A year ago, the National Association of Realtors was embroiled in a legal mess, trying to get $500,000 in royalty claims from its former e-PRO technology partner Websuite in bankruptcy court.

Today, the NAR has put the past behind it, moving forward with a new technology partner, the Internet Crusade whose challenge it is to restore members' faith that the e-PRO certification program is a great member benefit and value.

Relaunching the e-PRO pilot program at last year's November convention in Chicago, the NAR insisted on doing some things a little differently. There was not going to be a repeat of the financial and service lapse problems that had occurred with the NAR's start-up partner the year before.

"The reason we were insistent on a pilot program is that the feedback for the first program was very mixed," explains Bob Goldberg, senior vice president of marketing and business development for the NAR. "It didn't meet needs of the marketplace. The Internet Crusade staff are Realtors and real estate educators. We wanted to make sure that when we turned this thing on that we could seriously evaluate the member feedback and make course modifications so that when it launched it would meet our objectives."

What were the NAR's objectives? Goldberg explains it as a long-term positioning strategy for NAR members - to the point that e-PRO students will be called upon to upgrade their skills with recertifications as new technologies and consumer expectations warrant them.

"The NAR leadership team, elected leadership and members know that with electronic listings on the Internet, transaction platforms and other technologies were showing that the consumer was empowered electronically and that the membership needed to raise the bar and threshold in terms of business and Internet acumen," he says. "How were we going to do that? We decided upon a certification program to raise the bar for our membership so they understand how to play in the e-world, how to use e-mail to respond to people so they wouldn't be left behind."

Between 1995, according to the NAR, and 2000, according to Fannie Mae, consumers using the Internet to find homes information skyrocketed - from 2 percent to 56 percent. Most Realtors were unprepared to serve these consumers through online means, revealing a technology gap that sorely needed bridging. Some practitioners educated themselves which underscored the tremendous difference in skills from one practitioner to the next.

The Internet Crusade was challenged then to create course modules that would allow entry level Realtors to become proficient using the Internet, as well as challenge experienced Internet users.

"We set out to create a transformational experience online," explains Saul Klein, president of the Internet Crusade. "Our objective is we all have a teaching background, we want to transform the Realtors, change the way they think and use the Internet in business and give them the resources to get better at it. The untapped wealth of expertise that exists in real estate community could be shared. No one is as smart as everyone - so there is all this information that people have tried and experienced, and we wanted to tap into it. People enjoy sharing expertise with each other, and the course we designed leaves them with the feeling that they can do more to help others."

"One thing we have seen with the module digest is a lot of sharing where they will put a question out and the other students will respond with their ideas, and it can be technical ideas or applications that they have used to benefit as general information," says Mary Stark-Hood, vice president of member benefits and strategic alliances of the N.A.R, "Reading those digests, we have learned a lot.

"The course has objectives in each module - each section goes beyond teaching to demonstration of a skill which is a major change and upgrade from the original program. Members take field trips which allows them to practice what they are learning. This way they can participate at various skill levels."

Has the new e-PRO been successful in achieving the NAR's goals?

"One thing we have looked at is the feedback we have been receiving from students, in terms of meeting their learning objectives," says Stark-Hood. "We are looking at the level of satisfaction members have in going through the program and the level of expertise they have gained, and we are seeing based on the comments that the students are very satisfied."

Since its launch October 1, 2001, the new e-PRO program has 1,700 enrollments with 500 Realtors completing the course.

Says Klein, "One thing we ask is how did they hear about the course? About 25 percent say they heard about it through a friend or an e-PRO graduate, so it is not like Realtors are jealous over their skills. Everyone benefits when everyone can use technology - consumers and other Realtors benefit when everyone has an interest in seeing skill levels raised."

Published: January 18, 2002

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