Retention's Main Driver: Culture and Belonging

Eric emphasizes culture, belonging, and common goals as primary retention levers supported by research.

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Episode notes

You’re growing your real estate team or real estate brokerage.

Some of your agents are interested in starting a team within your business. Or small teams are approaching you about joining your team or brokerage.

What kinds of rules and standards should you have in place? What are the tough conversations you need to have? How do you open up this opportunity while preserving the integrity and profitability of your business?

For helpful ideas and practical lessons, enjoy this conversation with Eric Bramlett, Broker and Owner of Bramlett Partners, an independent brokerage with 125 agents.

Pay special attention to the three paths an agent can take to get what they want without starting a team!

Watch or listen for Eric’s insights into:

Focus as your defining trait for growth and impact
The differences between and value of a North Star and an annual focus
Making client service and 5-star reviews your sustainable growth engine
Decisions that allowed Bramlett Partners to shift from a decade of slow growth to 125 agents and 90% retention over the past few years
Why “how many agents do you have?” is a terrible question and how median production balances out average production
Three paths a high-performing agent can take to get what they want without starting a team
The standards an agent must meet to become team eligible
Ways to support teams inside your team or brokerage and differences in value prop for agents vs teams
Research results: what agents really want from a brokerage (spoiler: a sense of belonging)
Ways to nurture a valuable culture

At the end, learn about individual performers, the Innovation Hub, delivery vs pickup, and the days-on-mountain metric.

Team Standards at Bramlett Partners:

→ Team eligibility and team building policies: https://support.bramlettpartners.com/article/329-team-eligibility

→ Team and team leader hiring process and standards: https://support.bramlettpartners.com/article/776-team-team-leader-hiring-process-standards

→ Team culture code: https://bramlettpartners.com/join-bramlett#culture

→ Team retention stats: https://bramlettpartners.com/join-bramlett#growth

Mentioned in this episode:

→ Research on what agents want from brokerages: https://www.mikedp.com/articles/2025/8/21/research-study-what-agents-really-want-in-a-brokerage

→ Sean Soderstrom (Courted) and Eric Bramlett discussing the research: https://youtu.be/rECokGVWZkA
→ Brittany Hodak on The Customer Experience Podcast: https://bombbomb.com/podcasts/creating-superfans-brittany-hodak-customer-experience/

→ Brittany Hodak on Bramlett Partners Podcast: https://youtu.be/X-CJs13KNhc

→ Creating Superfans: https://brittanyhodak.com/book#/

→ The Real Estate Innovation Hub: https://www.reinnovationhub.com