ERA Real Estate, a global real estate franchisor, recently launched an enhanced online learning center with tailored training tracks for its brokers and sales associates to leverage at every point in their career, the company announced. Classes like AccelERAtion help new sales professionals get up to speed quickly while ERA® Top Gun® builds on the skills of experienced agents to help them reach the next level.
“A commitment to life-long learning is critical to continued success in every line of work,” says Shannon Poser, director of learning and development for ERA Real Estate. “As a champion of life-long learning, ERA Real Estate recommends the following five steps you can take to invest in your professional future, whatever your field, and help move your career forward.”
1. Locate your company’s learning platform and use it.
Most companies offer an intranet or online place – often called a Learning Management System – where employees can access free training courses on their computer or sign up for an in-person class. An added bonus is that you can track your progress online, and chances are your company is continually updating it with new content and courses. ERA Real Estate makes training available to its 30,000 agents worldwide through a robust learning platform on the company’s intranet site, which features customized real estate training to fulfill their continuing education requirements and further improve their skills.
2. Kick it old school and crack open a book.
While much of the information we digest these days is in small chunks, books may be a bit underrated, but they definitely sustain you for the long haul. Want to identify your strengths, learn how to be a millionaire or be more creative? There’s a book for that! ERA Real Estate regularly posts reviews of business books on its Learning Management System to make it easy for ERA agents and brokers to become knowledgeable about the latest business management trends. Too busy to read an entire book? Ask your company’s training team if they grant access to Get Abstract, an online service that provides summaries of business books.
3. Read (or write) a blog.
Whether you read them or write them, blogs can impart a wealth of knowledge. To expand your knowledge horizons, identify five blogs to follow regularly – some about topics that interest you and some about things you know nothing about. If you’re really motivated, start your own blog. You will learn while you think about and research your topics. You can even glean further insights from your readers’ comments. ERA Real Estate’s blog “Owning the Fence” provides insights on leadership and lifestyle as well as industry trends and attitudes about homeownership.
4. Go back to school.
Two key words here: tuition reimbursement. Many organizations will help an employee in good standing earn a specific certification or academic degree. Ask your manager or human resources team if your company offers financial assistance and how to go about utilizing it. Start off slowly with one class per semester to get used to juggling work, home and school life. Or, just try one basic class to see if going back to school is for you. ERA Real Estate provides discounts to its sales professionals pursuing Continuing Education credits through its Learning Management System and ERA employees have tuition reimbursement available to help advance their education.
5. Get a mentor, be a mentor.
Don’t be shy; ask for help, advice or insight. Or, offer your experience to someone else. Sometimes, teaching is the best way to reinforce what you already know. Mentors and mentees challenge one another to delve into what they already know and explore the unknown – the “what could be” of one’s career. If you want to learn about the real estate business, contact a local ERA Real Estate office and ask what’s involved with becoming a new agent, and a mentor can be assigned to help guide you through the process.
For more information, visit www.era.com.
