All recruits believe they can make it in the real estate industry, but with thousands of new agents bombing out every year, it's clear that many can't. Is there a better way to identify recruits with staying power?

One way to find out is by using an online tool called the Real Estate Simulator™, by Upward Motion. The Simulator is an online assessment tool that recreates real-life sales situations that can tell both the broker and the candidate how the candidate will be challenged as a real estate agent.

The candidate being assessed plays the role of a real estate agent who interacts with virtual buyers and sellers. The candidates choose their responses from a menu, while the virtual consumer talks. How the candidate responds, claims the company, can tell you as a broker a lot about his/her weaknesses and strengths, and give you insight into whether s/he'll make it or not.

Candidates spend about an hour taking the assessment, so they can get a feel for what it will be like to become an agent. The Simulator concentrates on assessing four key real estate skills - building rapport and acquiring information, listening and comprehension, managing the sales process, and closing.

Candidates get an IQ score on their verbal, math, problem solving, spatial skills. Last, they get a personality test, which assesses five key traits associated with sales - sociability, assertiveness, dependability, achievement orientation, and emotional resilience.

Kim Ades, president of Upward Motion says that brokerages like Royal LePage put the assessment tool on their Websites as a recruiting tool, and getting three times the number of recruiting leads.

"We have converted the Simulator to a Web-based Internet product," explains Ades, "so brokers are using it for the selection process to enhance recruiting and training. A broker would have a link on their Website. A screen pops up, and the agent takes the assessment. The broker ends up with a recruiting lead and the assessment results, and uses that to get the candidate in for an interview. The results have been tremendous. The brokers are capturing more leads and getting more qualified leads by attracting and identifying people who are more serious."

Experienced agents can also take the assessment from their broker's site to find out where they need to improve their skills.

"There are brokers who use the assessment for training needs to deliver more direct and accurate coaching," says Ades.

"If a broker sees someone who has strong sociability skills, but who is not strong on closing, should that person be abandoned, or trained in closing skills?" says Ades. "We have found when brokers use this as a development tool, it is a third-party unbiased assessment, and agents take it less personally. There is a setting established for open communication - let's talk about this, what do you think of these results, do they reflect what you think of your strengths and weaknesses, and let's talk about some ways to leverage your strengths and work on weaknesses. So this brings them together to focus on strategy and moving forward."

Brokers have the option of setting up the Simulator so that results are for their eyes only, or they can also give candidates and agents results which are e-mailed to them automatically.

"There is a lot of competition from brokers to recruit the best agents," says Ades. "Advanced systems, competitive commission splits, are just not enough. Top agents demand a broker who will coach them and work with them to build their success. Real Estate Simulator allows you to offer agents a tool that will assess their skills and help you build a joint strategy that positions them for success. By focusing on the agent you can set yourself apart from other brokers with a signal that you're concerned about your agents’ success and prosperity."

Published: June 20, 2003

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