No Diplomatic Immunity Here

Just a few years ago when I would talk to recruits or potential recruits, I was able to say with some assurance that really, there were only two brokerages in town who trained: Big Red and Big Blue. Pretty much everyone else paid lip service to the concept but no one else actually did it, as in having a training department, a training director, and a full slate of classes both at the corporate and branch levels in addition to a start up program for new agents.

Today, I am sorry to say, it is down to only one game in town, Big Blue. I am sure, with some outrage, I will be chastised for this, but, in truth, I am correct.

With the easy (?) markets of recent years, the importance of actual training has taken a hit. Who needed to know what to do when deals were falling out of the trees?( I guess in some peoples' worlds this was true.) And so it came to pass, that everyone, except Big Blue, gave up their training programs and Big Blue was despised for forcing agents to have to know what thery were doing. After all, isn't that the attraction of most brokerages these days? You don't have to show up, you don't have to do training; you don't have to attend those pesky sales meetings every week. You don't have to do anything remotely responsible........except fail.

And shame on the brokerages that have allowed this to happen.

Now when I talk to potential recruits, I don't even try to play nice. I challenge them to ask whomever they are interviewing with, exactly what type of training will be available to them every day of the week. Is it script classes? Weekly workshops? On line classes? Coaching? Ask what is available everyday.

Actually, I can save time. They won't be able to give an answer because they don't have any.Somewhere along the way, the broker forgot that he was responsible for teaching the new agent the business part of the business. Now that the whole world has changed again, that unfortunate agent is already two steps behind.

And don't fall for that "mentoring" BS. ( see my blog on "The Lie of Mentoring"). That is no fair substitute for a real program.

Moreover, not to let the recruit off too lightly.......remember, it is still an inherent responsibility to take advantage of the training offered. It could be the best program in the universe, but it will be worthless if it is not taken advantage of. It is part of the growing-up discipline to be in this industry.

See? No diplomatic immunity here.