When I got into real estate, the way you learned the business was pretty simple: You found someone successful and followed that person around. You sat in on appointments, you listened to conversations, and you watched how the person handled clients, negotiations and problems. Over time, you learned the craft. In many ways, it was a wonderful system.
As a brokerage owner, I've spent years trying to recreate that experience for new agents. Like many brokerages, we've experimented with mentorship programs, training classes, accountability groups and every variation in between. Some things worked and some didn’t.
Here are the mentorship and training lessons I’ve learned.
1. Assigning a mentor isn't enough.
We've all seen it happen. A new agent gets paired with a successful veteran, and everyone has good intentions. Then life gets busy: The mentor is selling properties, and the new agent is hesitant to ask too many questions. Before long, the relationship quietly fades.
It’s not enough to simply assign a mentor. Some system of accountability is needed to ensure the relationship remains beneficial. You can assign regular check-ins with the agent who is the mentor to assess the benefits of the relationship, or you can develop a mentorship program to help set timeframes to make sure defined learning milestones are met.
2. Real estate is learned by doing.
What new agents really need isn't more information. They need more experience. The most effective learning opportunities we've created have actually been the simplest: shadowing a listing appointment, attending an inspection, sitting in on a buyer consultation and hosting an open house alongside an experienced agent.
3. One mentor is not enough.
One agent isn’t good at everything. The agent who's incredible at listings may not be the best at marketing. The social media expert may not be the strongest negotiator. Your new agents benefit from learning from a community of people rather than a single teacher.
One idea that has worked well for us is creating opportunities for agents to learn from different experts inside the company. One month they might sit with a top listing agent. Another month they may learn lead follow-up from a relationship-based agent who has built an incredible referral business. Exposure to different styles helps newer agents discover what fits them best.
4. Role-playing using real-life scenarios can be better than a training class.
Instead of asking agents to attend another training class, brokerages can organize role-play sessions, mock buyer consultations, listing presentation practices or contract workshops using actual scenarios. After all, there’s an abundance of scenarios that pop up every day. Why not make them a training opportunity?
We’ve found that confidence comes from doing the work repeatedly, and role-playing allows agents to gain experience in a controlled environment with expert help right there with them.
5. Ride-along opportunities are valuable.
Every month, invite experienced agents to open their businesses for observation. Newer agents can attend listing appointments, inspections, final walkthroughs or strategy meetings—whatever the experienced agent is comfortable with. Most top agents are surprisingly willing to share when given a structured opportunity, and this gives new agents a first-hand look at what it’s like in the field.
6. Small mastermind groups create accountability and community.
Some of the best learning I've witnessed happens when five or six agents sit around a conference table discussing challenges, wins and lessons learned. It creates accountability, community, and the realization that everyone is figuring things out together.
If you’re not sure where to start, talk to a few agents about their biggest challenges right now. Then assign a topic to the mastermind group. Assign one agent to “lead” the mastermind and rotate to a different agent for the next round.
7. It’s essential to provide clear next steps and direction.
New agents need practical to-dos to create and grow their business. This includes setting small goals for the week or the month. When you develop a training plan for them, you can track how they’re doing and they can experience that feeling of progress.
Include a checklist with items on it like:
- Make five calls.
- Write three handwritten notes.
- Attend one appointment.
- Host one open house.
- Record one video to post on social media.
- Have one meaningful client conversation.
- Small actions build confidence. Building a structure around these actions keeps momentum moving forward.
As technology and AI continue to reshape our industry, I believe mentorship is becoming more important.
Technology can answer questions, and it can help create content. It can even help agents practice conversations. But it can't replace wisdom or encouragement. And it certainly can't replace the confidence that comes from having someone believe in you before you fully believe in yourself.
The future is about using technology to support what has always mattered most. In our industry, that’s relationships and experience. New agents gain both by learning from people who have walked the path before them.
The original apprenticeship model that I came up with had the right idea. This “Apprenticeship 2.0” model simply updates it for the way agents learn and work today. And for brokerages looking to recruit, retain and develop great agents, that may be one of the most important investments we can make.
