I was thinking about this when I woke up this morning. I spend most of my day training Agents. The eHomes Realty Network is housed in the same office as my Tropical Realty Brokerage. On any typical morning I have an Agent or two in my office asking me questions about marketing or how to deal with a customer about this issue or that issue. Then, usually by 10am I receive a phone call from a potential member who is looking for advice on why his website isn't getting any leads. After that is a website evaluation, several emails or phone calls to members, and more Agents coming through my door asking more questions and needing more help.
After spending my morning dealing with issues and helping Agents, whether my Agents, members or potential members, I look forward to more of the same in the afternoon. I guess you get good at this stuff when all you do, 24/7 is help others with their stuff. I'll let you in on a little secret. I love it! There is nothing more gratifying to me to see someone who listens to what I teach, become successful.
So where am I going with this? I really don't know, I just felt like writing this morning before I got ready to go to my office meeting and then....you guessed it, hold a training session for my staff. You can never get enough training in my opinion. For any of us, including myself, to think we know it all is to give up on growing. I learn something almost daily from the people I train.
I don't profess to know everything about everything. I'm really good at what I do know, but I defininetly lack in some areas such as obtaining listings. I have always had a ton of listings as an Agent, but they always just came to me. It's hard to teach an Agent to go out into the community and care about your neighbors and ask for nothing in return. That was how I got listings. I just became part of the community and was known as someone you could count on to get a check for the softball or cheerleading team or some time for your career day or what have you. In the end, to me, this was the best way to get listings and customers. More importantly, I felt like I was contributing to the community. What I did during those times was much more important than me selling a home.
What I don't understand is why Agents don't want to get better. Let me restate that, they might WANT to get better, yet they do nothing to better themselves. I see Agents and Brokers spending their days online blogging on Realtor sites and I wonder why they are doing that and not out doing something that will generate business. I think a lot of people get a jolt out of blogging and getting a response...I have to admit, I like that too! My guess though, is if they actually put as much time into building their business as they do running around blogging to other Agents, they would become more successful. A great example of this is when I open a webinar up to non members. Out of the hundreds of people that read my blog and see I'm doing a webinar for free, usually less than 5 actually sign up for the webinar. Isn't that weird to you? It is to me. Here I am sharing some information that has made my brokerage and myself successful yet only 5 out of 200 people actually register. Is that crazy? I think so.
So is training over rated? No. Are you doing everything you need to do to be better? Probably not. Is that going to change? I don't know, that's up to you.
I am holding a webinar tomorrow, wednesday at 2pm on 10 things you can do to get started in Real Estate. It's actually 10 things you can do today to build your business that are not the Internet. I don't have the URL on me, but if you are interested just look at one of my last blogs. I know I offered it up on here before and I think 3 or 4 people took me up on my offer. Luckily most of my members know the value of my webinars so I'm not spending my webinar talking to myself! :)

Training is not over rated however I thik we do not emphasize the marketing training enoough in our business. so we end up with professionals that are really good with no clients
You can NEVER get enough training. There is never too much knowledge... and you never know everything. I LOVE love love to learn. You are right though. I hear gripes all the time about having to "take a required class". I welcome them... and take far more than required. I wish I felt I knew enough to teach. Maybe someday. ;)
Training in NOT over rated!
I think training is good but it's only as good as it's presenter. My broker in my office I first started in was bad and his training was pointless and dragged on for hours, but who I have now is great and well worth it. Especially when I need a little pick me up in the market.
Charlie - I agree. That's why almost all my training has to do with marketing. I learned in my second business, a paintball business, that good marketing means lots of customers. We used to sell the entire year out by the end of March. Then I just spent money on marketing to get ready for the next year and because I had to spend the cash somewhere! It helped me become an expert in so many advertising areas.
Stephanie - Teaching is so much fun. It's really my favorite thing to do! I think everyone has something to teach. If you are serious about teaching, contact me and we can talk about what you can teach. Anyone who cares and has something that people need, can help. Teaching though takes patience and the ability to dumb it down so even a caveman can understand it.
Hi Mitch,
I am brand new to real estate. The office that I am with offers NO TRAINING. NONE. I'm in Inglewood, CA and I am searching for a new broker. I am a part time agent. What kind of training should be taking now? I am also thinking about handling short sales. But is there some basic training I should have first? I really don't know. Hope you can give me some pointers.
Thanks,
Deborah