You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

You can offer the latest state-of-the-art computer training, but you can't make an agent sit in a chair and learn.

That is the challenge facing brokers all over the country - how to get their agents to be more productive through technology. A hot issue at Connection 98 a few weeks ago, brokers and trainers alike bemoaned the fact that motivating agents to attend classes is next to impossible. No matter who they hire from the speaker's circuit, or what programs they employ, agents are still avoiding technology training and other non-mandatory training.

One MLS trainer not only wants to know why - he has vowed to find out and overcome the objection. All that remains is how.

Sam Jackson, a 14-year veteran of real estate, is the Director of Education and Business Development and trainer for Metropolitan Regional Information System, Inc. (MRIS) one of the largest MLS organizations in the country with over 22,000 members spread across five states.

Jackson's job is to develop and implement new courses, improve existing courses and introduce products and programs that meet the technological and professional needs of all MRIS Realtors. Noticing the lack of enthusiastic attendance for non-mandatory classes, Jackson feels agents are facing a Catch-22 that they can't figure out. Is it better to lose time in training on something that is going to be slow, difficult to learn and has dubious benefits or applications? Or is it better to go ahead and learn it, and use the results slowly and with difficulty? No wonder they're staying away in droves. They simply don't see the economics of learning a new way to do things.

The answer is simple, believes Jackson. Agents must learn in a fun, fast, easy manner in a fashion that rewards the trainer, broker, and the agent. More important, the agent must be convinced that once they employ technology, they will, in fact, make more money. And that is what Jackson is out to prove. He will be among the first MLS trainers to gather information on the profitability of technology training to real estate agents. Armed with a scattering of figures that show agent productivity improving by as much as 100% after training, Jackson plans to make the correlation clear between technology training and increased sales.

In the meanwhile, he is exploring what works and what doesn't work. "If someone is not up to speed using a computer, they must avail themselves of on-site instructor training. If they are used to a PC, there is no reason they can't take advantage of distance learning through software programs and over the Internet," he says.

One of the problems attacked by Jackson is how to turn MRIS's sheer size into an advantage for agents. MRIS's region includes parts of Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. One thing the MLS has done is reduce the disadvatage of distance, by stationing 23 training centers throughout the region, each equipped with between six and 12 personal computers. That way the center is not a long drive for any agent regardless of where she or he lives.

But the chairs are not filling up the way Jackson would like to see. First tier training always goes smoothly, as agents learn the MRIS systems and enough computer keyboarding to be able to use the MLS system. For that purpose the convenience of the 23 training centers is greatly appreciated. But beyond that, the agents are difficult to motivate, even though Jackson offers a number of courses free of charge designed to help agents increase their productivity.

"Some distance learning has already been tried by brokers," says Jackson. "RealNet direct, cable TV, and the agents are invited by the broker to sit and watch. But that concept is based on people showing up, sitting and watching."

Among the revolutionary ideas that Jackson is implementing is having the agents imput the data of their listings into the computer themselves. "We know that is a tall order, but by putting the data into the hands of the subscribers, they can take care of all the details. That way it is not the responsibility of the broker or a clerical to take the information off the profile sheet."

"I feel that protects the integrity of the data, because is the data isn't accurate, then not only will we be sharing inaccurate data, but we will also be giving the public inaccurate data via RealSelect and CyberHomes, etc. With our numbers, that is a big deal and it all goes back to training."

"We are owned by 25 boards, and they are telling us that they want our agents to be part of the world of technology and they want agents to attend classes."

"The agents are not charged any additional fees, and we provide a broad spectrum of course offerings that cover marketing to real estate technology applications. I have talked to representatives from other MLS's such as Trend, and they say they are having the same problem getting agents to attend."

Jackson believes online training may be the answer. "We are doing a pilot project to produce online training which will cost anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 per hour. That sounds like a lot of money, but what can be done is excellent for educators and users."

"Let's say you want to do a course on the internet or using a search engine. Within that you could go with a talking head ( streaming video) combined with a PowerPoint slide show, you could have an ability to go from one module to another. Le's say you want to go from one class to another. You could do that."

"The brokers want to know who is on line, who is taking classes. With the Internet, you can track that. You can see which modules are the most popular. That tells us that if they are taking too little time on one, the content isn't interesting enough. If they are spending too long, we can find a way to make it more consise. I just want to stay away from an all-text format. I want to track with what is called Competency-based Curriculum. That is where you give little tests and quizzes along the way. It gives the users the feeling they are mastering the information."

Jackson plans to keep Agent News posted on his progress....and that of MRIS's agents.

Published: July 3, 1998

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.