Internet. E-mail. Internet marketing. You cringe at the phrases. Ready? Set? Fingers-in-ears. Go away go away go away go away. Gone? No. Sorry. These words are here to stay.

At the corporate level, large realty firms, such as Century21, Coldwell Ba nker, and others, discovered as early as 1996, that putting their agents’ profiles and listings on the Internet was only partially effective. Until their agents would become more educated about the Internet, the importance of e-mail communications, and how to use the Internet and e-mail effectively, the negative effects of unanswered e-mail would outweigh some of the Internet visibility benefits. So how do brokers, office managers, and agents obtain such education?

REALTOR® associations such as the Orange County Association of REALTORS® distinguish themselves in the eyes of members by how efficiently they provide their routine services, and also by the unique and timely services that they offer.

In my opinion, Orange County leads the way in the caliber of its Internet/e-mail training courses (and many other technology classes) for members. Why?

The main reason is because this cost-effective training is conducted internally, by objective, qualified Association staff, and not by salespeople. Another reason, according to REALTORS® who have taken these courses, is the teaching acumen of Barbara Cox., Ph.D., the Association’s Technology Director.

Graduates of the association’s Tech Center technology classes, who now number 1200+, say that the Association courses far out-value others they have taken. Some REALTORS® belonging to other associations have driven long distances and paid double-course fees in order to participate.

There are a couple of reasons why I believe in-house training is better for agents that outside vendor training even if it is a free service to the association.

Despite the increasing demand of REALTORS® to have their training coming from within their local professional association, some associations naively think having outside vendors come in and teach technical courses for free will meet the need. But there are disadvantages. After all, courses from Internet vendors, even those for CE credit, may be perceived as (and sometimes rightly so) as infomercials. In substance they provide less education and more sales pitch for the presenter’s Internet-related services. Minimal course time is spent on objective comparisons of options or on teaching in-depth "how to" stuff.

The second factor is that outside vendors aren't usually as well equipped to handle "computer illiteracy" of many agents. What is second nature to the vendor teacher is a foreign language to an agent who has never laid hands on a computer before.

Erma Jewett, First Team - Warner, Huntington Beach, took an Internet course from an industry affiliated company. She said, "Nothing against the great job that company does, but their instructor was a ‘techie’ who ‘talked down’ to students. We felt terrified that we might ask him a 'dumb’ question."

Undaunted, Erma subsequently signed up for a course from her Association, driving with fellow REALTOR®, Ruth Censi, from her Huntington Beach office to Laguna Hills. "What a difference!" says Jewett. "The Association’s class was superb. I’ll be back for more."

Leslie Hall, Prudential - Mission Viejo, was a self-proclaimed computer illiterate. "I’d take outside courses, but I was lost. Even my own son, a computer expert, went too fast for me. But in Barbara’s course, I could understand everything."

Leslie is now confident enough to be completing elements to put into her future web site.

"The Association identified technology training as an important member need," says Cox, "at a time (1996) when such an idea was revolutionary. The T ech Center works to enhance members’ professional skills, to help them be successful at what they do."

The strategy has paid off.

One Realtor, Frank Neimroozi, Tarbell, Fountain Valley, says he’s actually switching membership from his current local board to the Orange County Association because of its superior technology training. Frank had taken other courses, but "the outside instructors were too involved in impressing people with their expertise."

He views the Association’s classes differently, and says. "You really learn from Barbara’s patient way of teaching no matter if you’re web-savvy (he is), or not (most people)."

Ed Stice, First Team - Laguna Hills, is a Ph.D. who’s had plenty of instructors. "After taking Tech Center courses, I can see that professional associations will be making a major mistake if they don’t have or if they cut back on in-house technical training."

"Any that do, just don’t have their ear to the rail as to what REALTORS® need today," says Stice.

Published: February 26, 1999

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Bill Koelzer is a Web marketing consultant to web-proficient agents nationwide. He is co-author, with Barbara Cox, Ph.D., of the Prentice-Hall books, Internet Marketing in Real Estate and Internet Marketing. Bill is also webmaster of Orange County Real Estate, among the most-awarded known Realtor® sites. Visit his website, Koelzer.com or e-mail him at .