It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through 2018! This year seems to have flown by. Since the last Directors meeting We have held several events, and I have attended both NAR and Ohio Realtor meetings.
We held our annual Put-In-Bay continuing education classes on July 11th and 12th. The attendance this year was increased, and both instructors received excellent reviews. This event is made possible with the sponsorship of First American Title.
Ohio REALTORS held their annual leadership meetings on July 16th and 17th in Columbus. This event is to allow all of the Presidents-Elect a chance to meet each other and to let the Ohio President give her message for the coming year.
On July 31st we held the Bob Strayer Memorial Golf Classic and over $7000 raised for our Foundation. The event continues to be a great event and overall a huge success!
NAR leadership summit was held August 5th thru 7th in Chicago. The key takeaways this year were;
Your Role as Chief Storyteller
Before you can communicate the full value of membership, including education, consumer communications and advocacy, you must be able to tell your own story!
• Surround Yourself with Greatness
Discover how to build a strong, effective organization. Define what makes an effective meeting; get familiar with using “Robert’s Rules of Order”; be able to explain the nuts and bolts of what makes an organization great, and demonstrate how to effectively build a team and recruit members.
• CEO Performance Evaluations/Sexual Harassment Issues
Learn how to define sexual harassment and the implications of the #MeToo movement. Uncover how to protect your association from legal liability; learn the most effective ways to conduct your association’s executive officer performance appraisal, and identify the parameters of a strong review process.
• AE/PE Relationship
Define the roles and responsibilities of the Association Executive Officer and the President. Distinguish who is responsible for running and leading the association.
Commitment to Excellence Program which was announced during the Summit is detailed below.
Competencies
The Commitment to Excellence Program will develop and enhance eleven competencies that indicate a REALTOR®’s commitment to ethics, advocacy, technology, data privacy, and outstanding customer service. These REALTOR® C2EX Competencies will include the following:
1. Being current and knowledgeable about the laws, regulations, and legislation affecting the real estate disciplines the REALTOR® engages in, and about real estate in their community generally.
2. Understanding the Code of Ethics is a living document, and keeping themselves informed about its duties and obligations on an ongoing basis.
3. Providing equal professional services to all consistent with Article 10 of the Code of Ethics.
4. Advocating for property ownership rights in their community, state, and nation.
5. Acknowledging and valuing that honesty and integrity are fundamental and essential to REALTORS® being known as consumers’ trusted advisors.
6. Becoming and remaining proficient in the use of technology tools to provide the highest levels of service to clients, customers and the public, and facilitating cooperation by sharing accurate, current information with consumers and with other real estate professionals.
7. Keeping up-to-date on laws and regulations governing data privacy and data security, and taking necessary and appropriate steps to safeguard the privacy and integrity of information entrusted to them.
8. Committing themselves to enhance their knowledge and skills in the real estate areas of practice they engage in on an ongoing basis.
9. Providing superior customer service.
10. Appreciating that courtesy, timely communication and cooperation are fundamental to facilitating successful real estate transactions, and to building and maintaining an impeccable professional reputation.
11. As a broker-owner or principal of a real estate company, being committed to creating and maintaining an environment that promotes excellent customer service consistent with these standards.
Website and Application
To encourage professional development in the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies, a website and corresponding mobile application, C2EX Central, will be developed to host the Commitment to Excellence program.
Program Plan
C2EX Central will offer each REALTOR® the opportunity to complete a C2EX Skills Assessment: a comprehensive, cutting-edge skills and personality identification system designed to measure a REALTOR®’s proficiency in the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies.
The C2EX Skills Assessment will produce a REALTOR® C2EX Journey: A self-paced, facilitated path through a personalized education program, specific action steps, and tailored tools and resources based on the results of the C2EX Skills Assessment. This Journey would meet the individual needs of each REALTOR®, and maximize engagement by offering the products and opportunities identified as being of use and interest to a particular REALTOR®.
Each REALTOR®’s C2EX Journey will be unique and will identify the best possible path for that particular individual toward excellence in the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies.
The REALTOR® C2EX Journey will include three components to guide a REALTOR® toward excellence in the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies:
1. C2EX Action Steps will broaden a REALTOR®’s skill development and engagement with their community through a suggested series of activities, such as attending an event or participating in a recommendation and review program. The C2EX Action Steps Tracker is a journal of Action Steps completed by the REALTOR®.
2. C2EX Learning Prospects will offer a specific formal or informal learning opportunity, such as coursework, attending a webinar, or playing a learning game, uniquely designed to enhance a skill or improve a behavior identified in a REALTOR®’s C2EX Skills Assessment. The C2EX Learning Prospect Tracker is a journal of Learning Prospects completed by the REALTOR®.
3. C2EX Tool Bonuses will offer a specific tool or resource offered by NAR or its partners designed to assist a REALTOR® in an aspect of their business identified in the REALTOR®’s C2EX Skills Assessment. The C2EX Tool Bonus Tracker is a journal of Tool Bonuses utilized by the REALTOR®
If a REALTOR® identifies in their C2EX Skills Assessment that they are a broker/manager, they will unlock a special C2EX Broker/Manager Path: a companion REALTOR® C2EX Journey for brokers and managers, offering Action Steps, Learning Prospects, and Tool Bonuses designed to engage their agents in pursuing increased professionalism through the Commitment to Excellence Program.
Once a REALTOR® completes the Action Steps, Learning Prospects, and utilizes the Tool Bonuses in their REALTOR® C2EX Journey for a particular competency, they will be awarded one of the C2EX Excellence Badges: digital insignias provided as recognition of a REALTOR®’s high level of achievement in one of the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies. These success measures will allow REALTOR®’s to promote their progress and receive encouragement along the way.
Achieving C2EX Excellence Badges unlocks new C2EX Action Steps, Learning Prospects, and Tool Bonuses, and moves a REALTOR® one step closer to the REALTOR® C2EX Endorsement: an award given to a REALTOR® for achieving excellence in all the REALTOR® C2EX Competencies. The REALTOR® C2EX Endorsement is a unique market advantage, identifying the REALTOR® as a well-rounded professional committed to providing superior customer service and representing the ideals of the REALTOR® organization.
Once a REALTOR® achieves their REALTOR® C2EX Endorsement, they will be encouraged to complete another C2EX Skills Assessment to unlock new Action Steps, Learning Prospects, and Tool Bonuses, and receive a brand new, customized C2EX Journey.
Pledge of Performance
The Commitment to Excellence Program will encourage the use of the C2EX Pledge of Performance: An assurance provided by a REALTOR® to their consumers, fellow brokers and agents, and by brokers/managers to their agents, detailing their commitment to professional excellence through the Commitment to Excellence Program.
Transaction Feedback
The National Association of REALTORS® will develop the C2EX Transaction Feedback program: an internal, peer to peer recognition system encouraging brokers and agents to identify their colleagues who choose to participate in the recognition system and excel in their transactions. The rating portion of the system would create aggregated ratings of all a participant’s transactions, and could only be accessed by a participant and their broker.
Broker/Manager Involvement
The National Association of REALTORS® will encourage meaningful broker/manager involvement in and support of the Commitment to Excellence program by creating a viable, measurable program that is recognized as a distinct market advantage by REALTORS® and consumers alike, creating firm C2EX Endorsement programs, and positioning participation in the program as the highest level of service excellence.
Consumer Advertising
The Consumer Communications Committee will be asked to consider how to promote the Commitment to Excellence program and identify the benefits of working with a REALTOR® C2EX Endorsement recipient to consumers.
The National Association of REALTORS® will promote the value of local and state ombudsman programs as a means of effectively addressing and proactively resolving peer to peer disputes among members.
Respectfully submitted,
David W Freitag RCE, CEO