Professionalism 101

Industry Excellence Has ‘Arrived’

For as long as I can recall, real estate professionals have been stressing the importance of “raising the bar” in the real estate industry. Are you dialed into the program that’s turning that objective into a reality?

Commitment to Excellence, or C2EX, is a new member-driven initiative that’s receiving strong praise amongst members who have already earned the endorsement, the committee that worked hard to launch the program, brokers and other leaders in our industry.

What Is C2EX?
C2EX is not a designation or a certification. It’s an endorsement. C2EX effectively tells the world that a member is endorsed by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), and has made the commitment to conduct themselves and operate their business at the highest level of professionalism possible.

C2EX is also unique because the experience doesn’t occur in a classroom or use traditional online learning techniques. It’s an online platform that delivers a customized experience to each member based on current skills and educational needs across 10 key competency areas (11 for brokers).

How Does It Work?
C2EX is an unprecedented example of groundbreaking technology deployed against a membership organization’s aspirational, but non-mandatory goals. C2EX is:

• Innovative. The platform serves up a wide variety of learning techniques, including engaging game-style scenarios with instant feedback.
• Self-paced and flexible. Participants establish their own learning schedule, which can be completed whenever it’s convenient, using a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
• Completely voluntary. Only those members who are genuinely committed to holding themselves to a higher standard of professionalism will decide to participate.
• Ongoing. C2EX is not a “one-and-done” program. To maintain the endorsement, members must re-engage with the platform as new content is added.

Powerful Broker Benefits
For brokers, C2EX is practically a no-brainer. It is, perhaps, the easiest way to reduce your exposure to risk and improve profitability. Plus, the platform is available to all NAR members at no cost.

Use C2EX to build agent professionalism and facilitate coaching relationships. Brokers can monitor their agents’ progress, suggest additional content to review, and assign specific tasks to complete. You can also brand the C2EX online platform to your brokerage by uploading your logo.

Member Reactions
While the C2EX program is beneficial for new agents, seasoned industry veterans who’ve earned the endorsement also describe their experience as rewarding and eye-opening.

“As a broker, it’s easy to think you know it all,” says Mark Shepherd, a Commitment to Excellence committee member from Utah. “The program is fun and engaging, but I also learned a lot. It showed me how easy it is to make mistakes if I operate on ‘autopilot.'”

Jo Jenkins, another broker and committee member from Iowa, agrees. “Some topics were fast and easy, but others took longer. It opened up my mind to new and better ways to do things.”

A New Standard
It’s just a matter of time before C2EX begins gaining traction with consumers. Eventually, it’s easy to imagine that buyers and sellers will decide that they only want to work with endorsed REALTORS®.

Be an advocate for yourself and the industry. Commit to excellence at www.c2ex.realtor.

Marc D. Gould is senior vice president of Member Development for NAR, overseeing a wide range of professional development programs for REALTORS®, including the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC). REBAC is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer. With more than 30,000 active members, REBAC awards the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation to REALTORS® who have completed the specialized education and documented experience in working with consumers purchasing a home. To learn more, visit REBAC.net.