I’d like to tell you a story about two agents.
Agent A—we’ll call him Alan—fits real estate education in when he can. Occasionally, he sets his business activities aside for a day or two to take a course, sometimes traveling out of town. Alan always intends to apply what he’s learning, but admits that he often returns to work, finds a million things that need his attention, and throws his notes into a drawer. He remains eager to learn; he just needs more time.
Agent B—Brittany—gets most of her instruction at the office. On a regular basis, her brokers and managers conduct in-house sessions on everything from business planning to referrals. The classes are lively and interactive, and the agents who attend are quick to put the lessons into practice. After Brittany tries something she’s learned—like turning her listing presentation into a listing conversation—she talks about it with her fellow agents, brokers and managers. When she’s unsure, she asks follow-up questions and gets answers right away. She values the constant feedback loop, and over time, she gets better and more comfortable with her new abilities.
Like Alan, Brittany also travels to special events, earns professional designations, watches instructional videos and enjoys coaches like Brian Buffini, Tom Ferry and Travis Robertson. But the foundation of her learning is at the office because her brokers and managers have made complete agent development a top priority. In fact, the content presented on a Monday often becomes the center of office conversation the rest of the week.
This doesn’t happen by accident. The management team has made an intentional, purposeful commitment to help Brittany and the other agents learn and improve on a constant basis. They find instructional resources covering the most relevant areas of the business and then master the material so they can teach it themselves.
Because the content is delivered in-house, follow-up and action are immediate. So is accountability and ongoing support. Through practice, adjustment and repetition, the agents at Brittany’s office are improving all the time.
Brittany and the other agents are the most obvious beneficiaries in this approach, but they’re not the only winners here. The management team benefits, as well. Production rises. Sales increase. Relationships deepen. Retention grows. Recruiting becomes more powerful. And the office’s reputation expands as a brokerage that actively helps its agents succeed. It’s a virtuous circle based on a true, worthy and shared commitment.
The bottom line is that although agents can and should learn from a variety of sources, something special happens when brokers and managers go all-in on mastery and complete agent development—and care enough to teach the content themselves.
Brittany is as excited as ever about her career, and she can’t imagine working at a different firm. She tells her friend Alan about her amazing office, too, and now he’s seriously thinking about making a change. After all, his broker has never seemed all that interested in teaching him. It’s time for Alan to find a broker who is.
Geoff Lewis is president of RE/MAX, LLC.
For more information, visit www.remax.com.
