How Not To Instill Confidence

On a recent trip from Palm Springs to San Diego I was idly checking out the various Real Estate Brokerages as I drove through each small town. Campy advertising aside, I feel for these brokerages and can only imagine how difficult the last year has been for their business. Driving through one of the larger towns, I noticed a large, quite new brokerage right in the center of town. The broker had made the very interesting decision to hang the following 18 foot long banner, proclaiming the following in 3 foot tall letters:

"Now Hiring – Get Your Real Estate License in only 18 Days!"

Wow. Now that instills confidence. Perhaps it should read "Trust us with your largest assets, we have at LEAST 18 days of training". This is a broker who has missed the boat entirely. He is not only sacrificing the credibility of his business, it is a slap in the face to his existing (and hopefully more experienced) agents. Does he really think that more desk fees are going to pull him through the rough times? Why not try supporting your existing agents? Give them the tools to succeed, even to win in your local market. They have stuck with you this long, give them the respect & help that they deserve.