At the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Virtual Solutions Group Tech Expo, Courted Founder & CEO Sean Soderstrom sat down with Chip Murphy, Executive VP at Michael Saunders & Company, to discuss how brokerages can transform recruiting and retention with predictive analytics and AI.
Michael Saunders & Company, a luxury-focused real estate brokerage based in Sarasota, Florida with over 700 agents, recently expanded into Sanibel and St. Petersburg. Recruiting top agents was critical to fueling that growth, and Courted became the platform to make it happen.
The Recruiting Challenge Before Courted
Murphy shared that before adopting Courted, his teams had used multiple recruiting systems over the years but none delivered the adoption or results needed:
- Clunky systems and poor UX led to weak adoption among leadership.
- Platforms often offered “fluff” with little real predictive power.
- Recruiting decisions lacked actionable data, forcing leaders to cast wide nets instead of focusing on the right agents.
Murphy was looking for a system that was clean, simple to use, robust in analytics, and credible with predictive insights. Courted checked all those boxes.
Why Michael Saunders & Company Chose Courted
Since becoming one of Courted’s early adopters nearly two years ago, Murphy highlighted three core reasons for the switch:
- User-Friendly Design – A modern, clean interface encouraged immediate buy-in from leadership.
- Robust Analytics – Beyond surface-level metrics, Courted provided deep insights into agent performance and market trends.
- Predictive AI – Courted’s proprietary machine learning models accurately forecast which agents are most likely to move brokerages, often 12 months in advance.
Murphy tested Courted before rollout by tracking agents joining or leaving the company. Out of ten moves, eight were correctly flagged by Courted as “highly likely to move.” That accuracy drove immediate trust and adoption.
Smarter Recruiting Strategies with Predictive Analytics
Murphy emphasized the importance of strategic targeting, instead of casting a wide net. Courted allows brokerages to:
- Filter for production ranges (for example, $1–5M producers, the most recruited group nationally).
- Identify listing leaders or up-and-coming talent early in their careers.
- Track agents with declining activity such as no closings or listings in recent months.
- Forecast which agents are likely to move. Courted’s predictive analytics correctly forecast four out of five moves.
This precision targeting enabled Michael Saunders & Company to recruit both top producers and high-potential rising stars, fueling long-term growth.
Human-Centered Outreach Enhanced by AI
While data narrows the list, Murphy stressed that relationships close the deal. His team finds the best recruiting success through:
- Face-to-face meetings at industry or association events.
- Texting and phone calls, often supported by Courted’s AI-powered message composer for quick, personalized outreach.
- Recognition and congratulations (for example, highest career sale, top 10 percent rankings) as simple but powerful engagement strategies.
Courted’s AI tools make this easy by surfacing agent milestones and generating tailored communication scripts that managers can send in one click.
Retention and Accountability: Daily Use of Courted
Recruiting only works if retention is strong. Murphy treats Courted like his daily hot sheet, logging in 80 to 90 times per month to track:
- Which agents’ businesses are accelerating or declining.
- Which competitors are gaining or losing agents.
- Opportunities for recognition to reinforce retention.
Michael Saunders & Company also ties Courted usage directly to accountability:
- Leadership recruiting goals are tracked monthly.
- System login frequency correlates directly with agent recruiting success.
- Achievements are celebrated publicly, including bonus checks handed out in leadership meetings.
AI-Powered Market Insights
The newest Courted features, demoed during the session, take analytics further by providing AI-generated market summaries. Instead of digging through MLS data, leaders can ask Courted:
- What is our brokerage doing best compared to competitors?
- Why would an agent join us over another firm?
This transforms raw market share data into actionable recruiting narratives.Results: A Recruiting and Retention Platform That WorksMurphy summed it up simply:
“Courted is easy to use, robust in analytics, and its predictive AI actually works. It has become our daily operating system for recruiting and retention, and we have just signed on for another 12 months.”
By combining predictive analytics, AI-powered messaging, and daily accountability, Courted has helped Michael Saunders & Company:
- Successfully expand into new markets like Sanibel and St. Petersburg.
- Recruit high-potential agents earlier in their career trajectory.
- Retain top producers through recognition and engagement.
Key Takeaways for Brokerages
- Adoption matters – Choose systems that leaders will actually use daily.
- Predictive analytics deliver ROI – Forecasting agent movement sharpens recruiting focus.
- Relationships close deals – AI supports, but does not replace, human connection.
- Retention comes first – Happy agents recruit on your behalf.
- Accountability drives success – Usage data correlates directly with recruiting results.
About Courted
Courted is the leading real estate agent recruiting, retention, and market insights platform. Trusted by top brokerages nationwide, Courted helps leaders move from data to insight to action with industry-best predictive analytics and AI-powered workflows.
Learn how Courted can transform your brokerage: Request a Demo
