The 3 Types of Real Estate Coaches (And How to Spot Each One)

There are three types of coaches and trainers that exist today…

1. Those who have done the work.

2. Those who have never done the work.Those who are doing the work.

3. They all bring value, by the way, so let's take a look at the value they bring…

1. Those who HAVE done the work.

Pros: good advice from past experiences, understand the game, great wisdom. They are forced to study the business since they aren't in it, which can lead to sharing ideas they've learned from others (saves you time, but that advice is not always proven). If they have a financial benefit to recruit you to their company, you succeeding financially benefits them, which means they have more incentive to be sure you succeed. There are a few “real deals” that exist in this category that are worth following. They own large companies and are succeeding elsewhere.

Cons: advice is sometimes “dated,” their current advice comes from their other clients who oftentimes embellish, and their style is usually aggressive or overpowering to hide that they aren't in it with you. Many times, if they “did it,” it was one time, one hit-wonder sort of stuff, and then they got out of it. Oftentimes, the coaching is disingenuous because their ultimate goal may be to recruit you.

How do you spot one of these types of coaches?

Simple. Watch a few of their videos and listen to how often they use “when I,” “what I would say,” or “what I would do” type of language. While you're at it, understand that most of their social media followers are fake, which means so are all their views and engagement. If this type of coach is willing to deceive you from the start, how do you think it will end? You’ll also notice they are usually really creative at taking concepts that have existed long before them and coming up with new ways to spin past ideas into ones that appear original to you, often through unique (and sometimes “sexy”) names or titles for “their” concept. Finally, they may talk about, or even show you, the trophies they've earned in the past.

2. Those who have NEVER done the work.

Pros: they devote 20% of their time to studying the game and 80% to coaching it. They remove much of the time spent thinking and researching for you because they've already done it. They have no distractions other than coaching in most cases. Similar to those that have done it in the past, many of these coaches are in it for the passive income that comes with recruiting you, and they have more incentive to see you succeed.

Cons: they have no choice but to share what they read, hear, or see, and many times what they hear from their other clients is not sustainable or profitable, and this type of coach would never know that.

How do you spot one of these types of coaches?

These are pretty easy to spot because they are usually sharing other people’s quotes, ideas, and strategies, and are not afraid to admit that. They like to share examples of other coaches in sports who never played the game at a high level but were great coaches (you can probably recite the names in your head; you've heard this so often), but what they don't tell you is that comparing real estate to a sport is like comparing an apple to an orange. The game of real estate changes, sometimes monthly, where, generally speaking, sports remain the same. Similar to the type of coach above, with the exception of maybe a few of these, this type of coach either got their followers by being a motivator, or they paid for them, because most people know better than to follow someone who hasn't walked in their shoes.

3. Those who are DOING the work.

Pros: This type of coach can share information on things that are working right now, in real time. This gives clients an upper hand for two reasons… one, because this coach will only share things that are effective or profitable (where the other two above wouldn't know about the profitability of their suggestions, unless they review their P & Ls, which is rare), and two, because clients will have an edge over their competitors when it comes to marketing, branding, and lead generation ideas because they get to be first to market with them. Additionally, a coach who is in the trenches with you, whether it be leading a company or selling real estate, will always know what you're dealing with because, chances are, they are dealing with it too. There will be a lot of “this coach gets me” moments compared to your past coaching experience.

Cons: Because they are in it with you, oftentimes they could be distracted on their calls… thinking about a client they need to get back to or an agent that just left them. While these experiences do give them an edge, not every call may feel the same because they are human and are dealing with many of the same setbacks you are.

How do you spot one of these types of coaches?

Just look up their production in the MLS and/or check Real Trends if they're leading a team, brokerage, or network. Numbers don't lie, and this type of coach doesn't need to either because, unlike the first two types of coaches, they know you can just check their stats.