Inman

What’s next for real estate education? Ask Alyssa Hellman

Inman, the leader in independent real estate and technology news and events, is happy to announce Alyssa Hellman as a speaker for Inman Connect New York, which takes place January 26 through 29.

Hellman is at the forefront of innovative real estate education, and she has a perfect grasp of what’s next for continuing education and how to reach her students.

She got into real estate by accident. After buying her first home, she realized she wanted to be a part of other people’s homebuying experiences. “I felt like it was so fragmented and frankly, dated,” she says. “I wanted to make it fun, easy, and memorable.”

Customer experience has been her passion since she began her real estate career and continues to drive her work today. After building a successful real estate business in the Washington, D.C., market — including becoming the youngest manager at Long & Foster Real Estate, — she decided to bet on herself, take a leap and move to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she now works as the Director of the Go School.

At the Go School, she leads the charge innovating real estate education, delivering great experiences for students.

Hellman believes that the most important lesson for new agents to learn is to be comfortable in their own skin and confident in who they are.

“As a new agent, it is tempting to see top producers and simply try and ‘do what they do,’ but that rarely works,” she said. “Relationships are the bedrock of your business, and in order to have great relationships, you need to be yourself. Have some personality. Make it fun. Create a little magic for your clients.

“There is no one way to do things. Find the path your journey will take.”

Hellman knows that every element matters when you are striving to deliver those great experiences, and she’s committed to bringing that to the Go School.

“We make it about our students. Our students aren’t just seats in chairs, they’re people,” she said. “We get to know them beyond handing them a textbook, lecturing, and taking payment. That’s important to us. Just like any business — if we’re not creating great experiences, they won’t come back. We don’t take their business for granted, we feel like we must earn it.

“So, we work really hard to create environments, content and experiences that leave students wanting to come back again and again,” she added. “If you’re taking a pre-licensing, post-licensing, or continuing education class — it is often a lot of work, sometimes overwhelming and difficult material. Our instructors work really hard to present complex information and make it consumable for our students in a unique way — whether that is storytelling, hands-on examples, or working together.

“Real estate education is more than just a textbook and a test. We’ve all taken classes in dark, dingy classrooms with uncomfortable chairs. That is no place to learn. That is no place to grow.

“At the Go School, we create an environment where students can be themselves and do their best work. That is important to us. Because of the relationships that we create with our students, we’re often able to see them not just launch, but grow their business. How cool is that?”

Named one of Realtor Magazine’s 2015 “30 Under 30;” Hellman’s experience in sales, management and national training have allowed her to triple the size of the Go School.

But at her core, she is just a cowboy-boot wearing, country-music-singing Oklahoma Sooner fan who absolutely loves what she does.

We’re thrilled that Alyssa will be joining us at ICNY16 — register today to see her special session for new agents on January 27. Register now.

Email Jennye Garibaldi.