Even a full-time trainer can only be stretched so far.  And, like all of us, he or she has a particular depth of experience to bring to the table, and a certain skill set.  While the classroom still provides a necessary and productive environment for learning, it is only one small component of the personnel development of sales associate in the real estate business. 

The reality of any business is that the real learning takes place in the field.  The primary job of the trainer is to introduce new information, begin the process of developing new skills, and inspire the participants to want to do more.  The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the trainee to take what the trainer has given them and apply it on the job.

For many, the job is focused primarily on new agent training. Most trainers don't meet more than 25% of the remaining sales population in their companies during the course of the year. So how can the trainer best impact the company's goals?

A company trainer also has the awesome responsibility of translating management's priorities into action and getting that word "out to the field".  In general, the trainer should have the best skills for delivery in the classroom and the ability to achieve specific training objectives.  However, the effectiveness of the trainer can be amplified ten-fold if others are put to work in the field to follow-up on the classroom experience.  The most obvious candidates for this role are the branch managers (sometimes called sales managers). 

Branch managers have these things working for them:
a.  They have field sales experience
b.  They know their agents' personal strengths and weaknesses
c.  They know what skills are lacking in their office
d.  Their agents are more likely to attend office workshops because they don't have to travel to an off-site facility for training
e.  They are motivated financially by the success of their sales associates

The company trainer has these things working for them:
a.  They have field sales experience
b.  They have a perspective on what the overall strengths and weaknesses of the sales associates are throughout the company
c.  They have the expertise and the time to develop and deliver training modules designed to change behaviors.
d.  They understand what management expects and what the priorities are for the company

Senior managers and branch managers alike tend to have a disproportionately high expectation that training (i.e. the trainer) is going to fix all the problems of the company.  What we need to remind ourselves of is that more often than not, training is not the problem or the solution.

While training plays a critical role in the company, it is not "fix-it camp" and an hour or even a week's worth of training is not going to make a long-term difference in an associate's performance.  Management needs to work with the training department on systems for follow-up, coaching, and accountability.  Only in rare instances do these systems fall to the trainer for implementation.  They are borne by the person who directly manages the trainee.

Look for future Articles on how to build your training courses to be effective, dynamic, and productive as well as ways to work with management to build in those components of partnership so that everyone in the company succeeds.

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