There are several courses offered on the internet that will teach you the technical requirements of selling property – the forms, regulations and rules governing the industry.  There is an excellent course that is offered by the REIQ.  You will learn what you will need to do to become accredited and obtain a license or certificate.   Trading without one is illegal and could lead to hefty fines, a loss of all commissions and even imprisonment.

You should also seek out courses that will help set a business plan, understand what needs to be done to secure listings, market those listings, work with buyers and negotiate a sale.

If you are really dedicated to developing a great real estate business, it is also a good idea to hire a mentor or coach.  Here is what to look for in a coach:

1. Experience

2. Knowledge about the industry

3. A track record

4. Maturity

5. Courage to tell you the truth

6. A caring attitude

I could also add ‘honesty’ to the list but that is very hard to judge in the decision making process.  Like good agents, great trainers will be very good at selling themselves – after all that is what they train others to do.  So how do you cut through the bull so that you are appointing the best trainer?

Try asking some questions like:

• Why should I appoint you as my trainer?
• What can you teach me?
• What would your plan for me look like?

Those 3 questions alone should give you a good indication about what the person offers you.  Listen carefully to the answers.  You are looking for someone who can think on their feet, has confidence in their own ability and will talk in terms of what they can do for you.

You don’t want to know about all the other agents they have helped – big deal – that is not going to help you.  References are important but just remember they will only give you references from people who will say good things about them.  Instead – try asking “Tell me about someone who was not successful because of engaging you and tell me why?”   Why would you ask that?  Mainly because they are not expecting it.

It is also reasonable to expect that the trainer you are interviewing should know a bit about you.  Hopefully they will have done some research on you and know a little bit about your business.  If they have not bothered to do that and they can’t offer ‘tailored for you’ suggestions about lifting you to the next level based on what they know about your achievements to date, then the offering from them will be a ‘shelf offering’ that is a one size fits all approach – not good!