Inspiring Agent Adoption of Technology

When I talk to real estate agents who are tech averse, fear of the unknown is one major cause. Technology can sometimes feel overwhelming. Use of new technology can leave agents feeling very uncomfortable, like you might lose control of the levers you are used to pulling in your pre-tech enabled business. As a brokerage leader your role is to help inspire your agents to look beyond the fear of the unknown and help them instead think about what their business could become if they embrace the change.

Take smaller bites

I have found that one of the best ways to help with agent adoption is by encouraging agents to look at the new solution in bite size chunks. You can make it easier for your agents by coming at the onboarding and training with a multi-faceted approach.

Create tools and documents that will meet agents where they are. Make use of dynamic documents for training that are easy to use and easy to ingest. Sometimes it takes having the agent first review a short brochure introducing the platform or process. After reviewing the initial info, the agent may then take advantage of short training videos helping them take smaller bites out of the whole apple before jumping into a more in-depth webinar or training.

The process of learning a new technology, tool or process is like the concentric circles a pebble makes when dropped into a pond. It’s all about learning each step of the concentric circles from inside out until you are fully wrapped into the new program. When you successfully arrive at the outer reaches you achieve a feeling of confidence and a newfound under- standing of everything you can achieve with the new tool.

What’s old is new again

Sometimes it’s not even about adopting a whole new product or system, but about taking a step back from what you are currently using and finding new ways to use the platform. I like to think of this tactic as going down a different path. You go down the same path every day with the technology you have, but if you stop and think about how you can use it in a different way, you may find that the tech you already have can be re-utilized in a completely new way.

Times are changing, we’re all having to change so much about how we work, so we are looking at new ways of using our existing technology. Sometimes people are looking for upgrades and updates, but what we are finding is what’s right in front of us can be used in a different way we didn’t think of before.

Find inspiration in others

Finally, here is my last piece of advice. If you are feeling stuck, become a student of what other people have accomplished using technology. Find out how people have achieved success and find inspiration in their story. It’s all about the same road traveled, but we all have a different experience. Study what others have accomplished. This will help you to get started. From there, make it your own. Before you know it, you will be the inspiration.

Try to keep your agents from equating the bright-shiny objects or highly complex machines with real solutions to improving their business. As Greg Scott brings to light at the end of his lesson, find inspiration in others. Look at your sister companies or even competitors and how they’ve encouraged adoption and usage.

Tech adoption can be fostered even in the gloomiest of situations. DeAnn Golden proved that when, in the face of shutdown and shelter-in-place orders, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties saw a 100% adoption of new technology. That’s not a typo. Every single agent heard and believed in the value they communicated and jumped on board.

“If you can teach someone a system that will get them predictable results, that’s certainty. If you show them what they can do instead of letting them worry about what they can’t do, that’s helping to provide certainty.”
– Larry Kendall