The external pressures and resulting changes from Brexit and the pandemic are widely reported – but what about a post-traumatic growth era that according to Accenture we’re starting to see develop at scale? This era is seeing a rapid rise in individualism that is affecting recruitment and buying behaviours. For the property sector, is this a challenge or could it be an opportunity?

Change in recruitment

Some recruiters regard 2022 as the toughest recruitment market ever2. Companies are no longer just competing with industry rivals they are also competing with choice and desire for change on a personal level.

For our industry, this means we could be embracing talent from other sectors that are seeking out roles in which they can be more individual, can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, but assuring a mutually successful transition requires support.

Whether recruiting or retaining talent, business leaders might now have to work harder at helping individuals see the company’s values and the benefits of being part of a cohesive team. Successful businesses are usually achieved because of the team’s effort. The ‘working together’ ethos relies on giving to staff via methods such as training the required skills, mentoring and leadership. This has always been important, but even more so now.

Changes to our customers’ behaviour

This post-traumatic growth period is seeing customers showing more demand for control – this means they may need more information when considering purchases –providing property experts with a huge opportunity to guide people in their decision-making.

Gaining a deeper, more connected understanding of clients, a trusted agent can help them to navigate information and the selling, buying, letting and portfolio investment processes. Being able to guide rather than sell relies on quality training in the art of softer selling, over hard-sell techniques that focus more on the salesperson and their target.

Training is evolving – actually, has always been evolving

Very early training was the art of passing skills from generation to generation – mostly for survival. Before the industrial revolution training was simply on-the-job and post the industrial revolution classroom instructor-led training was introduced. All valid and worked in their time.

The rapid advancement of technology and the pandemic have given way to a reinvention of training methods and techniques. Utilising technology, tools and education expertise we’re seeing a reduction in the gap between theory and practical application providing trainees with engaging material that allows them to train at their own pace and choose the order in which they complete topics.

This reinvention gives trainees access to tailored programmes that result in greater retention of information over one-day workshops and the traditional classroom experience. One size fits all knowledge transfer is not what post-traumatic growth employees will be seeking.

Progress by osmosis – just one hour each month

I take a very keen interest in understanding what keeps property sales and lettings managers, owners and stakeholders awake at night. The answers, almost always make up the same trilogy each time; staff, stock and a feeling of failing at training.

Anyone can make training work in just one hour a month. By taking just half an hour to explain what topics need to be learnt or refreshed, and planning half an hour at the end of each month to hear what’s been covered can achieve so much.

Some of The Able Agents’ clients who have adopted this approach, in a group setting, have seen not only valuable peer-to-peer knowledge transfer but a deepening of the sense of team that really keeps employees engaged and feeling valued.

I speak to so many managers who want to tackle training and just get stuck in, then end up training the same material month in month out – when really what they need to be focusing on are the areas where they bring real value – their systems, processes, values and brand differentiators – leaving training professionals to take care of the generic industry topics.

In this post-traumatic growth era, we all have a choice. We can ignore what’s going on and wait to see what happens or, we can embrace and support this seismic shift, then work out what needs to be done to adapt to the very real changing needs of our businesses, staff and customers.

Charlotte Jeffery-Campbell is founder and director at The Able Agent.