Find a Mentor that will teach you One on One

Excellent point!! I was trained first hand by my broker, since we have grown much larger he has created virtual training but he is always around to get any help!!

Great advice, Ricki.  That is what I tell anyone who is considering getting in the business.  It was not the route I took initially, but I'm now on a great team.  My business partners help share their experiences and provide invaluable knowledge.  Btw, my family use to own a home in Hunt, TX.  I spend many summers around Kerrville.  There are few places better in my book!  I still shed a tear from time to time thinking of the Tortilla Factory :)

When i started I was supposed to have a mento, well this did not work at all, he told me that he is at the office from 7:30 - 8:00 am so if i had any questions that is when I should ask him. then when i did try he was to busy visiting with another reatlor most of the time. So after a few days of that I just stopped the charade. The broker would show up from 10-12 and was to busy to talk with. So I switched offices there I found other realtors who would answer all my questions but no one to walk beside. Now when a newby asks me questions I always want to walk with them as much as possible. Like all businesses now the bottom line is watched so closely that the people aspect is lost. A mentor on staff would be the best investment a broker could make. i believe it would show in him or her market share in a hurry.

New agents need to be apprentices. Work under an experinced agent until they can go out on their own. Most people are not willing to do that and give most of the commission to the mentor. They don't realize they know nothing.

I appreciate your commitment to mentorship - so important in this world that we give back.  Thank you for your generosity of spirit.

Ricki you have certainly put together a wonderful post and very thought provoking. I work with all my newbies for the first week, they take no office calls with out working with me for a day on floor time. We have a team of six and each one goes out with newbies as a buyer and the newbie will then work side by side with a BA for 3 buyer side transactions before going out on their own. Did I mention our Lawyer/ closer teaches each newbie how to write a contract as part of the Lawyer getting our business.

Ricki, I think the concept of mentoring has sadly been forgotten for companies other than real estate as well. A friend of mine, who works at a big corporation, recently told me a story, wherein, he was to give a presentation to a client. The young just-right-out-of-college adults who were assisting my friend, did little homework before the presentation and had no idea what the clients' business was. My friend, who hadn't met these new employees before that day, admitted how fortunate he was to have mentors in the beginning of his career.

I commend you for knowing the difference and appreciate your desire to give back. Says a lot about your character. Keep up the great work! Nice post...

You sound like a great BROKER. I for one am sick and tired of all this talk about raising the bar for agents. The BROKER is responsible for everything the agent does or does not do. The BROKER hires you to represent his company and it is his duty to make sure you do it correctly. If he or the office manager does not have the time to do the training then they are responsible to compensate the other agents that give their time to "mentor" the new agent. IMHO.

As a rookie agent you are so right. I work in a very small office where the broker owner is doing this for me. AR with all the great people who post and comment has become a great training tool for me.

I think this is a great idea and a great way for boutique brokerages to distinguish themselves from the larger offices.

I love your header for your blog. Very happy photo when we have been deluged with snow in the DC area for  several days!

I enjoy mentoring agents, i love helping them find themselves in the Real Estate world.

Ricki:  What an awesome post... and, of course, it was written by an awesome lady.  I have always liked your style... and here is another reason why so many others do, as well.  Thanks for a great post.

I have always enjoyed "mentoring" other agents... but I do have an advantage.  When I lived in the Cleveland area... I actually lived in the city of Mentor for ten years.  Which means... I am a mentor from Mentor.  :)

We all get to where we are in life because of the generosity of those who "mentored" us (even if we didn't call it that).    We don't usually get to thank that person or persons, directly, and so to pass along the gift of "how it's done" is a way to "pay it back".    Nice post!