Here’s why most new real estate agent training programs don’t get results for those anxious, enthusiastic, new real estate agents.
You’re a new real estate agent. I remember those days as though they were yesterday! Are you as excited to begin your career as I was? I’ll bet you are. So, how do you begin? Where do you get the direction, new agent training, and the support you need? I remember sitting at my desk, watching the agents, and trying to figure out what other agents were doing. Through my observations, I quickly found two things:
1. Most of the agents sitting in the office weren’t selling anything
2. Most of the activities those same agents were doing were not productive activities. (That’s why they weren’t making money). What were those activities? Looking at pretty houses, and attending brokers’ open that had food. Oh, and they were busy ‘getting ready to get ready’ (filing, which today would be playing with tech….).
Where were the successful agents? I soon discovered they usually weren’t in the office! They were out showing properties or listing homes.
What to Do?
By observing these two groups of agents, I decided I didn’t want to be in ‘stay in the office’ group one, because they weren’t selling real estate. I wanted to be in group two. However, I couldn’t figure out how to allocate time to activities, which activities to start with, and how to organize my day to create a successful career.
It’s Confusing
The most confusing thing about starting in the real estate business is that new agents get advice from every direction:
- The tech to use
- The tech and ‘gizmos’ you must buy
- The ‘style’ of sales you must adhere to
- The activities to do—and not to do
Unfortunately, most of this advice is probably not in your best interest. It comes from the personal experiences of ‘seasoned’ agents and their natural biases.
Most Real Estate Training Is Not Focused on Real Estate Productivity
You may think that any real estate training program is going to assure your success. All you have to do is learn everything in the program, and you’ll make money. Unfortunately, that’s not true. Why?
There’s no plan for you to follow. There’s no prioritization of activities, no building on the plan, and no method to measure your lead generating, client engagement, and sales results.
Learning ‘Lots of Stuff’ Is Not the Answer
You will learn lots of neat stuff—facts and figures you may find fascinating. However, much of the information you’ll gain will not assure a successful career (look at all those ‘know-it-all’ agents who don’t sell a stick of real estate!). When you graduate from the program, you still don’t know what to do each day, the order in which to do it, why you should do it, and how to measure the results of what you do.
Agents Constantly Looking for the Magic Bullet
Because very few agents have the luxury of starting their business with a proven start-up business plan—designed for new agents—agents have no time management skills. They can’t organize their business and measure results. Instead, they’re always looking for
–what to say to make clients do what they want
–the one tech tool that will do the business for them
–the lead generating funnel (agents pay for those leads) that will assure them gold-plated leads, ready to buy
–the ‘system’ sold by seminar gurus for thousands of dollars, that guarantees them multi-million dollar incomes
What to Look for in a Training or Coaching Program
The magic ingredient is this:
What do I mean? Week by week, the program introduces a lead generating source—prioritized just for new agents—gives you the numbers you need to work in that source, and helps you measure results. Now you know, as you proceed through the program, what works for you and how much of that work you need to do to succeed. In addition, the training program shows you how to do each activity. It helps you organize each of your presentations and systems so you have a professional system to follow.
The objective of that special training program is fast productivity, not just knowledge.
Look for the words “foundationed in a business plan for you.”
The training program you choose should not just offer you information. It should consist of a business plan, with specific action items you accomplish each week. Also, it should:
1. Consist of the 4-5 best lead generating activities,prioritized, which you accomplish implmenting during the program
2. Have the training scripts and processes to execute your lead generation and client interactions successfully
3. Always keep you on your business planning track, and help you see that plan clearly with focus on your business
4. Have a method so you can measure your successes, revise your plan, and build a foundation for long-term success.
How did the real estate training you took as a new agent stack up to the four criteria above? Do you need a training program now to get your business on track or back on track?
By the way, online and in classroom training should have the same organization.
