Mark Pessin

RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine recently had the opportunity to chat with Mark Pessin, Realty ONE Group’s vice president of Learning and Support, about his role as head of coaching and education for the entire organization. In this exclusive interview, Pessin provides a closer look into how Realty ONE Group is setting its agents up for continued success.

Real Estate magazine: You’ve always had an interest in coaching, mentoring and training. Why?
Mark Pessin: There are a few experiences that truly piqued my interest in coaching, mentoring and training. The first was in 2009 when I myself was being coached. Not only did this open my eyes as to what coaching can do for an agent’s success, it also changed the trajectory of my career at that point. Attending a Tony Robbins event in 2014 further opened my eyes as to what one can do to help others get out of their way and achieve great success. That being said, it wasn’t until I stepped into a management role that I truly realized how much I enjoyed it.

RE: Why is it so important to stay on top of the changes in these areas?
MP: It’s been proven time and again that those who are dedicated to continuously growing and adapting their skills are the ones that succeed at the highest level. It’s always been important to me that coaching and mentoring be present and accessible to the agents in the various offices I’ve managed over the years. As a manager, you have the unique opportunity to coach your agents so that they don’t have to go out and hire a professional coach.

RE: What is the biggest benefit associated with staying up to date with continuing education?
MP: The real estate industry is constantly evolving, so agents have to be adaptable to change. Those that don’t develop new skills and remain stuck in their old habits won’t be able to succeed as the market shifts.

RE: As far as coaching and training are concerned, how can real estate professionals most benefit from dedicating time to these areas?
MP: Agents benefit by investing time in their growth. If we aren’t growing, we’re dying, so it’s critical that real estate professionals allocate time to work on themselves and their business, not just in their business. Coaching and training provide real estate professionals the chance to step back a bit and recognize that they’re so busy being busy that they aren’t really growing.

RE: What are you currently focused on in your role?
MP: Helping our brokers, owners and managers attract and recruit more agents to our model. I’m also focused on developing our new learning management system, ONE University (ONE.U), so that it becomes a resource for our entire network, as well as consumers. While ONE.U currently provides coaching, training and education to the entire network, we’re working on turning it into a full coaching ecosystem.

RE: What trends do you see in these areas moving forward?
MP: We’ve shifted into a skill-based market; therefore, agents that have the best skills and the best training are the ones who will succeed in the years ahead. When it comes to coaching and mentoring, it’s essential that agents are provided with strong skill-based training that wasn’t necessarily needed in years past when the opportunities within the market were greater.

RE: When it comes to education, coaching and training, what is your best advice for real estate professionals as we make our way through 2020?
MP: Invest in your own success. And I don’t mean a financial investment as much as I mean a time investment. If you want to achieve success, dedicate some time to learn a new skill or improve upon something you’re already doing.

For more information, please visit www.realtyonegroup.com.

Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.