Martha Pomares directly addresses camera:  Training programs and education are vital to helping your agents increase their professionalism and sell more. But did you know that Florida Realtors has many resources that can make your job much easier? My name is Martha Pomares, and I am a managing broker for Douglas Elliman Florida. Let's take five minutes to review some of the resources at Florida Realtors I use daily to ensure my agents are up to date on networking events, daily news, contract changes and more.
In my monthly sales meetings, I use statistics, notes and news from Florida Realtors to help educate my agents on their markets and on the trends of the industry. And, as I always tell my agents, all of this information is available to them now!
       For example, the Florida Realtors News is a daily email that reports on the Florida real estate market. Florida Realtors Legal News gives insights like updates on the changes to the As Is contract or the challenges of selling homes with a tenant. This is practical information my agents can use in their everyday business!
       Every Wednesday and Friday, I send my agents any news related to South Florida. This can be information coming from my local Association or articles from Florida Realtors News. As part of this, I provide the agents with information about upcoming events like the Florida Realtors Convention, a global trade mission or local networking events through the Association or Chamber of Commerce. I think it's crucial for sales associates to attend these events to collaborate with agents outside of their company and local business owners and professionals.
       Florida Realtors SunStats is another excellent resource I often use to help my agents visualize what is happening in their area and the whole state. The graphs and charts make it very simple to customize what I want to present and in a manner that is easy for the agent and their client to understand at a quick glance.
As I mentioned earlier, I have an office sales meeting once a month. And, you want to know a secret? A lot of my meeting ideas... A LOT...come from the Florida Realtor magazine. My agents love how informative our meetings are, and a good portion of the content comes from the magazine. Every month, the magazine has marketing tips, listing and sales tips, and highlights agents succeeding in their market. All of these articles are timely and relevant and can be applied by my agents immediately. I like reminding my agents that the Florida Realtor magazine is a resource and benefit available to all Florida Realtors members. But agents are busy people and can't always find the time to read the magazine cover to cover, so I will print out articles and hand them out. I enjoy the collaborative nature of the magazine and love how my agents can relate to agents and brokers sharing their stories and best practices.
       And because we serve a number of clients from other countries, The Florida Realtors global issue that comes out in April is one that I will spend an entire sales meeting discussing. That edition provides information about different cultures and marketing tips to attract that global buyer.
I ALWAYS focus on another section of the magazine: the Law & Ethics section. It consistently touches on an ethics or legal topic that agents in my office face. We use it to start a conversation to help the agents identify similarities so they can avoid these issues.
       One topic we have spent a great deal of time on has been the changes in the Florida Realtors Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase. The Florida Realtors web page has a "talking" contract highlighting the changes in the new contract, which has been an enormous help to my agents and me.
And finally, I love these Florida Realtors Take 5 videos. They offer quick hits of information, how-tos and strategies on everything from marketing and technology advice to legal changes and clarifications of the law. I also mention them in my office meetings and encourage my agents to log in to floridarealtors.org to view the videos.
       I have a real passion for the real estate industry and I want to engage every resource available to help my agents grow in their profession. Florida Realtors has so many resources and products that are invaluable to my agents and me, and I know I will continue to be a frequent user of all of these resources. How about you?