from your local MLS and associations
- Build relationships with agents at other brokerages
- Introduce them to your culture, training systems, and leadership style
This is pure magnet marketing. You’re not asking agents to move brokerages—you’re helping them grow. And that’s exactly what makes them want to move.
Step 3: Recruit New Agents Before Licensing is Complete
Here’s one of the most underused recruiting tools in real estate: in-house licensing.
With AMP, you can actually license new agents through your brokerage. That means:
- You don’t have to send them to an outside licensing school (where they might meet a competitor)
- You stay in control of their journey
- You build brand loyalty before they even pass their exam
This strategy is especially powerful for brokers looking to build a pipeline of new agents year-round.
Instead of hoping they circle back after they’re licensed, you walk alongside them from day one. You track their course progress, invite them to team meetings, and start building relationships that stick.
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Agent Management Portal 26 – 75
ICC will create a customized and branded real estate training website for your team, brokerage or real estate company!
Your Custom Training Suite will be branded with your company’s logos, colors and themes. You will have full access to ALL of ICC’s training courses and systems, a customized progress reporting dashboard, certifications, designations and complete administrative access and control over your own group of users, even add YOUR OWN localized training courses by “drag and drop”, easy to use for topics like file compliance, new agent orientation, MLS systems, CRM training, and office administrative agent orientation and onboarding.
The Secret Sauce: Pull, Don’t Push
Everything we’ve talked about here—designations, CE, licensing—is part of a pull strategy.
It’s about creating so much value and opportunity that agents start asking:
“How do I join you?”
Instead of chasing agents down, you build a system that naturally draws them in. And the more value you deliver, the faster that flywheel spins.
Why This Works So Well
Let’s look at what this recruiting flywheel accomplishes:
✅ Establishes you as a productivity-focused leader
✅ Attracts both experienced agents and new licensees
✅ Builds trust by delivering tangible value
✅ Creates multiple entry points for recruiting conversations
✅ Differentiates you from brokerages stuck in old-school tactics
And the best part? It doesn’t stop after the hire. These same tools—designations, CE, and training—help you retain agents by continuously supporting their growth.
Learn more about the Agent Management Portal
Looking for the best way to add value for your agents? The Agent Management Portal is a powerful learning management system. You get access to all of our state-of-the-industry training materials, as well as tools to help you create your own training content for your agents.
The Agent Management Portal is the ultimate recruiting software system. Think of it as a Roku or Fire Stick for your real estate business—a hub that ties together all your training, tools, and resources.
Brian Icenhower
Final Thoughts: The Flywheel is Frictionless
If you want to grow your real estate team or brokerage, this is the most sustainable way to do it. It’s not a one-and-done campaign. It’s a self-feeding system that positions you as the hub for agent development in your local market.
And the Agent Management Portal makes all of it possible—from custom training creation to course hosting to CE fulfillment and licensing.
If you’re not using it yet, you’re not just missing out on tech. You’re missing out on momentum.
👉 Want to start your recruiting flywheel?
Try the Agent Management Portal today: therealestatetrainer.com/systems
