Mentoring is defined in the dictionary as advising or imparting wisdom! Actually although the concept of 'mentoring' has been around for ages, the term 'mentoring' is relatively new...in previous generations it was referred to as teaching, apprenticing, training, or on the job instruction...with paradigm shifts occurring so rapidly, this was one concept that got thrown out with the wash water...or just slipped through the cracks, or putting it more bluntly, has fallen into disuse!
When I broke into real estate, my broker/mentor suggested that I spend as much time possible listening in on phone conversations by him and other seasoned agents in the office...there were about 8 or 10 of us in the office at that time, and although we had seperate desks we were not confined to cubicles or relegated to private offices..and the seasoned agents took the 'newbies' under their wings and graciously imparted as much wisdom as possible...it was truly a team/family atmosphere...don't get me wrong there was plenty of competition within the office for listings an/or buyer prospects...but the competition was always healthy and civil!
Enter the age of 'greed' and 'undue competition'...which invites me to recall a sage old economics proverb: "Excess profits bring undue competition"...is that what's happened in our industry...were more and more agents and brokers motivated by rising commissions on rising property values...that's a discussion for another post and another time.
Getting back to mentoring---now with the advent of the internet, e-mail, cell phones, smart phones...it is even easier for every real estate agent to become an island of their own!
Now the increased flexibility allows great latitude and freedom...to work from the home, from the car, even between meetings or seminars from remote locations far from 'the office'...if there even is an office!!! You get my gist?
So how has the 'lack of mentoring' or at least the dilution of mentoring affected our real estate industry?
One thing already evident and proven by statistics is the low level of credibility to which real estate agents have sunk...why their trust level is even lower than attorneys, and that's sinking pretty low...again, another topic for another time!
Just a small disclaimer here...The professionals that I interact with on a regular basis...real estate agents, brokers, lender reps, lawyers, etc., are people whom I highly respect and who have earned my trust and recommendation...and that takes me full circle to 'mentoring' and what I'm trying to get across...
Mentoring is NECESSARY, TIME CONSUMING, ONGOING, ESSENTIAL, RARE-BUT-NOT-LOST, CRUCIAL, CARING, DEMANDING, and a VIRTUE worth cultivating if our industry is to rise to the level of trust and respectability we all so sincerely desire!!!
I'm a title agent, but Real Estate and how its business is conducted affects me greatly, both on a personal and a professional level!
Next Tuesday, I will spend an hour or so with a new real estate agent...Not a lot of time but enough to establish the beginning of a long term relationship and impart some knowledge and wisdom of the business which I have been so fortunate to enjoy for many years...giving back a little, mentoring, just being accessible is what it's all about...and it makes you feel good!!!
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