From time to time I post a blog about the abysmal state of rookie real estate training in America.
- Here's one - Just What a Rookie Real Estate Agent Needs: CHARM School!
- Here's another. "Good for you, Let me know if you need anything"
- And another. New Real Estate Agents - Put DOWN that Phone!
Do I have an agenda? Eh, maybe. Yeah, I sell books about real estate training and I even have boot-camp type program specifically for rookies, but that alone doesn't inspire the contempt, yes, 
contempt I have for the real estate training industry.
I'm disgusted by the "fake it til you make it" attitude. I'm annoyed by the focus on prospecting competence over, well, COMPETENCE competence. I'm frustrated by the stories I hear of promises made during the recruiting process that are broken as soon as the rookie shows up to work. I could go on and on.
But today, I'm asking. WHY? Why is it this way? It occurs to me that if 80-95% of our new agents fail within the first year, then something isn't working and maybe we ought to try something different. Like... training? REAL training, not some fluffed up, time-wasting, sales-pitch-disguised-as-education to promote some product or another?
Here are the reasons I've heard for NOT training our new licensees.
1. Not a good use of resources. Since the majority of new agents will fail, it's a waste of money and time to implement a decent training program.
2. Not a good use of resources, Part II. Since the agents who do not fail will likely leave their first broker in search of a better deal elsewhere, why would Broker 1 spend time and money training the rookie to be his future competition?
3. That's the way it IS. This is a sink or swim business. If you don't have the drive to learn the business yourself, you shouldn't be here at all.
4. That's the way it IS, Part II. "We" didn't have our hands held and we somehow survived.
5. Real estate agents are competitive; therefore, there's no real motivation to help someone who will become your competition.
It's easy for us Old Fogies to brush off the need for training - after all - we don't particularly want any more competition. And besides, "we" didn't get formal training and we came out okay. But then in the next breath, we complain loudly about "the guy (or gal) on the other end of the sale who doesn't know what he's doing and is screwing up my deal."
Maybe it's just that we've forgotten how much there is to learn in your first year and how complex the process really is. I talk to rookies every day, so I'm reminded of their pain and confusion... and their utter frustration with the lack of support they receive from the broker or trainer.
So I'm sincerely asking - WHY do we seem to care so little about quality training in our industry?
As a professional educator, I expected real estate training. It didn't take long to figure out that it was "sink or swim." What's that old saying?
Good judgment comes from experience (and a lot of that comes from bad judgment).
A brokerage should not take on a rookine unless the intend to spend time with them, lots of it.
Jennifer:
The first year in this business is crucial. I wouldn't understand a broker not wanting to provide training to a new agent. Not only are you running the risk that the agent will fail, but also that new agents with no training can make serious mistakes that will reflect badly on the broker's own license.
I don't mind spending time and helping rookie agents....but not all of them. The majority believe that they can get a real estate license and business will just fall in their laps. They are shocked at the amount of work it takes. My guess is that the majority don't fail from lack of training, but from the realization that this business is much harder than it looks and they didn't count on that. That being said, we have had some new agents come into our office and work feverishly to success. Those are the agents worthy of helping, and the ones I don't mind spending as much time as it takes. Great post!
JA - Good question. We take pride in our office about new and newer agents getting the quality training and support that they need. In addition, we provide training to seasoned agents as well. We run our training twice a year, so the second leg starts in a few weeks which I will be doing some of the training sessions personally. We also have a "100 days to greatness" program starting in October. So I think the big picture is that you are right, there are a lot of places where the training is inadequate and we hear about all these the most, but perhaps are not hearing about as much where it is working. What are your thoughts on that ?
Jennifer - I've had numerous comments on some of my blog posts complaining about this situation; and surprisingly, the majority of the comments were from Realtors. While it seems that many are aware no one is taking corrective action.
I do not disagree with a word of what you are saying, however, I don't think it's viable until the bar to entry is raised significantly higher. This profession is not viewed as a career by some, it is viewed as a license to "get rich quick." It is not viewed as an entrepreneurial venture by many, it is viewed as a job with a lot of flexibility.
I would not get out of bed one morning and presume to know what I need to know in order to go open a bagel shop on the corner if that was something I had never done previously. So, what would I do? Research. Plan. Determine a budget. Figure out how I was going to make it work. Yet, every day you see agents coming into the business with no capital, no plan and worse, no savings to handle living expenses for the next few months.
Over and over, you see new agents asking NOT "how do I get training" or "how do I become better at this" but rather, "who pays the highest split?" THAT mentality says it all about a lot of agents.
Our office has two managing brokers, one of whom is devoted to training and helping our agents. His greatest frustration? The producers show up for training while the non producers are rarely seen. We have every level of training imaginable available, yet, again, where are the new agents? Who knows? Not in training, which is offered frequently and at varying times, even evenings. No excuse.
So while I do not disagree with what you are saying and could go on for a while on this topic, I also think it is incumbent on agents entering the business to TREAT it as a business and take responsibility for themselves.
Jennifer, this is a great post. It should be mandatory for new agents to get training from an established, ethical professional. New agents can be an embarrassment to an office and their peers when they don't know and are afraid to ask for help.
I think a lot of learning does happen through cutting of teeth in every industry, but you're right. The "you'll figure it out or you'll be out of the industry" doesn't work and the leadership needs to take control and do better screening for success. If they've passed, then leaders need to invest in who they have to represent their company.
I do think for a brokerage firm, it's all about numbers (bodies). They know they recruit X number of bodies, a few will strike. There are only truly a few star performances at every class. Those who would be may already receive training else where - not from the brokerage.
Great feedback, guys! Susan - I agree that many rookies are expecting to be handed a career without much fuss & bother on their part. And if I were a broker, I'd probably be pretty frustrated with the whole thing pretty quickly. But I guess these aren't the rookies I'm referring to - the ones who express their frustration and confusion and fear to me truly DO want help and they can't get it...
But the big picture to me is that whether or not the rookie takes advantage of the training offered, it's still the responsibility of the broker to see that it IS available, or if it's not, that they fully disclose that upfront, like RE/MAX used to do.
The training I'm talking about is the day-to-day nuts & bolts of selling real estate. The very basics like how to work the MLS and fill in a contract. How to negotiate inspections. A real-world class on the homebuying process from start to finish. There's just way too much expectation that our first clients are responsible for training us. BLECH!
It's hard for me to imagine WANTING to be a broker or a trainer and then not taking an inordinate interest in what my rookies are up to! On the other hand, I can see how a broker would burn out if the rookie doesn't express any interest in being competent, but the vast majority of rookie training programs I've seen are NOT competency-based - they all prospecting, prospecting, prospecting - although some are better disguised than others.
Chris & Stephanie - you may be right that you don't hear much about the training programs that are working. And rookies who are well-trained don't really know the difference, so they don't know how lucky they are!
Hi Jennifer. I think they do "train". It's just that the training sucks.
Most of the programs are run by "salespeople". Hard core. Scripts. Pressuring friends and family. B.S...
Thats why I read you. Training for the rest of us!
Ken
BINGO Ken! You are exactly right! At least, that's what I was trying to say and you said it perfectly!!!
I come from a back ground where training is key. So I do a lot of training. In fact I WANT rookie agents so that we can train them. Theory being I am not getting any baggage. But The problem I find is you can get into ths business with a small investment. Then what happens is the rookie does not have the $$$ staying power to develope their pipeline. They get frustrated and leave. I get frustrated because of the time and $ we put into bring them on board.
Like Larry said, we can learn by experience. As a loan officer, I walked in the door and started working before I even knew what MI was, LTV, DTI - etc. I had people on the other end of the phone telling me about mortgages. I later spent $1,000's on educating myself.
I think there are several reasons, including lack of a training system, lack of a good teacher in most offices, and maybe an overall feeling that they may train and then they my change offices "wasting" their time.
Charlie & Steve - your comments made me realize something - and I may have answered my own question to some degree. I've done rookie training, both in person and online and it's pretty frustrating for the trainer. NOT because the agents aren't motivated to learn (I wouldn't have agreed to train them if they weren't), but because each rookie agent is at a different place in his or her career (they don't all graduate on the same day!). Also, by the time they've made their first sale (Often months down the road), they've forgotten how much training they got upfront from me and are irritated that they have to pay me (I've always trained on contingency - I get paid at their closings).
So, I can see how the system really isn't all that rewarding, financially or otherwise, to anyone other than the broker, who, frankly, has other things to worry about aside from his rookies.
What I'm saying, I think, is that the actual logistics of providing decent training for a rookie are more complicated than they appear....?
I will address only point 5. This is a competitive business. You're darn tootin it is. That is exactly why you should be willing to help the new huy or gal. What ecer we do to help our competitors becomes better Realtors reflects back on our profession. Which by the way, most professionals who attended colleg to get their PHD do not consider Realtors "Professional" people. Probably because there are a bunch of us out there practicing bad real estate.
All the more reason to help those who need it.
Want a totally selfish reason to help the new guy? YOu might have to work across a deal with that new guy one day. Wouldn't it be nice if they knew what they are doing when you work a deal with them?
I am thinking the reasons behind NOT training are self fulfilling? Maybe they fail because of lack of support, they probably hop to the competition because the feel unwanted and unsupported ..
DUH!
Maybe Susan is on to something. I agree the barrier to entry is too low. I remember my prelicense educator telling us on the last day of class, "Now you know just enough to be dangerous."
In Illinois, they just raised the bar for appraisers. You now have to have an associates degree along with the other requirements just to become certified. And to become licensed you have to log so many hours of experience under a supervisory appraiser.
Seems like something similar could/should be done for real estate agents. This would definitely go a long way toward prohibiting the get rich quick thinkers. And it would also solve the issue of the brokers doing all the training. On the other hand, most people can have all kinds of schooling and still not fully understand their job until they've actually done it.
Training issues are common in most industries. Potential clients say, "What if I train them and they leave and I've wasted all that money?" and then look surprised when I say, "What if you don't train them and they stay?" Seems most employers and managers and brokers don't consider the other side of the training coin.
Glenn - you should have posted a link to your blog - it's great. So, I'll do it: "What if I Train Them and They Leave? http://www.nerdtoenglish.com/2009/09/what-if-i-train-them/
We were lucky that we started in the business with Keller Williams Legacy One. The Broker/Office had/has terrific training programs for new agents. The management did strive to help new agents learn the skills to be successful in the business.
Jennifer: Agents should be better trained but to answer your question :" why do we care so little about quality training in our industry?" Most just don't want more agents around who will compete against them unless its their own broker.
Jennifer, I got in the business in 1985. At that time the national franchise I joined supplied sales training. Some of it was too scripted for me. I modified the delivery but not the concept. You can't take everything verbatim.
Real Estate is sales and detail oriented business. If you do not have an aptitude for selling your ability to succeed is hampered. Developing both the knowledge base and sales techniques simultaneously is daunting.
Our business is far too complicated for any person to be competent after getting their license. Raising the bar on requirements is something I'd be in favor of. We must operate at a level that far exceeds the amount of training we get to pass the real estate exam.
Seasoned agents do complain about rookies and rightfully so. While we both have licenses we are not equal. Not enough time is spent on the mechanics of bringing a sale to closing. New agents fly by the seat of their pants and many resent when an experienced agent attempts to advise them. (I'm in one of those situations now.)
The only solution I see as being viable is to require rookie agents to have a mentor until they complete X number of sales and the mentor signs off on them. They would have to pay the mentor a portion of the commissions they generated.
If a mentoring program is not offered the Rookie can approach the broker and ask if an experienced agent in the office might be willing to take them on.
I've seen many new agents come in an office like a whirlwind and dismiss the advice of us old sages. I'll help anyone who asks me. I'm delighted to share what I know. I have no fear of creating competition. I think that is a stupid reason for withholding training. I'd venture it's a monetary investment consideration on the part of the broker.
We have had a high failure rate in this industry for as long as I have been involved. This is not new.
Jennifer - First of all, the class hours you have to go through to take the real estate exam need to be modified. There is nothing hardly anything from that training that you will use once you obtain your license and start into the profession of real estate. Secondly, I would agree that there is either no training from the broker, or the broker has some used care salesman technique that is totally scripted, aggressive, and pushy towards getting the sale. It's either nothing, or very old sales training techniques. This is why Realtors have a bad name.
I guess it's up to people like you, me, and others here on Active Rain, to change this around.