RISMedia and RETraining-Center.com Launch Coaching Portal

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RISMEDIA, September 6, 2007-Citing the need for an industry-specific resource to help agents better identify and choose coaching programs, RISMedia and RETrainingCenter.com recently launched a joint project-the Coaching Program Directory-now available at RISMedia.com.The Directory serves as a portal through which real estate professionals can find a full menu of information to help them choose a coaching or training program that best meets their needs. The Directory also includes a series of testimonials and interviews from real estate agents who have put the featured coaching programs to the test, providing visitors with insight into which programs might work best for them.

The Coaching Program Directory includes:

- An extensive list of coaching programs available to today’s real estate professionals
- In-depth descriptions of each program
- A “Contact the Coach” functionality for agents to begin the process of hiring a coach

The Time for Coaching is Now

“As publishers of Real Estate magazine for almost 30 years, we’ve seen first-hand how coaching can make tremendous improvements for agents-often the difference between success and failure in the business,” says RISMedia Executive Vice President Darryl MacPherson. “Our new Coaching Program Directory is the first and only industry resource that helps agents understand the impact coaching can have, then systematically helps them find the right coach and right type of coaching program.”

According to the 2007 Swanepoel TRENDS Report, the 2000-2005 real estate boom caused a huge surge in new agents, a factor that has contributed to a weakening reputation of the profession in general. As author Stefan Swanepoel explains, “In some states, an individual only needs to complete 48 hours of pre-license training and pass a test to obtain a real estate license. It is obvious that in those states where only a few hundred hours are required, agents need to voluntarily advance their study if they wish to offer top-notch service.”

“Generally speaking,” says Charlie Bross, principal of the TrainingCenter Group, “Coaching has proven to increase performance levels 20% or more, while also enhancing your personal quality of life.” The TrainingCenter Group runs training portals for the human resource, finance, insurance, health care, accounting, and real estate industries, including RETrainingCenter.com.

Mark Leader, an internationally acclaimed sales trainer and founder of Mark Leader Courses, says, “More often than not, when a ship is in rough waters, one of the first things you’re taught when you’re an admiral or commander is to look for a safe harbor. You can do all the flyers, billboards and advertising you want, but for someone to be successful, they first have to be good business people, manage money, be goal oriented, and have good selling skills.”

Brenda Featherston, vice president of RE/MAX Premier Group in Plano, Texas, believes that investing in coaching and training is critical to productivity and future success. “We teach our agents to treat their business as a business. The more that we can train our agents, or the more other companies can train their agents, the better our industry will be.”

Sorting Through the Options

Through RISMedia’s Coaching Program Directory, real estate professionals can now navigate through the many training programs available to them.

“What we’ve done is help to bring the various coaches and coaching programs together in one spot to make it easier for agents and coaches to find each other,” says Bross. “Agents benefit from having one place to go to find the premier coaches and coaching programs, from coaches such as Dirk Zeller, Carla Cross, Judy LaDeur and many others. Coaches, of course, benefit from both the publicity and the exposure-the Coaching Program directory is an excellent way for Coaches to generate new business.”

The new Coaching Program Directory highlights numerous coaches and types of coaching programs, each designed to fit a specific need, budget, and/or requirement. The portal organizes various coaching programs into specific categories, ranging from low-cost group coaching programs-usually handled via weekly conference calls-up through one-on-one personalized coaching and business assessment, and make-over programs.

To view the Coaching Program Directory, please visit: www.retrainingcenter.com/Coaching_Programs.asp.

To include your coaching program(s) in the directory, please visit: http://www.retrainingcenter.com/BecomeAnExpert.asp.

RETrainingCenter.com offers licensing, designations, CE, and professional development products and services for real estate, mortgage, appraisal, and home inspection professionals. The company also offers a free weekly eNewsletter, a free blogging platform, an Events Calendar, how-to articles and audio interviews, and a Speakers Bureau. Content can be syndicated directly from your Web site.

Sidebar: Coaches: Spreading your Words

The “Get Coached” feature found through RISMedia’s new Coaching Program Directory allows real estate professionals to easily access the specific details of various coaching programs available in today’s market. Site visitors can read articles or listen to audio interviews provided by coaches themselves, then contact coaches directly for further details.

All Coaches featured in the directory receive:

- A detailed listing of their coaching programs, with individualized pages describing each one
- A profile page highlighting the coach’s credentials and bio
- A “Contact This Coach” form, providing full contact information for each person contacting you
- Free promotion for any articles or audio interviews

To have your coaching program(s) included in the Coaching Program Directory, go to http://www.retrainingcenter.com/BecomeAnExpert.asp.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.


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