By Steve Reese
The more you learn, the more you earn.
Have you heard that before? It’s been proven that learning more skills and increasing your professionalism through professional designations will lead to more avenues of business.
The most recent data I could find was from the 2013 NAR Member Profile where the median income of REALTORS® without a designation was $33,500. The median income of those with at least one designation was $61,000. That’s an 82% increase!
Stop. Read that again. Why do you think that’s happening? I’ll tell you!
Not only are you taking a deep dive into specializations and sales techniques you don’t get in the average CE course. You get to know other aspiring, like-minded professionals who become sources of referral business. Both of those make you more money, and that’s one of the reasons OKCMAR says “We’re in it for you!”
Back in the spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OKCMAR committed to investing in the professional development of its members by adding free designation and certification courses EVERY MONTH to the already hefty education calendar. It’s currently slated to continue through the end of the year. Check out the schedule below.
Do you have a niche you’d like to explore? Like working with buyers? There’s the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) designation. Military professionals are your desired clients? You need the Military Relocation Professional (MRP) designation. (Pro tip: it’s coming our way November 17.)
If it doesn’t appear on OKCMAR’s education calendar, check out NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now for discounted (and free!) webinars, education courses and other resources to support your business right now.
You don’t have to be one of those agents with dozens of letters behind their names. Besides, those acronyms are only meaningful to people inside our industry. Demonstrating the knowledge and value we receive from the content is what’s important to the public, our clients and customers.
BONUS: NAR’s Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) is a professional endorsement that takes you on a self-guided journey to differentiating yourself in the marketplace. Get started today by logging in to www.C2EX.realtor and taking any one of 11 self assessments to measure your proficiency in 10 aspects of professionalism (11 for brokers), ranging from customer service to use of technology.
Steve Reese, ABR, CRS, GRI, AHWD, e-PRO, C2EX
BHHS Benchmark Realty, Shawnee
OKCMAR Education Calendar