When Not To Use A Conference Call In Your Real Estate Agent Mentoring Program

Conference calls are wonderful tools for disseminating information, enabling interaction with your “audience” and saving you a lot of time, but they are also overused. In an average week I get invited to about 8 conference calls, more than one per business day. The popularity of using conference calls to do everything from teaching to soliciting new clients is overwhelming. Due to the “anonymous” nature of conference calls and the frequency with which people are invited to attend, they may not always be the best tools to use in your real estate agent mentor program.

The worst time to invite someone to attend a conference call is when they’ve just become a new customer. The first impression every new Realtor has when they start their program is crucial. If you send them an invitation to a conference call right after they check in and release them, they are much less likely to attend the call and interact with the group than if you take the time to schedule a one-on-one call with them first. . During the one-on-one call with you, they’ll have a chance to get to know you, ask a few questions without the pressure of an audience, and better understand how the program works. Then, when they receive an invitation for a conference call, they will be more likely to attend and participate.

If you use conference calls regularly in your Realtor mentoring program, you might also consider turning some into small group coaching calls (or add one per month). I know, you’re probably thinking they’re pretty much the same thing. How is this going to cause a significant improvement? Stay there for a moment. On a small group coaching call, you get several benefits that a conference call doesn’t.

1. Responsibility, if there are only 10 people in the group and “attendance” is held at the beginning of each call, they will notice if you don’t show up.

2. Everyone who has a question or comment is likely to have an opportunity to participate.

3. Twice a month you can choose to feature one or two members per call who can express their concerns/challenges in their real estate career and everyone can focus on providing solutions to their specific problems. For the next call rotate two new members in the center of attention. This is great for building camaraderie among the group. Allow some personal training in a group atmosphere and keep everyone involved and accountable.

4. Having a small group inherently creates a level of selectivity that adds value to the call.