As a real estate agent, you are constantly invited to events. Whether it a happy hour, a networking event, industry gathering or a class on the latest technology guaranteed to change your business for the better, the invites are nonstop. While some events can be very good for your business, I would argue most are not. And when it comes to classes, most are a giant waste of time. Either because the content is not relevant or you don’t do anything with what you’ve learned.
Recently, I hosted a time management workshop called Zone of Genius, taught by Matt James. In the class, Matt taught a system to determine what activities have the highest ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on energy). Matt talked about how valuable one hour of your time is worth if you are spending your time in the Zone of Genius. Ironically, as I am sitting in this class, it occurred to me that agents attend too many classes.
Next time you are considering registering for a class, consider these things first:
- THE TEACHER: Do you know the teacher? Have you attended classes taught by him/her before? If yes, did you get a lot out of the class? Look for reviews of the class and/or the teacher. If you can’t find any, request some. Most people teaching classes have one agenda, to get in front of agents to try and convince them to use their services. They usually have little or no training in teaching and have taught very few classes. To be fair, everyone has to start somewhere. Someone teaching for the first time may have something fantastic to teach and may be a phenomenal teacher. But that is not usually the case. So do your research. Look for tangible evidence of credibility and expertise.
- THE TOPIC: What is being taught? Is it something you truly need? Have you tried to learn it on your own? There are SO MANY ways to learn things nowadays: YouTube, Udemy, Lynda, the list goes on and on. If you can watch a 15 minute video in lieu of attending a 90 minute class that took you 45 minutes of travel time, why would you ever choose the latter? This even goes for the classes I invite you to! I am serious. Your time is valuable. Unless the class being offered is taught by someone famous in your industry and the topic has never been taught before or at least is not available online, why go? Exactly.
- THE TIME COMMITMENT: Attending a class take more time than just traveling to and from and the length of the class. Is there any preparation needed for the class? How much time will it take to implement what you learned (by the way, the prep time and implementation time should be a part of the class description so potential attendees can consider that ahead of time before committing to attend)? Are you willing to block that time out on your calendar? If you aren’t willing to implement what you’ve learned, do not go to the class. It will be a waste of time. It’s that simple.
I am a huge proponent of personal and professional development. But I am also a huge proponent of spending your precious time and energy on activities that have the highest ROI and ROE. It’s just smart. So before RSVPing YES to the next class invitation, run through the checklist above. Be honest with yourself. Protect your time. You’re worth it.
About the author
Kara Macdonald is the Vice President of Pruitt Title, LLC. She has over nineteen years of experience in processing, closing and marketing. Pruitt Title is a woman owned, independent title insurance company licensed in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, with offices in Rockville and Tyson’s Corner.
