Brokers have the power to change their agent’s mentality from thinking like a REALTOR® to thinking like a business owner through hands-on training. A successful training program at a brokerage is imperative to a thriving agent base, but only if you’re providing an interactive experience that coaches agents through every stage of growth.

By providing unique, hands-on training, agents will be prepared for the job and understand what to expect in the field. From lead generation to closing a transaction, the agent journey is complex. Build a training experience that not only accelerates your agents’ expertise but also gives them the confidence to handle any possible situation with ease.

3 Unique Training Types to Help Agents at Every Stage of Their Career

Field Trips

Meeting agents outside of the office and exposing them to the different scenarios they’ll face in the field is a great learning opportunity for new agents. Think about it. Agents deal with more than just clients, so tailor different field trips to the different affiliates they work with in their job.

Agents meet with inspectors, so set up a mock inspection where they can go through the process of an inspection. They’ll learn what to expect and have a better understanding of what questions to ask when with a client. Agents also work with lenders. Plan a roundtable where agents can meet with a lender to learn the ins-and-outs of lending and be able to speak clearly about the topic with their buyers. And of course, agents spend much of their time giving tours of homes. Set up a fake home tour where agents can practice showing a house. Go over how to use a lockbox, what they should and shouldn’t say and how to lock up a home.

Pushing boundaries

For the veteran agents who have had their license for years, it’s common to get stuck in their ways, and in some cases, in a rut. It’s important to encourage them to break out of their comfort zone because with change comes growth.

Building relationships and growing your sphere is crucial to building your business. Provide a networking class in the office that focuses on having mock conversations. This will prepare the agents to networking off-site. Once they have some practice under their belts, schedule a time to meet the agents at a happy hour where you will assess them.

Another element to growing a real estate business that commonly makes agents uncomfortable is video marketing. Hold a class that requires agents to record themselves on video and then play them back so they can learn from their mistakes. Have them repeat the practice until they become comfortable. By the end of this class, they’ll be confident enough to Facebook Live or share a video on YouTube or in an email.

Personal Mentorship

New and seasoned agents alike run into obstacles in their position. One-on-one mentorship by someone with agent experience is a great way to give current agents individual attention and address specific pain points they may have in their career. Every brokerage should designate one person to lead individual coaching sessions. With the help of someone who fully understands the agent experience to guide them, agents can overcome obstacles.

It is the brokerage’s job to offer the tools agents need to be successful. By providing the opportunities for agents to experience common scenarios in a training atmosphere, they’ll be better prepared and confident when it’s time to face them for real.

For more ideas on how you can better train your agents, read HomeSmart National Education Director Jennifer Ridenour’s latest article on RISMedia: Take Training to the Next Level With 3 Unique Tips to Build a Hands-On Experience.