Sean Carpenter
In a former life, Sean Carpenter was a golf pro (club level apprentice) and a local Miller & Coors distributor.
When he purchased his first house, Carpenter realized how much he enjoyed the process. He wanted a career that provided him with the opportunity to play golf and drink beer, so naturally he became a Realtor.
These days, Sean is the Agent Development Director for the Ohio NRT companies, where he oversees all training and education programs for associates and managers of Coldwell Banker King Thompson in Central Ohio and Coldwell Banker West Shell in the Greater Cincinnati area.
What makes for a great training program, and what should you avoid? Sean will share some of those secrets at Connect on Thursday, January 28, in New York City.
Carpenter’s mission is to “teach with passion and enthusiasm, instilling confidence and excitement in his students,” and his philosophy centers around helping his audiences learn how to build better relationships, solve more problems and have more fun.
“There are two keys to any great training program,” he said, “a student who is excited to learn and a teacher who is enthusiastic about delivering the curriculum.
“I like to think the Pro Start Academy we have created here at the Ohio NRT companies is helping associates get up and running with skills, systems and improved confidence in a short amount of time.”
Carpenter also believes that courses that offer hands-on sessions and focus on accountability and personal investment (“skin in the game”) lead to great results. “Leader’s Edge Training taught by Chris Leader from Toronto is a great example of this style. I am also a big fan of Real Estate Bar Camps like the one hosted by Brian Copeland of Village Properties in Nashville, Tennessee. These ‘un-conferences’ are built on crowd-sourcing and collaboration to share best practices and resources across brands and skill levels.”
So what are some red flags when you’re searching for the right training program? “If you can’t find any testimonials for a class, think twice about signing up and dedicating your time to it,” Carpenter warned. “If you see lots of testimonials but they seem too good to be true, have the discipline to reach out to former students for their feedback, or ask the instructor or course provider to supply you with recommendations.
“Also, don’t forget: there is no silver bullet in this business. Don’t sign up for a class thinking you will get rich quick or find a way to eliminate the hard work the real estate business is built on. Technology classes that aren’t hands on can be very difficult to get true value from. It would be like trying to take swimming lessons in a classroom.”
The real estate industry is constantly changing, and technology only adds to the flurry of tools, trends and approaches to master. What does Carpenter think will be next for training programs?
“It’s cliché, but ‘Back to Basics’ will never go out of style. I think those brokers who continue to reinforce that this business is built on relationships will succeed. Technology is always changing, but there needs to be context for how it benefits the consumer. The coolest CRMs are worthless if you don’t have a customer to put into the system.”
Join us at Inman Connect New York to hear Sean Carpenter discuss what’s next for training programs on Thursday, January 28.