If
you've been in the business for any length of time,
you will remember when there was company training,
the "school of hard knocks" and a few seminars.
That was about it. Then the seminar business got really
big. But wait, they need more of our money. So "personal
coaching" was born.
Don't
get us wrong. We think coaching is great and is a
very important tool to speed up or increase success
in this business. We just wonder what the next trend
might be. Hmmmmm?
BTW,
when you see the star (
),
this means they have a free newsletter. Two stars
()
means it is decent reading, at least to us.
We
both have coaches now and have done a lot of research
over the years to know who's who and who does what.
Hopefully, this will give you a good roundup of what
is out there and help in your search to decide if
coaching is for you, and, if it is, who you might
want to hire. As on all these pages, if you have specific
questions, fire them over to us. And if we have left
something out, please let us know so we can add it.
Please us the Contact
Us form. Thanks.
Providence
Systems - Brian Buffini
This
is the program Lisa decided to pursue. She has been
in the program a little over a year. She has been
to about 5 two day "Turning Point Retreats".
They encourage you to attend as many as possible.
The people that attend 3 to 4 a year end up closing
a lot more business than those that attend less. They
have a referral network and we just closed our first
transaction through the network, so the coaching is
basically free this year. Yes, we skipped accounting
for our time, but we got lucky and it was an easy
transaction.
She
likes the program very much and plans to continue.
One important aspect for her was their overall approach
to life. They stress getting all aspects of your life
working and then work works better. The primary coaching
is a twice a month, 30 minute call with once a month
hour long conference call. Plus all the Turning Point
Retreats you care to attend, and your monthly "Club-Net"
meeting. They conduct a personality profile test that
is somewhat like the DISC assessment. They will tell
you it is way different. I won't argue, nor will I
change my opinion. Lisa felt the assessment was more
in depth than a typical DISC (on that, I'd agree)
and the assessment was, overall, very valuable.
There
is a yearly 3 day Mastermind event that we will attend
in the Fall/Winter of 2003. And there is a week long
event in some exotic location. 2003 was in Hawaii.
Next year is in Ireland. That's kind of interesting.
We haven't been to that. Right now, we are not committed
to that, but, we'll see.
Now,
my opinion. I'm glad she likes it. It's not for me.
It focuses exclusively on getting business strictly
by referral. There are many levels to it that Lisa
isn't working thoroughly yet. I think it is an excellent
program and most who really take it on can be successful
with this program.
By
Referral Only - Joe Stumph
This
is a program that in many ways is similar to Buffini.
I believe he was involved in "BRO" at one
point. I've known of Terry Hunifeld for a long time
and like his work. I think there is great depth of
material with this program. You could get lost for
months looking at all the material. The price, when
we looked at it, was comparable to Providence. I actually
wished Lisa had gone with this program. I like all
the data on the various methods. Why didn't I go with
this... long story. See next entry. I think this is
a very worthwhile program.
Real
Estate Champions - Dirk Zeller
This
is the program I (Mark) choose for my coaching. I've
heard Dirk has his roots in the Mike Ferry organization.
I wouldn't doubt it. However, the similarities end
there. Apparently, Dirk was a top notch pro that was
the ultimate in focus. (I only say apparently, because
I didn't personally see his production. I'd give him
the benefit of any doubt.)
It
is considerably more expensive than Lisa's coaching,
but in the big picture the difference in money is
small. My reason for choosing this was the focus on
focus, something I have a problem with. Additionally,
the focus is on traditional prospecting based systems.
Utilizing accountability, tight scripting and clear
goals are aspects I felt were important to success.
Many of my business systems rely on those very attributes.
I'm
nearing the end of my six month commitment with them.
It hasn't gone as well as I had hoped, but it is completely
my fault. We have 19 different business methods to
both generate brokerage business and investment opportunities.
I've spent most of the six months completing the development
of five or six of those centers. See what I mean about
focus? Anyway, Lisa seems to think I may not be coachable.
Ouch! That's a mean thing to say. But, it might be
accurate. I would recommend this program if you are
ready to step up to the plate and have your feet held
to the fire. Your feet won't burn and your bank account
will be happy.
The
Mike Ferry Organization - Mike Ferry
This is
like the granddaddy of training programs. I don't
know if Mike started the "Coaching" movement.
If he didn't he was near the beginning. It is fascinating
to watch. Agents either love Mike Ferry (and company)
or they hate him. He plays to that. Who could blame
him, he's built a really big business.
We
have both been to the 3 day seminar. The range of
attendees is all over the map regarding success. I
find the endless reciting of scripts a little pedantic.
However, there are some of the scripts that I still
use regularly. And some really successful agents are
in the room really liking this method. Go figure.
When
Lisa was still a greenhorn she started with the coaching.
I thought it could be good for her. Toughen her up.
(nice husband, don't you think?) The lower levels
of coaching pair you up with another coachee, so two
people on a twice monthly 30 minute call. She was
paired up with a really bad match. REALLY BAD. That
ruined the whole thing for her. Of course, she could
have stood up and demanded to be traded (like in sports)
but we just concluded it wasn't a style that she cared
to pursue.
For
you? I'd say to check it out. There are an awful lot
of very successful agents that attribute their success
to his methods. BTW, his approach is a little softer
now. He apparently saw how many clients By Referral
Only and Providence Systems were getting offering
the "anti-Mike Ferry" method that he changed
his method slightly to stem their efforts. Smart marketing.
Star Power Systems - Howard Brinton
There
are a surprising number of hugely successful agents
that swear by Howard Brinton and his material. We
have several of their programs and they do have some
really top notch stuff. As far as the coaching goes,
I have not met or heard of anybody that has gone through
the program. OK, that doesn't make it bad. Not at
all.
It
seems like the coaching program is fairly new (summer
of 2003). It is at the very high end of pricing. That
will be the limiting factor for me, at least until
we see some really hard evidence of the results produced.
Maybe, that is out lack and limitation thinking, but
the value proposition doesn't balance. Yet, we will
continue to acquire his other material.
Corcoran
Consulting - Bob Corcoran
Bob
Corcoran came to me very highly recommended. And we've
talked to them several times. We've gone as far as
calling as many references as we could get from them.
All the references check out very well. Their approach
is based on coaching the whole "team" and
have all the infra-structure soundly in place.
Yet, I just couldn't put my finger on the business
approaches they utilize to get the results they claim.
I'm not denying the claims, I'm just a little flabbergasted.
Here's what I think is going on. I think they are
using a lot of Craig Proctor type techniques (direct
response advertising) and putting some mystery twist
on it. Mystery twists are great when they are working
and producing results. But, so far, I've found it
just a little too obscure for my taste to make a buying
decision.
This
is also some of the more expensive coaching to be
had. The lower end is $4,000 up front and $650 a month.
A tad steep in my mind, but possibly a bargain. The
buzz is good and these are "triple digit"
agents (number of transactions).
Allen
Hainge Seminars - Allen Hainge
Allen
has some interesting telephone coaching specific to
technology. It is unreasonably inexpensive. I've heard
very good things about that coaching.
He
has other educational opportunities, like half day
and full day session. He also has books that might
be interesting.
I
would definitely recommend signing up for his free
newsletter. Good quick read. He works to get discounts
on many of the products he recommends, but I'm pretty
certain he's not doing it for the money he might make
(probably less than peanuts). All in all, we'd have
to say he is one of the "good guys".
Real
Estate Coach - Bernice Ross
Bernice
Ross sold real estate near our market. She worked
the high end, and like all Realtors, made SO much
money she could retire in luxury. OK, just kidding.
You can catch her writing regularly if you follow
Inman News and other sources. She is very prolific
and the quality stays high. She also has several excellent
FREE e-newsletters. The content is progressive, yet
workable in the real world. Watch her website for
free teleclasses.
We're
not exactly sure how her business is set up, but it
appears her husband is actively involved with her,
but on a slightly different aspect of the business.
It is a little harder to come across material from
him, but he seems extremely talented as well. It seems
that they are now based out of Texas. Why they'd move
from sunny SoCal to muggy Texas is beyond us. (Mark
is a Texan, so that is a friendly jab). Anyway, they
have developed some interesting products that we will
be trying soon and the coaching looks very flexible
and effective. We have no idea on prices, but, based
on the quality of other material, this might be worth
a close look.
Advanced
Real Estate Sales Coaching - Jim Gillespie
I
(Mark) look forward to receiving Jim's free e-newsletter.
He's getting a larger and larger body of work that
shows a consistent quality. Just recently, he has
started a tape series of interviews. They seem just
a touch pricey, but, for the right interview, they
are OK.
We
don't know anybody that has gone through the coaching
yet. We have emailed him about a few projects and
we expect to hook up with him sometime in 2004. We
expect to lean on him fairly heavily to help us develop
a commercial practice. Mark is determined to set up
a Property Management division and we're going to
see if Jim can help us with that. We'd put Jim in
the Good Guy group.
Walter
Sanford
Walter's
free newsletter is always a fun read. His voice is
unique out there. He was hugely successful in Long
Beach, CA a while ago. But, who can't be successful
down there. Now, seriously, he dominated. He would
come speak at Mike Ferry events and you could detect
the Mike Ferry-isms. But, he did a lot more than just
what Mike Ferry was teaching at the time.
His
marketing was very creative and he had a penchant
for unique (almost offbeat) systems that were effective.
He has a product line that is a little eclectic and
a little pricey. But, again, price is relative. We
don't have any of his material yet, but it is near
the top of our "got to get" list. So, maybe
we can add a review in early 2004.
His
coaching is in the $8500 for a year range, which puts
it about the middle of the pack, price wise. You get
all of his published material in that fee, so it doesn't
seem unreasonable. This is one person we wouldn't
want to compete with on a listing appointment.
Quantum
Leap Systems - Craig Proctor
This
is another one of those that agents either love or
hate. He's a little newer to the coaching end of things
and that program keeps changing. Apparently, there
is a new intro seminar going around with the idea
of getting people in the coaching program (fall 2003).
We've heard the tactics are a little heavy handed
and the coaches aren't up to speed yet. Now, this
is hear-say. We haven't investigated personally. We
won't. We fall in the 'not love' (hate is a little
strong) category.
There
is just a bit more to add. We are going to get his
basic material. Currently it is $850. We're looking
forward to seeing the value of that. So... we're not
throwing out everything. I (Mark) would like to attend
his annual conference. Agents we respect have gone
repeatedly and say there is good value there.
Advantage
Solutions Group - Joeann Fossland
Go
for the free e-newsletter right off the bat. Seminar
speakers (and headline coaches) don't seem to operate
in the same world we do. Many seem to have reached
a place where the air is just a little thinner. That
may make for a nice target, but most of us aren't
there, at least, not yet. We don't know Joeann, but
we get a sense there is a very real person here. Her
life isn't quite perfect (guess on our part), but
her attitude is upbeat. That comes out in the free
newsletter.
She
has this program called "The Real Estate Game"
that is pretty affordable and seems like it would
be effective. Her material is on our "may try
someday" list. It's worth looking into.
Master
Your Marketing Program - Todd Bates
We're
not sure where Todd does his marketing because we
had never heard of him, until he did a conference
call for Warnock's By Owner subscribers. After that
call, we decided to look into what he had to say a
little more carefully. Of course, one of his attractions
to me (Mark) was that he was preaching what I already
believed. Funny how that works.
We
didn't do lots of research because we had already
gotten involved in other systems. Sorry Todd, but
one of the difficulties in researching him was the
lack on control we had in the investigative stage.
The web site is fairly bad (IMHO) and he relies on
a Call Capture system (guessing Proquest, since he
mentions them by name in the conference call). In
the day of the internet, we, as consumers, are supposed
to do our investigation without giving up our privacy.
At least, that's the way we like to do our research.
It just feels like to research his offering, we have
to do it his way, not our way.
OK,
so we're being a little harsh. The systems he promotes
are the basic systems that most Agents would benefit
from. And if he has worked out the efficiencies (which
we're guessing he has), the better for the agents.
On those merits, we'd say this is worth looking into.
Cost? We don't know. If you find out, let us know.
Accelerated
Performance Coaching - Patti Kaprelian
Coach
Patti works with Joeann Fossland, at least for "The
Real Estate Game". It is a rather small world.
As it turns out, Coach Patti lives in out geographic
Farm. Lisa has meet her husband. She has to know of
us, with all of our mailings, but we have never run
into her. Due to her living in our farm area, we feel
a little awkward about hiring her in any capacity.
It's like she could come over and "really"
get in our face. Yikes, that's a little close to home.
She
seems sincere in her efforts and it looks like she
has expanded her coaching efforts recently. From what
we can gather, prices seem very reasonable. If you
do look into her services, mention us. We'd be curious
if she recognizes us at all. Hmmm.
Daniel
Pendley & Associates - Daniel Pendley
Daniel's
coaching program seems like it is just getting underway.
He is also trying something new, along the idea of
"e-coaching" where most of the material
is delivered electronically. This program has a very
low price, which might appeal to more budgets. That
alone would make it worth looking into.
One
other reason I wanted to included Daniel here is his
FSBO material. I (Mark) have used his FSBO scripts
and they are the most effective to get in the door
of any that I have ever seen or heard. Far and away
more effective than most ideas out there. And I've
watched lots of other agents have good success with
them. So, what are his techniques? We could tell all,
but that wouldn't be fair to him. Look into it. You
will be very glad you did.
OK,
you've finally reached the end. The will be plenty
of Coaches and Coaching organizations that have been
excluded. It is an exhaustive search. The list will
expand over time and we would appreciate your assistance
in that effort. Let us know what you find on your
own and we'll add it here for those that follow.
We
are going to add one more coach that is not Real Estate
specific. (This list could be really HUGE!) If your
life works better, your business likely will, too.
We're only adding this one because we respect him
and his efforts.
Philip
Humbert
Phil publishes
a free weekly e-newsletter. We get it on Sunday evening.
If we don't get it and read it, it just doesn't feel
like we are starting the week out on the right foot.
He has many other free items to download. If you can't
find value in some of those things, you aren't trying
very hard.
Although
we haven't taken any telecasters or had any coaching
yet, we will definitely add this to our support systems
in the near future. You just get a real good sense
of his integrity and ability in the e-newsletter.
Try it. See if you like it.
