My team don’t need training – they’ve been doing the job for years…

It’s something we hear surprisingly often.

“My team are experienced. They know what they’re doing.”

And they probably do. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing left to learn.

There may still be complaints coming into the business, follow-up calls being missed, fees being negotiated away too quickly and opportunities sitting in the database untouched. Previous valuations might not be followed up, landlords using a tenant-find service may never be approached about fully managed, or buyers who missed out on a property may not be contacted when another opportunity comes up.

We all know how easily these things can happen in a busy agency. They aren’t necessarily signs of a bad or inexperienced team. Often they are simply areas where a little more training, focus or confidence could make a real difference.

Then there is legislation……

Agency has changed enormously, and it continues to change. The Renters’ Rights Act, DMCC Act, material information requirements, HHSRS, AML and Data Protection all affect what agents need to know and what they need to do.

And when you’ve been doing the job for years, it’s very easy to rely on what you’ve always done. But legislation changes, customers change and the way we work changes too.

Is suggesting training somehow disrespectful?

There can sometimes be a reluctance amongst business owners and managers to suggest training to experienced members of the team. Will they think I don’t trust them? Will they take offence? Will they say they already know it?

But training shouldn’t be a punishment for getting something wrong, and suggesting training doesn’t mean you think somebody isn’t good at their job.

In most professions, experienced people continue to update their knowledge and develop their skills throughout their careers. Estate agency shouldn’t be any different.

Good training keeps people up to date, challenges established habits and reminds even experienced agents of the things that can gradually slip when everyone is busy.

A negotiator might have worked in agency for 15 years and still benefit from looking again at how they handle an objection, follow up an applicant or turn a conversation into a business opportunity. A valuer might be very experienced but still be negotiating their fee too quickly. A property manager may know their role inside out but need to understand how new legislation changes what they do.

And good people generally want to feel that they are still learning, developing and progressing.

Experience and training aren’t alternatives. The best agents should have both.

“We don’t have time for training”

This is probably the other objection we hear most – and it’s understandable.

Agency is busy. There are calls to return, viewings to arrange, offers to negotiate, chains to progress and problems that need dealing with now. Training can very easily become something that gets pushed to next week.

But how much time is spent dealing with complaints that might have been avoided? How much business is missed because a follow-up call wasn’t made? And how many opportunities are overlooked because everyone is focused on the next urgent thing?

Training doesn’t have to mean taking the whole team out of the office for a day.

Ten or fifteen minutes at a time can still make a difference.

What about the cost?

Training is often one of the first things businesses question when they are watching costs, but it doesn’t need to be expensive.

If training is something you know would benefit your team but you haven’t quite got around to putting it in place, we’ve made it even easier to get started and keep your costs down.

Sign up by 31 October and get up to 7 users for £95 + VAT per month instead of £125 + VAT per month.

That’s less than £14 + VAT per person per month for a team of seven, with the usual six-month minimum term and the ability to pause your subscription if you need to.

And you can sign up with confidence. The Able Agent is trusted by over 10,000 property professionals. The CePAP qualification has been approved by Propertymark to support applications for membership grade of NAEA Propertymark, and the CeLAP qualification for membership grade of ARLA Propertymark.

SIGN UP here – Service Agreement & Terms and Conditions 

QUOTE “October7” in the “other” drop down box for the discounted access for 7 users.

Training isn’t about telling experienced agents that they don’t know how to do their job. It’s about helping good people keep developing, stay up to date and spot the opportunities that can easily be missed in a busy agency.

Fewer complaints, better compliance, more confident conversations, stronger fees and more opportunities.

That’s what good training should help your team achieve.