The business skills agents may be overlooking

When Paul Fedynich asks real estate agents whether their industry has a communication problem, there’s no shortage of agreement. Knowing how to fix it is another matter.

Agents want to know how to make more money, he said, but they can overlook the professional skills that help them earn it.

For Fedynich, a broker associate with The VIP Home Team, brokered by eXp Realty, and a Florida Realtors® educator, that disconnect is one of the best arguments for mentorship. An experienced agent can help someone recognize what needs work, whether it’s a conversation with a buyer or a day filled with tasks that do little to build a business.

WATCH: THE MENTOR EFFECT: BETTER AGENTS, BETTER CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

In an interview with host Tracey Velt on Florida Realtors Live at the 2026 Florida Realtors Convention & Trade Expo, Fedynich described mentorship as an investment that also benefits the person on the other side of the transaction. Better-prepared agents can find solutions faster and draw on lessons they haven’t yet learned firsthand.

“You can’t give 30 years of experience to somebody else,” he said. “But you can give 30 years of lessons.”

From scripts to conversations

Those lessons include knowing what to do with a sales script once it’s memorized.

Fedynich encourages agents to practice scripts, using them to develop the vocabulary and confidence to speak with authority. The goal is to hold a conversation that sounds natural and responds to the person in front of them.

“A buyer or seller doesn’t want to be feeling like they’re talking to a script,” he said.

He takes a similar view of technology. Fedynich uses artificial intelligence almost every day and supports having a good customer relationship management system. But agents still have to do the work of getting to know people and earning their trust.

“The CRM, the AI, they’re not going to forge relationships for you,” he said.

As agents gain experience, he encourages them to move from what he calls “maniacal prospecting” toward “magnetic prospecting,” becoming someone people want to work with. Making calls can help new agents build a business and gain experience, he said. Growing beyond that stage takes more than simply doing more of the same.

Finding the right mentor

Finding the right mentor deserves similar thought. Fedynich prefers giving agents several potential mentors to meet rather than automatically assigning one. As a managing broker, he would suggest three people and encourage the agent to see who felt like a good fit.

“People work at different levels, different speeds,” he said. “And if you can’t get on the same page, it’s just not going to work.”

His approach includes several practical considerations:

• Look at how the workday is spent. Fedynich asks agents to list their tasks and identify which ones need a real estate license, then consider delegating the others.
• Discuss commitment before getting started. He interviews prospective mentees about their work ethic and willingness to put in the effort.
• Be prepared to compensate a good mentor. He said payment gives both participants a stake in the work, although there’s no single formula for structuring an arrangement.

Even a committed mentor can only do so much without an equally committed agent.

“I want their success more for them than they want it for themselves sometimes,” Fedynich said.

For agents who benefit from that guidance, he also sees a responsibility to pass it along.

“Just as you get mentored, make it a goal to become a mentor,” he said.

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