Office. Rush. Appointments. Rush. Lunch. Rush. Phone. Rush. Follow Up. Rush. If your like most people, we are busy…all the time.

It occurred to me the other day while talking to a real estate professional that they always have an excuse for not improving their own skills.  The most common is, “I don’t have the time” or “This is not a good time” seems to be a common thread.

Could it maybe be that you don’t have the time due to not having the skills you need to work more efficiently?  I believe that is a question every real estate professional needs to ask themselves and answer it sincerely.

In contrast, during the boom times the most common response was along the lines of “I’m making lots of money, so why take time out of my already busy schedule?”   Right…well what about now. Now is the perfect time. Now you don’t have the money. All I am hearing are excuses for agents that don’t want to be better qualified and become  a true real estate professional.

To that I say: look around, businesses are constantly making investments in their assets, which in many cases are human resources.  Real estate professionals are a business unto themselves and need to allocate an investment for their business development.  The results speak for themselves. 

The National Association of Realtors® reports that a Realtor® who takes at least one designation course makes on average 100% more income that those who do no not.  And what about coaching?  Some coaching companies are claiming 200% or more improvement in productivity.

If time is really an issue then the Internet is your savior. With the downturn in the housing mark, more and more agents are turning to online education and this has fuel the movement of better quality courseware online. For example, for a long time the majority of online courses were Licensing or CE. Today however you can already find some 10 quality skills based online designation courses such as Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS), Accredited Luxury Homes Specialist (ALHS), Certified Short-Sale Professional (CSP) and launching this month the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE).

Online education has come a long way and can engage the user with many interactive activities.  One of the biggest benefits is of course that it allows agents to gain access to courses at their own convenience.  So now, lack of time is no longer an issue. 

Our industry is becoming more and more competitive, and without the necessary skills, many real estate professionals will be forced to leave the industry. Don’t let time be the reason you’re not skilled.

For more information visit www.RealtyUonline.com