Training magazine’s 13th annual ranking of the top companies with employer-sponsored workforce training and development.

Each Top 125 company was measured on quantitative (70 percent of total score) and qualitative (30 percent of total score) data. Factors influencing the rankings include:

• Training tied to business objectives
• Demonstrable results
• Number of trainers
• Employee turnover and retention
• Leadership development
• Tuition assistance
• Training technology and infrastructure
• Certification
• Training budget and percentage of payroll.

An outside research and statistical data company, under the guidance of Training magazine, scored companies on this data supplied by applicants. Then, Training Magazine editors and the Training Top 10 Hall of Famers qualitatively reviewed the applications.

Coldwell Banker again scored the highest among ALL Real Estate Companies.

3. Coldwell Banker Real Estate

41. Keller Williams Realty

78. Re/Max Real Estate

96. Century 21 Real Estate

See the full list here. Top 125.

Originally posted on Blue Matter by Mike Fischer, Coldwell Banker COO (& Atlantic City native)

Five years ago, almost to the day, I joined Coldwell Banker Real Estate.  I joined the company during a pretty bad time for real estate, as it was the beginning (or middle, depending on what part of the country you live in) of a sustained and painful real estate recession (or depression, again, depending on where you live).

But what I found once I became a part of the industry was that, as my former CEO Jim Gillespie always said, real estate professionals are realistic and rational, yet very positive people. Over these past five, tough years, I have constantly traveled the country, meeting tens of thousands of our company’s agents, managers and broker/owners. Two memories pop into my mind during these trips…

I traveled to Michigan in 2009 and met frustrated, yet surprisingly positive agents and brokers who had every reason to be down.  600 agents, the largest group I had met with at a local meeting, had traveled from all across that great state to Lansing to talk about the future and to be inspired. They couldn’t just sit around at their offices and be gloomy…because they just loved Real Estate.

I traveled to Las Vegas in 2010, and spoke at our affiliate company’s agent meeting and found the morale to be unbelievably good despite the huge setbacks they were experiencing in the local real estate market.  The owner, Bob Hamrick, a high energy, one-man can of Red Bull, electrified his agents and managers on stage and while never mincing words about the state of the market, he left them with a great sense of hope and purpose.

And I began to understand that the “purpose” is what makes this industry so special.

I came from the auto industry, and while the professionals I met there and have become close to are wonderfully smart, energetic and just really good people, I never walked away from a meeting with the belief that there was a bigger sense of purpose to what we did.  I do now.

And I began to understand that the “purpose” is what makes this industry so special.

Real Estate is at its core, a sales industry…but one with purpose.  And at Coldwell Banker, we are firm believers in this purpose.

We Believe in real estate and all the benefits it can provide.  We Believe in what a Home can do to help a person or family grow and succeed in life.  We Believe in the communities where we work and live.  We Believe that there should always be an emotional part of the real estate equation while never ignoring the rational side.  We Believe in the true Value of a Home, as wonderfully showcased in our 2012 TV commercial.  And in 2013, We Believe more than ever that a home is really your castle, and we celebrate all the memories and experiences that make it so.

Sandi Laughlin is the manager of my hometown Coldwell Banker office.  My daughters are in high school so I go to most of the high school basketball games.  And so does Sandy and her husband, even though her kids have graduated.  She Believes in our community.  Heck, she was involved in a majority of the families in the stands moving to town and finding a home.  She watched as those little Mendham kids (that raced up the stairs to claim the biggest bedroom before their brother/sister did on the day of the closing) grew to over six feet tall and are now starting for the basketball team and still boxing out the competition.  She feels the pride on Senior Day when the parents come on center court to greet their kids in front of the hometown crowd.  The feeling I’m going to have when I greet my daughter Kelly at center court when the senior Cheerleaders are introduced. And I bet Sandy will be there to watch.

At Coldwell Banker, We Believe in home and all the magical things that come with it.  And that our calling in life is to find the one that’s perfect for our clients.  Please enjoy our 2013 TV Spot, but more importantly, our purpose.

Join our conversation about all things home by following the hashtag #CBbelieves.

I believe we are well prepared for the turnaround in the housing market and our message struck the right chord with all our audiences.  To learn more about the accomplishments of the 2012 Marketing Campaign, take a look at Coldwell Banker Chief Marketing Officer (and Atlantic City native) Mike Fischer recap this successful year, the impact it had on metrics like web and mobile app traffic…and ultimately leads to our amazing network of highly skilled professionals!

Coldwell Banker Adopt-a-Family- Attached is the information form for the donor and the information form for your families to fill out with simple instructions. It will be a very simple procedure:

1.The family will fill out the short application (below) along with a copy of their drivers license and photos of the family if possible(photos not required.)

2. The requesting family is not limited to size or familial status and is at qualifying discretion reviewed and based on circumstances and proper identification.

3. Willing Donors can make the request to adopt through a short application request by emailing directly to: CasaBellaRealtors@gmail.com Subject: adopt a family.  And we will immediately forward the donor application.

4. Anyone can register to be a donor and it can be a joint or individual effort. It can be a group, your company, you and your family, etc. At times of need everyone is welcome to adopt, especially with The Holiday Season and a cold winter approaching!

5. We will  match the family and donor on a first come first serve, or case by case discovery or request of special needs.

6. The donor and family will be notified of the adoption by email and a telephone call.

 I know all of you will want to be donors for families in need and We already have donors in the waiting for the applicants so let’s get this going!!

Additional Sandy Relief Information:

Hurricane Sandy Relief Information 

For those who need assistance due to the devastation Hurricane Sandy has caused, NJAR^® has compiled a list of relief efforts to help you.

REALTORS^® Relief Foundation (RRF)

NJAR^® is coordinating efforts with the National Association of REALTORS^® and the REALTORS^® Relief Foundation to get assistance to New Jersey residents.  More information on applying for assistance will be available shortly.  Additionally, please note that funds contributed to the RRF will help NJ residents directly. For those who can, your help is needed.  To make a donation, please click here.

HUD Disaster Resources: http://www.hud.gov/info/disasterresources_dev.cfm 

FEMA Accepting Disaster Relief Applications:http://www.disasterassistance.gov/

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now accepting applications from residents and business owners who sustained losses in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Essex County, Hudson County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County and Union County.
*If you wish to apply by phone rather than the Internet, please dial 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362).

IRS Gives Additional Time to Taxpayers and Preparers Affected by Hurricane Sandy; File and Pay by Nov. 7

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  announced today (Nov. 1) that  it is granting  taxpayers and tax preparers affected by Hurricane Sandy until Nov. 7 to file returns and accompanying payments normally due today. The relief applies to taxpayers and tax preparers in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy or otherwise impacted by the storm that hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States this week. This relief primarily applies to businesses whose payroll and excise tax returns and payments were due. View the full press release.
IRS Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses - click here

The Red Cross: http://app.redcross.org/nss-app/ 

*If you wish to call, please dial 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-27677)

New Jersey Office of Attorney General’s temporary hotlines activated due to power outages: http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases12/pr20121030a.html 

New Jersey power company information: 

• AC Electric: (1-800-833-7476), www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/emergency, and @ACElecConnect on Twitter
• JCP&L: 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or (1-800-545-7738),www.jcp-l.com, and @JCP_L on Twitter
• PSE&G: (1-800-436-7734), www.pseg.com/outagecenter, and @PSEGdelivers on Twitter
• Rockland Electric Company: (1-877-434-4100), www.oru.com, and @ORUConnect on Twitter
• Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative: (1-877-504-6463),www.sussexrec.com/outages.asp 
• Vineland Municipal Utilities: (1-856-794-4280),http://www.vinelandcity.org/Electric/VMEUsite 

We’ve talked before about our 106 year legacy of trust and the importance we put on the experience our customers have when they buy or sell their home with a Coldwell Banker professional. But one can’t just dwell on past accomplishments. You must continually look for ways to innovate and exceed expectations to remain relevant in a real estate marketplace that is crowded with options.

At Coldwell Banker Real Estate, we believe we have one of the most unique offerrings in real estate. Our combination of agents across the globe, innovations and history of experience in real estate has helped us fulfill the dream of homeownership for millions of people over the last 106 years.

The video above is our way of trying to express what we can offer in 120 seconds or less. The line in this video that I hope stands out the most to you is how it ends: Only one brand can say all this.

See for yourself what Coldwell Banker Real Estate has to offer locally…or to find an agent or dream about that new home, visit us at

www.CasaBellaRealtors.com

I had inquired through a private FaceBookgroup created for real estate agents in Ocean County, NJ; “What are your 3 BIGGEST challenges in real estate today?”

Jessica was the first to respond and her first challenge was “creating a value proposition”!

Exactly what is a real estate agent’s “Value Proposition”?

To find out, I went to Zillow’s “REALTOR Reviews & Real Estate Agents” page.  I took a look at the first 3 profiles displayed by “weighted average” (none of them were from our area).  Here are the “Value Propositions” I was able to find by clicking on the links to their respective websites:

1. Marketing Your Home For All It’s Worth
2. We will offer you unparalleled customer service and proven results
3. Serving Your Real Estate Needs in the Metro Baltimore Area

Now, to give these agents even more credit than their ratings already have; their websites were sharp and 2 out of the 3 had their “Value Propositions” prominently displayed in their site’s header!

BUT…

Only one REALLY had “value” to me as a real estate consumer!

Can you pick out the winner?

That’s right; Marketing Your Home For All It’s Worth!

Why?

It’s UNIQUE (compared to the other 2)!  It’s SPECIFIC (Home-Seller Focused)!  It has a BENEFIT (All It’s Worth)!

So, how might we use this information to create our own “Value Proposition”?

New Rules to Creating a Value Proposition

1. Change the name.  Title it your Unique Selling Proposition.  You are in sales after all!
2. Clearly identify/state what makes you UNIQUE!  Example; “I get my Home-Sellers 99.9% of List Price!”
3. Be SPECIFIC with your proposition!  Have one for your buyers and a separate one for your sellers!
4. Tell them how working with you will BENEFIT them!  Example; “My Home-Buyers Save an Average of $8,222!”

Cut to the Chase:  Your Unique Selling Proposition is what differentiates you from every other real estate agent in your Town/City, USA.  Your potential customers and clients want to know; “What is in it for them”?  You won’t settle for average and neither will your buyer and/or seller.

This is a re-post from my local training blog but I thought it appropriate for our forum.

Image of Value_Model courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Introducing BluePoint, the Coldwell Banker brand’s new on boarding and career development tool, designed to advance a wide range of skill sets. Whether you are a sales professional new to the industry, or a more seasoned agent looking to further your career, this program has something for everyone. The new program focuses on four levels of experience:

Level I – Unlicensed & brand new individuals
Level II – Newly licensed sales professionals with less than 12 months in real estate OR less than 10 annual units
Level III – Professionals with 1-2 years of real estate experience OR 11-20 annual units
Level IV – Experienced professionals with a minimum of 21 annual units

Recommended Coldwell Banker University courses and activities have been packaged for each level to help committed agents advance to the next step in an their desired career path. Participants will have access to a packet providing the course flow relevant to an individual and allowing them to track their progress.

Management will have a similar manager’s participant packet to help track the date they assigned a course/activity and when it was completed. The manager can then determine “next steps “during regularly scheduled coaching sessions with their agents. If you would like to learn more about the BluePoint program, Consider completing one of our short skill or knowledge assessments. Or contact Anthony D’Alicandro for a confidential interview.

The following is from my brilliant friend, Sean Carpenter who is the director of training for a large Coldwell Banker region in Central Ohio. Sean has written an extremely creative tale that suggests:  “What a real estate story from Dr. Seuss look like.”  It’s titled:  The Lovely Listings of Loretta Listopolis (and to us it’s pretty obvious Loretta is a Coldwell Banker real estate agent)

Enjoy and be sure to  follow Sean on Twitter at @seancarp.

The Lovely Listings of Loretta Listopolis

Loretta Listopolis works in the town known as Bailey
She’s a really hard worker who prospects hard daily
Real estate is her business and she’s really quite swell
So sit back and listen and her story I’ll tell…

Miss Listoplois works in an office that is pink, green and blue
It’s just two doors down from the office of Dr. Albus Magoo
And it sits on the opposite side of the street
From the place that sells lotion for your hands and your feet.

Loretta’s been licensed to sell since returning to town
After graduating from Mulberry State in her cap and her gown
She majored in sales with a minor in poli-sci
Now she’s helping her clients to sell, rent or buy.

She started by gathering all the names that she knew
Because that’s what her manager told her to do.
She started calling around to all Bailey residents
When you’re looking for business, you can’t be too hesitant.

In a matter of weeks with her inventory growing
She had to hire a team to help with her showings.
“Buyers are great,” said Loretta but she kept on insisting
That “to get to the top, I must focus on listings.”

So she practiced her dialogues and sharpened her pitch
Until she could deliver her message with nary a hitch
It was a visual delight and a great demonstration
Of how you should deliver a listing presentation.

The sellers were awed and the objections were few
Loretta made it clear she knew just what to do
“Our marketing is great, so don’t worry or fear,
But there’s one simple thing that I must make quite clear.”

“The price that we set on your house is the key.
We’ll create lots of interest, just you wait and you’ll see.
We must generate traffic in the day and the night
Then the buyers who like it, I promise they’ll write.”

“We’ll get multiple offers from the interested many
They’ll offer full price and even toss in a penny.
A frenzy will happen, they will hoot and they’ll holler
They won’t want to lose out so they’ll offer top dollar.”

Her service was awesome and her feedback was quick
Any issues were handled by her lickety-split.
If the Sellers were smart, they’d do just what she told ‘em
Loretta’s plan will work perfect and that’s how she sold ‘em.

So if you’re living near Bailey and there’s a move in your plans
Leave all the details to Loretta’s capable hands.
She means what she says and she says what she meant
Hire Loretta Listopolis because she’s worth every cent.

Hope you enjoyed it and had a smile… Bravo Sean!