You need new people. You know some good FAs, but they're with the competition. Or maybe you don't have any suitable candidates and are at your wits' end trying to figure out ways to find them. Short of marching into the competition's offices and scouting the people you find there, you don't really have any ideas. How can you locate and draw top new FAs into the fold-without causing an ethical firestorm?

The good news, according to recruiters, is that (with a few exceptions) pretty much anything goes. Even that march into the competition's office isn't forbidden, says Larry Papike of Cross Search in Jamul, Calif. Papike says that the only thing he's seen that's universally looked down on is "if you take a whole office. I've been in the business 25 years, and the only time I've seen someone go after a raiding party is if they took a whole office: a branch manager and all his people. Certainly firms get upset when recruiters go after their biggest producer, but they, too, are going after big producers."

With that caveat in mind-although we'll get to a few others in a moment-how do you find those FAs you want to recruit from another firm?

The nine best ways to find good recruits

1. Advertise. Papike says that something as elementary as a help-wanted ad in your local newspaper is the single best method for finding new FAs. Be sure, he adds, that the ad talks about what you offer that distinguishes you from your competition.

2. Take names. Mitch Vigeveno of Turning Point in Clearwater, Fla, doesn't favor advertising, but he does collect names. These either come from "centers of influence," such as CPAs and tax attorneys "who do not want to get licensed themselves," or from databases and list sellers. This collection goes into his "little black book," and he cultivates relationships with likely prospects. "The good recruiter must document all contacts in a good contact management system," he stresses, "and follow up periodically to keep the relationship alive."

3. Do a little recruiting every day. Vigeveno also swears by what he calls drip program. "You're constantly in touch with the people you're interested in," he says. "You send them things, such as articles of interest, touch base every once in a while, constantly say, 'Here I am.' And when the time is right you will get that guy." Then, he says, be sure to keep any promises you've made.

4. Keep in touch. Both Papike and Vigeveno stay in contact with FAs they've placed. As a branch manager, you can use this strategy by periodically touching base with the good people who have moved on from your branch for personal reasons-or for business reasons having more to do with their personal vision than dissatisfaction with your firm. Suppose you lost someone from your office in Seattle because she craved a New Orleans lifestyle-or because she had elderly family members in Florida. Her new branch may have someone eager to experience Seattle's culture and who would be a perfect fit for the way you do business. If you've parted on good terms with former FAs, they may be able to steer some good candidates your way.

5. Ask advisors who already work for you. Both recruiters suggest that your own advisors can be excellent sources, since they have opportunities to talk with peers who may be unhappy where they are and looking for a new business home. Your current FAs may also know a bit about the backgrounds of those wanting to relocate, so you'll have a better idea up front about whether to pursue leads.

6. Talk to wholesalers. They know who's happy and who's not, says Lane Darnell, a recruiter for a large broker/dealer, and if the wholesaler's products are languishing because an FA isn't working up to his full potential where he is, the wholesaler will have a stake in changing that. "A wholesaler figures that a happy rep is a productive rep. You can ask who they think is good and where the reps seem happy. Wholesalers know personalities." Darnell also points out that, if asked, wholesalers can offer direct suggestions to an FA about possible new digs that might be a good match with his or her business and personality.  Recognize, though, that wholesalers have their own ethical and business considerations to take into account. Bob Cogan, president of Capital Analysts, a broker/dealer, says that while wholesalers can be very good sources of leads, "you can't expect a wholesaler to go out and be actively looking for you, because then they're violating the trust of the other firms they're working with." So tread lightly and respect a wholesaler's position if he expresses discomfort with requests for help related to recruiting.

7. Join the local stock and bond club, and get involved. Papike says managers have told him this is a good strategy, and cites the San Diego Stock and Bond Brokers Club as a local example in his own area. "Go there and meet people," he urges.

8. Be bold. Papike also suggests this straightforward strategy: "Walk into a brokerage office and get all the names you can," he says, "And then call them. You can be as aggressive or non-aggressive as you want." While that may seem radical to some, it can pay off in new leads.

9. Be honorable. According to Vigeveno, keeping your promises and treating people right give you and your branch the kind of reputation that will draw FAs to your fold. "Most of the time a good rep won't move for a payout change," says Vigeveno. "He'll move because the whole situation is better, and he feels he can run his business better and manage his clientele better." This, he says, will also help a manager "keep his talent from being lured away: caring for that rep, checking in periodically to see how he's doing, helping him leverage time by giving the support he needs-being available when he needs attention, and just communicating."

Many FAs leave a company because they have no real relationship with their managers, he says, so by building good relationships within your office, you will be ahead of the game not only in retaining staff but in attracting new people.

"It's not that complicated," he adds. "It's going back to basics and showing people that you care. Think of it this way: If you have a group of people working for you in a given location that feel that the company is really behind them, cares, and they always hear from the president or this guy or that guy, that will enable that office to recruit naturally. Those people will bring people in because they're so happy. The most effective recruiting, like selling, is done on a relationship basis and done by one person telling another about the situation. There's no magic to it."

Five big "no-no's"

There are some actions you should steer clear of when you either recruit or lose someone. They can mark you as a manager FAs won't want to work with, or your branch as a place to avoid.

1. Recruiting an entire office. Remember, you can get yourself in a lot of trouble with this. The company you've raided may come after you to stop you.

2. Dinging the U5 of the FA you've just lost. If it's unjustified, besmirching someone's record won't endear you to anyone-and when word gets around, it may make other FAs wary of joining your branch. Revenge may be sweet, but it's not pretty.

3. Bashing the competition. Slinging mud tends to get almost as much mud on the slinger as the slingee. Just consider how the negative ads in the last political campaign struck you. According to Darnell and others, talking dirt about your rivals makes FAs wary of coming to work for you.

4. Badmouthing the guy who's leaving. Ask yourself how you'd feel working for someone who questioned your ethics, mental state, or honesty-or how you'd feel if you were a client and discovered that your honest FA's branch manager had misrepresented the facts. Even if there's bad blood, think twice before you speak, and always try to take the high ground. Your mother was right: if you can't say something nice, it's generally best not to say anything at all.

5. Fudging the numbers. Darnell points out that different firms and managers calculate their average production growth per rep differently. For example, says Darnell, "some strip out those who are licensed but are not producers, and others leave them in." Whatever your methods are, keep it honest. After all, you wouldn't want a prospective recruit fudging his performance or production results.