How Michael Saunders & Company uses Courted to power recruiting and retention

Michael Saunders & Company, a luxury-focused real estate brokerage based in Sarasota, Florida with over 700 agents, uses Courted as its daily operating system for recruiting and retention. Executive VP Chip 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.

At the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Virtual Solutions Group Tech Expo, Courted Founder & CEO Sean Soderstrom sat down with Chip Murphy to discuss how brokerages can transform recruiting and retention with predictive analytics and AI.

Who is Michael Saunders & Company?

Michael Saunders & Company is a luxury-focused real estate brokerage based in Sarasota, Florida, with over 700 agents. It 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.

What recruiting challenges did Michael Saunders & Company face?

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 did Michael Saunders & Company choose Courted?

Since becoming one of Courted’s early adopters nearly two years ago, Murphy highlighted three core reasons for the switch:

1. User-friendly design. A modern, clean interface encouraged immediate buy-in from leadership
2. Robust analytics. Beyond surface-level metrics, Courted provided deep insights into agent performance and market trends
3. Predictive AI. Courted’s proprietary machine learning models forecast which agents are most likely to move brokerages

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.

Here’s more on how predictive analytics improves agent recruiting.

How does Michael Saunders & Company choose which agents to recruit?

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
• 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

This precision targeting enabled Michael Saunders & Company to recruit both top producers and high-potential rising stars, fueling long-term growth.

How does the team reach out to recruits?

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, ComposeAI, for quick, personalized outreach
• Recognition and congratulations, for example on a highest career sale or a top 10 percent ranking, as simple but powerful engagement strategies

Courted’s AI tools make this easy by surfacing agent milestones and generating tailored communication scripts that managers review and send themselves. For more, see how to write personalized recruiting outreach with AI.

How does Michael Saunders & Company use Courted for retention?

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

Here’s why agent retention compounds over time.

How do AI market insights help with recruiting?

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.

What results has Michael Saunders & Company seen?

Murphy 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

What are the key takeaways for brokerages?

• Adoption matters. Choose systems that leaders will actually use daily
• Predictive analytics sharpen focus. 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

For more peer perspectives on recruiting and retention, see what brokerage leaders discussed at NAR’s broker mastermind.

Frequently asked questions

How does Michael Saunders & Company use Courted?

Michael Saunders & Company uses Courted to forecast which agents are likely to move, filter recruits by production range and career stage, support personalized outreach and track its own agents for retention. Executive VP Chip Murphy logs in 80 to 90 times a month and calls Courted the brokerage’s daily operating system for recruiting and retention.

How accurate were Courted’s predictions at Michael Saunders & Company?

Before rollout, Executive VP Chip Murphy tested Courted by tracking agents joining or leaving Michael Saunders & Company. Out of ten moves, eight were correctly flagged by Courted as “highly likely to move.” That accuracy drove immediate trust and adoption.

How does Michael Saunders & Company reach out to recruits?

Chip Murphy stressed that while data narrows the list, relationships close the deal. His team’s best results come from face-to-face meetings at industry or association events, texts and phone calls supported by Courted’s AI-powered message composer, and recognition, such as congratulating an agent on a highest career sale or a top 10 percent ranking.

How does Michael Saunders & Company hold leaders accountable for recruiting?

Michael Saunders & Company ties Courted usage directly to accountability. Leadership recruiting goals are tracked monthly, system login frequency correlates directly with agent recruiting success, and achievements are celebrated publicly, including bonus checks handed out in leadership meetings.

About Courted

Courted is a 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 predictive analytics and AI-powered workflows.

See how ONE Sotheby’s International Realty recruited $1 billion in back-to-back years with Courted.

Learn how Courted can transform your brokerage: Request a demo