How to take your agent training from lecture-based to performance-based

The willingness to learn is a must-have trait for any high-performing real estate team. But what if your agent training material isn’t up to the task of teaching?

Today, we’re diving deep into the world of agent training, featuring key insights from our interview with fractional Chief Learning Officer and entrepreneur Carmen Morin. Carmen has partnered with Justin Havre and Jon Cheplak on AgentDevelopment.com and knows from experience what does and doesn’t work when it comes to learning. (Oh, and did we mention she’s an award-winning classical pianist?)

Ready to transform your agent training? Let’s get started.

Lecture-based vs. action-oriented training: what’s the difference?

Growth in the world of real estate is all about learning on the ground. But as experts like Carmen see it, most agent training programs aren’t built for that reality. Instead, they take a top-down approach focused on the content — not the learner.

Most training programs are delivered as a series of lectures or modules. Learners are expected to watch, memorize, and complete the “lesson” over and over again. But throughout history, this wasn’t always the case.

“For centuries, it was about that master/student relationship of having mentorship and active feedback. When you build a relationship that way, there’s such a genuine connection that you are not only growing alongside them but you are genuinely invested in them."

According to Carmen, when it comes to knowledge retention, rote repetition isn’t as effective as you might think. And not just that, it doesn’t give agents the tools and skills they need to effectively do their job from day to day. 

So what’s the solution? A more engaging and interactive approach to agent training — one that centers around the learner and is customized to develop their skills (not your training agenda).

4 steps to take your training from lecture-based to action-oriented

As team leader, it’s up to you to cultivate a strong learning environment. That means providing the right tools and training for success in any market or scenario. But don’t worry, you don’t have to overhaul your entire agent training system to start transitioning to a more hands-on approach.

Instead, try applying the following strategies to your existing training program, while making incremental changes along the way.

1. Define what successful training looks like

Top agents aren’t necessarily the ones with the most experience or skills — they’re the ones who stay open to new ideas and have a proven track record of  transforming insights into action.

But even with the most effective agents by your side, your growth as a real estate team hinges on your ability to coach your agents, shape their behaviors, and influence outcomes at the team level — because, in Carmen’s words: “Teaching is the mother of all leadership.”

As a leader, you get to define what success means to your team. Here are 3 quick steps to help get the wheels turning:

• Set your objectives and key results (OKRs): “Your first stage is analysis, where you look at things and really get clear,” says Carmen. “What is your measure of what you want to achieve?” Once you’ve pinpointed your OKRs make sure they’re a regular part of your team meeting agenda.

• Choose your key performance indicators (KPIs): Measuring progress is key, but be careful not to overlook the bigger picture. According to experts like Carmen, strong leaders are always ready to look deeper to understand what’s really going on.

• Use a combination of hard and soft metrics: “There are less discreet things that can be measured in different ways, like overall enthusiasm and engagement, which obviously ties into retention,” Carmen explains. Look closely at the potential relationships between your “cut and dry” metrics and your “softer” behavioral indicators, to reveal the true cause and effect.

“All talent is essentially developed from intentional training,” says Carmen. “It’s 90% nurture and 10% nature. Everyone has their own unique seeds of talent, but ultimately it’s the work you need to do to bring that out.”

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2. Identify the gaps

With your documented goals in mind, decide which parts of your training need to be more learner-centered. For example, when Carmen started working with the Justin Havre Team, they already had an extensive training program in place. The only problem? It was all content-centered.

Instead of a few people at the top deciding which modules to create, then building a video- or presentation-based training series that delivers every possible piece of information a trainee might (or might not) need. With a performance-based approach to agent training, you and your leadership team are encouraged to ask questions like:

• What do these learners need to be able to do?
• What do they already know how to do?
• What are the gaps in their own performance?
• What is the knowledge they need to fill those gaps?
• What is the context they’ll experience it in?
• What past experiences are they bringing into this scenario?

Instead of delivering more and more content, a learner-centered approach helps you keep track of the gaps between your agents’ current performance and where you want to be. From there, all you have to do is figure out how to help them bridge it.

The good news is, in some cases, the training content itself can stay exactly the same, but your approach in teaching will look very different. As part of a learner-centered program, you also look at everything in the learning environment that could be impacting the learning experience, including questions like:

• Where are agents taking the training?
• What resources will they have access to?
• What is their technological background?

You might discover environmental factors that are unknowingly hindering their performance, like software issues, distractions, or accessibility issues.

Instead of tacking on more training, a learner-centered approach is grounded in the principle of “less is more.” 

It’s about stripping back your training until you‘re focusing only on the things that truly matter to each individual agent.

“The misconception can be that this is going to be so much more work,” says Carmen. “But when you switch to performance-based, it becomes far more streamlined because you only have to focus on what you need to bridge the performance gaps.”

3. Onboard slowly

In a learner-centered model, the goal is to get the learner where they need to be — not just deliver a bunch of information at once. This is especially true when it comes to your agent onboarding process.

At the Justin Havre Team, the initial training program is 90 days long. Agents get plenty of time to dive in deep to identify and close any performance gaps before they really dig in and get to work.

“We have an intensive intake, we call it our Foundations Program, is a 90-day cycle,” says Carmen. “The reason for that is…we just don’t want them to hit the milestones at a surface level. In order to train skills to a high level, you have to be able to dig into their behavior. Helping them become aware of what types of behavioral responses they’ll have and what kinds of things they’ll experience, and training them in those pockets of resistance.” 

This extended training doesn’t just help agents sell more than ever, it increases their engagement and satisfaction within the team.

“After our first iteration of that 90-day cycle, we have agents that have sold more in that first 90-days than ever before. We have agents that were part of the team beforehand and they 3x’d their conversion after going through this training system. That’s on top of the things that we’re also measuring and paying attention to like energy, engagement, enthusiasm, and overall camaraderie,” Carmen explains.

4. Encourage active feedback

Last but not least, a crucial component of performance-based learning — and your agents’ success — is clear and constant feedback. And according to Carmen, infrequent evaluations aren’t enough.

“Think of a basketball coach on the side of the court,” Carmen says, “You’d see him saying constant little tidbits of feedback. They don’t let them practice for a week and then at the end of the week give them a formal assessment and tell them to try it again.” 

Focus on giving direct feedback in real-time so agents can make in-the-moment adjustments and corrections, even when you’re not around.

“Any time you make a really clear set goal, you have to have clear feedback along the way.”

Even with a highly structured onboarding and training system, agents still need regular feedback in order to feel confident enough to act autonomously in the face of a new or unfamiliar challenge.

To keep the dialogue productive, take time to:

• Give frequent, specific feedback that is both positive and constructive
• Make sure trainees know where to go if they have a question or need support
• Solicit feedback on how you can better equip them for success

Watch our full agent-based training episode with Carmen Morin

Help agents be the best they can be

While it can be easy to fall back on the type of training you know, putting your agents at the center of your training systems might be the easiest way to elevate productivity for the entire team.

“The experience of the learner is just as valuable as the experience of the teacher,” says Carmen. “I think many people believe that it’s going to be more work to implement it this way. It does take intention, but just like all things, the smarter you work, the easier it is.”

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