Most real estate team leaders make leads their main recruitment tool. After all, what else could possibly convince someone to join your team?

But there’s a catch.

Building your entire recruitment model around leads is a short-term play with long-term consequences.

Lisa Ritter has seen it all. With decades in the business, she’s led large teams, scaled brokerages, and tested every model under the sun.

Here’s what she learned: A lean, lead-independent team will always outperform a lead-reliant one.

Lead-focused teams often attract the wrong kind of agent, the kind who wants results without the reps. Instead of developing professionals who know how to generate business and serve clients deeply, you create a revolving door of entitlement.

Worse, this model fuels the "used car salesman" stereotype our industry has struggled to shake. It’s transactional, and it sets everyone up to fail.

But there’s a better way.

In this episode, Lisa unpacks the traps most team leaders fall into, and shares how to build a team that thrives on purpose, not handouts.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-Look for a white-hot why

Every potential recruit will tell you they are a hard worker, so how do you know if they’ll back it up with action?

-Entitled vs. inspired agents

Can making leads your main value prop actually sabotage your team’s culture?

-How to motivate (not micromanage) your agents

If you’re a team leader still in production, how do you pour into your people without overwhelming yourself?

Guest Bio

Lisa Ritter is a REALTOR®, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Results in Omaha, Nebraska, and co-leader of The Ritter Team. With over 20 years in the real estate industry, she has earned 13 "Best of Omaha" awards and holds prestigious designations including Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI). Lisa served as the 2015 President of the Nebraska REALTORS® Association and was appointed as a Nebraska Real Estate Commissioner in 2019. Known for her commitment to agent development and ethical leadership, Lisa is passionate about building sustainable real estate businesses that prioritize autonomy, purpose, and long-term success over dependency on leads. Find Lisa on Facebook.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!