BEN OTTOHEAD OF GROWTH
Jump to
30-60-90Value SellingGrowth Vision Plan

GROWTH VISION · 30-60-90 DAY PLAN

Learn and launch.
Then improve at speed.

These are checkpoints, not waiting periods. Listening, trust building, reporting, and execution run in parallel from day one. The first operating changes launch in the first month; the next two months prove, refine, and scale them.

Ben Otto

LEARN FAST. PUT THE FIRST SYSTEM IN MOTION.

Get into the conversations.
Start building immediately.

I will define the role and take ownership of the build while learning directly from the people closest to the work. Useful early changes do not need to wait for a complete reorganization.

  • In the first two weeks, meet leadership and regional teams to clarify the mandate, priorities, decisions, and collaboration with recruiting, brokerage support, and marketing.
  • Meet existing top agents and recent churns. Learn why top producers stay, why agents leave for Compass, The Agency, or others, and which recruiting promises hold up in practice.
  • Meet Nick Patino and the technology, marketing, and development marketing teams. Learn how agents use Elli today, what is available versus in development through Elius and the Google Cloud transformation, and which benefits top producers value enough to influence a move.
  • Draft the ideal agent profile from production, market fit, trajectory, reputation, service, and economics. Distinguish intentional consolidation from unwanted loss of productive agents.
  • Review current recruiting compensation and commission structures with finance and regional leaders. Develop a new plan tied to the ideal agent profile, with higher commissions for higher-producing agents and teams. Model the economics and define clear earning and payout criteria.
  • Launch a shared view of the active pipeline, common stage definitions, owners, next steps, and a weekly review. Establish an initial baseline for recruiting and retention.
  • Communicate the growth vision and first changes clearly. Gather feedback, find champions, reach into my talent network, and pilot better discovery and value messaging with live recruiting opportunities.

Outcome: A defined mandate, direct agent insight, an initial recruiting profile, live national pipeline reporting, and the first changes already in use.

RECRUIT AROUND VALUE

Sell the future
they want to build.

Negotiating rates is a race to the bottom. Anyone can offer a better split. The skill is learning what an agent wants their future to look like, helping them see what is possible, and building buy-in around how Elliman can help them get there.

I will build recruiting conversations around the agent’s ambitions: the business they want to own, the clients they want to serve, the team they want to grow, and the life they want that business to support. Then connect that vision to the people, tools, and opportunities at Elliman that can help make it real.

These are three of the many tools Elliman provides to help shape that vision and sell that dream.

INTELLIGENCE & PRODUCTIVITY

More time with clients.
Better information to advise them.

Elli brings AI assistance to agent workflows, including property search, branded reports, and client presentations. The developing Elius intelligence business and Elliman’s Google Cloud transformation extend the ambition into proprietary market intelligence and more connected operations.

I will partner with Nick Patino, Director of AI Enablement, to turn available capabilities into practical recruiting demonstrations and a stronger agent experience. The proof will be adoption, time saved, and better-informed client conversations.

Elliman’s AI direction

LUXURY BRAND & POSITIONING

A platform for the
right producer’s next chapter.

Elliman’s luxury identity should become a concrete business case for established agents: a stronger position in their market, compelling listing presentations, and marketing that reflects the clients and properties they want to represent.

I will work with marketing and successful producers to show how the brand translates into the agent’s business. Recruit to the agent’s ambitions, demonstrate relevant work, and substantiate the value with real agent experience.

The Elliman brand

ACCESS & OPPORTUNITY

Relationships and opportunity
beyond one local market.

Elliman’s national presence, development marketing business, and international expansion offer a broader recruiting story. For the right agent, the conversation should connect their business goals to relevant people, markets, and opportunities across the organization.

I will build repeatable introductions and collaboration across regions and specialist teams. Show prospects how those connections can serve their clients, define how access works, and measure whether the connections produce useful business.

Elliman’s broader platform

The goal is to build belief in a future the agent wants and a clear path to pursue it with Elliman’s support. My team will connect every part of the recruiting story to that individual vision, then follow through with onboarding, relationships, and support that make the promise real.

GROWTH VISION & ACTION PLAN

One Cohesive
National Strategy

As Head of Growth I will create one unified national team; all rowers rowing in the same direction: a clear agent profile, a recruiting playbook with a compelling value proposition, shared reporting a consistent cadence, and execution.

01 · DEFINE THE MANDATE

One strategy. Clear ownership.

Turn separate recruiting efforts into a national plan with accountable leadership and room for local expertise.

  • Define what the growth function owns, how it works with regional CEOs, COOs, recruiters, marketing, and brokerage leaders, and who makes each decision.
  • Establish shared priorities for quality recruiting, productive agent retention, recruiting economics, and the performance of the agent base.
  • Translate the strategy into a clear message: what is changing, why it matters, what each team owns, and what success looks like. Communicate it repeatedly and invite feedback.

02 · DEFINE THE RIGHT AGENT

The right agent, not every agent.

Build the recruiting profile around productive, durable relationships and Elliman’s luxury position.

  • Use production volume, transaction mix, market position, trajectory, client service, reputation, cultural fit, and contribution economics to define the profile. Set market-specific thresholds from real data.
  • Separate deliberate consolidation of underperforming agents from avoidable departures of top producers. Raw agent count alone is not the growth scorecard.
  • Create a target list of established agents and teams who fit the profile. Make prioritization and qualification consistent nationally.
  • Align recruiting compensation and commissions with the right agent profile. Higher-producing agents and teams should earn higher recruiting commissions, rewarding production and value added rather than agent count alone. Build a clear, consistent plan with finance and leadership that reflects recruiting economics and successful integration.

03 · UNDERSTAND LOYALTY AND LOSS

Learn why the best agents stay.
Act on why they leave.

Listen directly to top producers and recently departed agents, then turn their experience into changes the business can deliver.

  • Interview existing top agents, newer successful recruits, and recent churns across regions. Ask what earns loyalty, what disappoints, and what would make the decision different.
  • Understand why agents choose Compass, The Agency, and other brokerages. Separate financial incentives from support, leadership, technology, marketing, relationships, and confidence in the brand.
  • Create a retention playbook with clear ownership, early risk signals, regular producer conversations, and follow-through on issues. Feed the findings back into recruiting and onboarding.
THE ARCHITECT & LEADER

Head of Growth

I architect, build, and lead the national growth organization. I own the strategy, team design, leadership, talent, operating cadence, and results, aligning recruiting and retention around net agent growth.

TIER 1 · DEVELOP THE PIPELINE

Business Development
Representatives

A national team of BDR peers, led by a dedicated role manager

Research and engage qualified agents and teams. Make calls, build relationships, and create well-qualified meetings for both their paired Agent Growth Executive and Strategic Growth Executive.

Focus: Target quality, qualified meetings, and pipeline contribution.

TIER 2 · OWN THE RECRUITING CYCLE

Agent Growth
Executives

A national team of growth executive peers, led by a dedicated role manager

Prospect alongside a paired BDR, lead discovery and in-person meetings, and own the recruiting cycle for established agents and mid-sized teams.

Focus: Conversion, production added, economics, and successful integration.

TIER 3 · WIN STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS

Strategic Growth
Executives

A national team of strategic peers, led by a dedicated role manager

Focus on high-impact producers and major teams, supported by a paired BDR. Build senior relationships, mentor Agent Growth Executives, and coordinate their regional team.

Focus: Strategic production added, durable relationships, and team development.

HOW THE ROLES WORK TOGETHER

A regional team

Each market has a regional team led locally by its Strategic Growth Executive. Each BDR supports both the Agent Growth Executive and the Strategic Growth Executive, building qualified pipeline and setting meetings across both recruiting motions.

Strategic Growth ExecutiveCoordinates locally · mentors growth executivesAgent Growth ExecutiveOwns discovery, meetings, and the recruiting cycleBusiness Development RepresentativeSupports both executives · builds qualified pipeline and sets meetings

Sales representatives belong to their national role team, rather than a geography-led sales hierarchy. National role managers own coaching, performance, and development. Regional teams own coordinated local execution. I build and lead the whole organization, partnering with regional brokerage leadership on relationships, integration, and retention.

BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF GROWTH LEADERS

A clear path to advance.

I will recruit primarily into Tier 1 and build a clear path to Tier 2 and Tier 3. Advancement will be earned through discovery skill, relationship judgment, pipeline execution, recruiting results, and the ability to coach others.

I have a broad network of talent at every tier. I will bring that network into the build while developing strong performers already inside Elliman and putting the right leaders in the right seats. Three tiers describe the work and career path, not a mandate for a large team. Start lean, use existing talent, combine responsibilities where sensible, and add headcount only when capacity and results justify it.

04 · BUILD NATIONAL VISIBILITY

Every leader knows the pipeline.
Every team knows the goals.

Create one view of growth, with consistent definitions and reporting across regions.

  • Define shared CRM stages, qualification criteria, required fields, owners, next steps, and expected close dates. Clean the active pipeline before relying on forecasts.
  • Track qualified pipeline, conversion, cycle time, production recruited, recruiting economics, onboarding progress, top-producer retention, and quality of agent losses. Show results by market, tier, and regional team.
  • Cascade national goals into role, regional team, and individual commitments. Review weekly pipeline and coaching, monthly performance and retention, and quarterly goals, talent, and strategy.

05 · LAUNCH AND IMPROVE

Build while the business keeps moving.

Start with a lean working system, learn from execution, and expand what proves useful.

  • Launch common pipeline reporting and priority producer conversations immediately. Pilot the profile, value proposition, and regional team workflow with live opportunities during the first month.
  • Use Nemawashi to gather feedback and build consensus as the work progresses. Find champions across regions and give people clear communication, support, and expectations before judging their willingness to change.
  • Bring in the right leaders and targeted talent from my network, develop internal strengths, and address performance gaps with evidence. Make personnel decisions after expectations and support are clear.
  • Own adoption and outcomes. Adjust the structure, capacity, message, and process based on recruiting results, agent experience, and retained production.
Ben Otto

Ben Otto

Head of Growth · Douglas Elliman

otto.benjamin.b@gmail.com413.777.0866LinkedIn