How to Train Title Professionals: Career Path & Retention | Title Agents Podcast Ep85

In a world where change is the only constant, Mo Shumil stands at the forefront, guiding title professionals to not just grow their businesses, but to master the art of innovation. With every episode, you're handed the keys to unlock unparalleled growth and stay ahead of the curve. Get ready for a transformative journey. Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Title Agent Podcast. I am your host, Mo Shumil, CEO of Alltech National Title.

Today's guest is Janice Gaines, founder of Real Estate Closing Path, a company dedicated to training, developing confident, knowledgeable title professionals. Janice brings deep experience in title operations, compliance, and professional development. She's passionate about helping agencies build stronger teams and better processes. Well, Janice, thank you again for joining the podcast. For those who may not know you yet, can you share your journey in the title industry and what ultimately led you to create Real Estate Closing Path?

Sure. Thanks, Mo. I'm glad to be here. So Real Estate Closing Path was really the vision of a woman named Marianne Harris. She started in the industry back in 2000 with Positively Balanced, which provides escrow account reconciliation services.

And then she also started a second company called Positively Closed in 2020 to offer remote closing support solutions. And then in 2021, she launched our company, which is called Real Estate Closing Path. And she just really had a vision to give back to the industry, and that she really saw a need for more training, that people were aging out, that there wasn't really a clear, structured path for training to get into the industry. And so it was really her vision. And we feel like we've come a long way since we started.

And we're really happy with where we're at and where we're going. I know we're familiar with you, our team worked with you in the past, and we definitely thank you so much for your help and all the wisdom and knowledge you provide our team. Can you tell our audience what kind of training do you do? I know it's very title specific, which is awesome. There's really not enough support in our industry that makes any sense from coaching to training to...

Right, agreed. And again, it was an honor to train with your team. In fact, it stretched us to really learn some of the nuances across state lines, right? And so that was a positive experience for us as well. So we'd like to say that we offer training in all closing fundamentals, and starting with pre-closing through closing and post-closing.

And then we add on things like dissecting title searches, title commitment anatomy, even ABCs of Deans and lender basics, you know, really trying to give someone who might be brand new a solid overview of the industry. And then we also help people who might already have a position, but they might need help with cross-training. Maybe they've been a pre-closer and they want to advance to being a closer. Or again, they're just wanting to maybe fill in any gaps that might exist in their knowledge base. So we're happy to train in those fundamentals.

And we also can help with software transition. We can offer lunch and learns with any of these topics, etc. So that's a little bit of what we do. That's awesome. In your experience, what core skills or principles every strong title professional must master regardless of market conditions?

That's a great question. So first of all, we like to say that the best fit for this industry is probably someone who's a good multi-tasker, right, because you're managing a lot of files at once and they're all a little bit different. So it takes someone who can really keep that strategic eye and an accurate eye, that attention to detail is also a skill that's really needed. So I would say multi-tasker, attention to detail. Certainly someone who is savvy with the software because there's always changes in tech.

And then I would say someone who is also good at customer service because at the end of the day, you've got to be a people person and you're dealing with all types of personalities in the closing process. That is, you're asking for a lot from a person. I know. It is a tall ask. Agreed.

You're asking for perfection. Yep. Pretty much. But we know those people are out there for sure. Of course.

And God bless them. You've got to know yourself and then to find where you fit. So how has the role of a title professional changed over the years and what fundamentals have remained timeless in your opinion? Oh, so I would say that the customer service piece has probably remained consistent throughout. But then certainly the way the work has been done has certainly changed with the advent of technology.

You've got new software, things like e-recording, mobile closings, et cetera. You know, if anyone was in the industry in 2020, that you've had to be flexible and to adapt to some of those changes. And I'm sure that there are more to come. So again, that adaptability is a trait that's ever needed. What mistakes do you see most often with new hires and how can agencies prevent them from becoming long-term habits?

That's a great question. I think the most common mistakes are probably feeling like they are not free to ask the questions. You know, no one likes to feel like they're not confident or that they don't know what they're doing. And yet so much is new. There can be such a broad learning curve with, again, each transaction is going to have little nuances that maybe a new hire has never seen before.

And they might feel expected to already know everything. And of course, that's just not the case. So I think feeling free to ask the questions and then really having a person who is appointed as a mentor to be that safe person to ask those questions. One of our trainers here at Real Estate Closing Path, who has over 40 years in the industry and certainly considered an expert, yet she will say that if she were to go to work in a new office today, there would still be a learning curve, right? There's going to be maybe new software changes to learn, or there might be specific procedures in that unique location that any new hire would have to learn, regardless of background or experience.

So I think that's something to really be aware of. And that repetition is key. You know, people don't just hear it once and then they've mastered it. It's a process. I always like to say, you know, how did we learn the alphabet?

Well, we sang the ABC song a hundred times, and then you have enough understanding to learn to mix the letters around and create your own words. So it's that layer of repetition that's also needed for new hires. So going back to, you mentioned a minute ago, adapt to change is very key. So the thought industry is constantly evolving with regulations, consumer expectations, competition. What changes do you think agencies are still underestimating?

Oh, well, maybe I'm biased, but I would say with training, right? There's a lot of agencies that will just hire anyone off the street, so to speak, that may not have any knowledge or any background and really, you know, kind of old school training used to happen with, hey, Susie, just sit by Sally for a week or two until you learn what Sally does. Well, that may not be the best way for Susie to learn. And so I would advocate for upfront training, that there are now schools like ours or other workshops in place where someone who may have no background in the title industry can go through a structured program and learn the fundamentals, and then they can be plugged in more seamlessly to help your particular agency. I like to say too, that you either, you know, invest now, you know, pay upfront or pay later with mistakes, you know, pay, be willing to pay upfront and invest in some training, invest in your new hire, they're going to feel more comfortable, more confident, and they will make fewer mistakes that will then save you ultimately in the long run.

Yeah, I think training should not be considered or thought of as an expense, it's more investment. It's really priceless if you can train somebody properly and make a foundation. Right, agreed. What mindset shifts do you believe are necessary for title professionals who want to stay relevant and valuable long term? Well, I think we all know AI is coming, right?

I don't know if it's coming, it's here. Yeah, and I think that's it. For people who have been in the industry for a long time, people can be resistant to change. Right. Some people can be afraid of AI or here it can be intimidating, like, oh, here's something else I have to learn and try to master.

And yet if we don't get ahead of it, it will get ahead of us. Right. So, again, if you want to be relevant, if you want to continue to add value in your industry. And I think that's it for people who have been in the industry for a long time. People can be resistant to change, right?

Some people can be afraid of AI or here it can be intimidating, like, oh, here's something else I have to learn and try to master. And yet, if we don't get ahead of it, it will get ahead of us, right? So again, if you want to be relevant, if you want to continue to add value in your industry, you've got to keep an eye and an ear and a hand on AI and be willing to embrace the future of tech and what's ahead for all of us. So for the technophobe, and I know I addressed this a few times in the past episodes, for the technophobes, the people who are scared of technology or afraid of breaking things, what advice do you give people who take that fear away or ease their fear or their anxiety? That's a great question, because, again, there's always going to be a learning curve and we can be so afraid to make mistakes.

So if there is a way to practice safely, you know, maybe don't get inside of a live file, you know, where, you know, the numbers matter and the bottom line and you have some closing deadline, that's not the time to try out something new, you know, but to have a safe space set aside for training and whether that's attending a workshop, you know, I really think someone in every office should have an AI expert or a consultant, you know, someone on call, someone who, you know, not everyone can read every article or attend every training, but someone needs to be appointed to be that person in that office and then hopefully paying it forward to spread the knowledge. In our location, we've implemented something called AI Friday and every Friday morning for a couple of hours, we pick some new AI platform because there's a hundred now, like you said, it's here and we just try to play around with it. We try to learn, we'll go listen to a YouTube video, we'll try to find someone who's an expert in that and then try to play around with it in a fun sense and then think about, okay, how could we use this in our organization? Does this have applications for us or not? So maybe playing with it outside of work first and then how can you bring it into.

And especially like now it's, we're recording this show in early February, so it's winter and most of the country is low season for business. So it's a great time to kind of sharpen those skills and do some training in January, February, March versus spring season when things get really busy with pre-sale. Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate you saying that because exactly, take advantage of that down time to sharpen your skills, you know, to stay relevant, to stay current and to continue to invest in your team. Stick with AI and technology.

How does technology impact training these days and are we seeing better trained professionals or just faster ones or hopefully they help with bots? Yeah, I think training has supported our industry or technology has supported training and that we can reach more people. In fact, when Real Estate Closing Path started, we just trained locally in person and we were able to train, you know, maybe 10 to 15 people, but through an online training platform we can train across state lines, which has been beneficial to us. The hurdle that we seem to run into with that is accreditation across state lines or accreditation with technology. For example, in the state of Georgia where we're located, accreditation is only granted for live classes or the process to get a video training accredited is so much more time intensive or cost prohibitive and yet it can be the same information.

It can still provide value and I know it's different in other states. For example, I know Texas has a great accreditation program for on-demand training or video training and we do have a video training library, but unfortunately that's not always accredited. So I'd like to see the laws catch up with technology, actually. So what do you see agencies struggling most when it comes to blending automation with proper education and compliance? Oh, blending automation.

I think it's time on task. Everyone's so busy in the moment, you know, in the crisis of the moment that it can be difficult to have time to find the time to step back and again, look at the big picture and to implement new workflows. So something else that we talk about in training. In fact, when we train new students, we like to, I use the term zoom out to see the big picture as much as you can and then zoom in and focus on a specific task or think about if you were trying to orient yourself on global map, right? First you zoom out and look at, you know, all of the continents or zoom in on your country or your state and you gradually get more and more focused and more and more specific on that unique task.

So I think the challenge is finding the time and that right person in your office who is that visionary, who can keep an eye on the future while managing all the, you know, critical processes of the moment. So that takes a little bit of nuance of being able to look ahead and yet stay grounded in the moment. You work closely with the agency leaders and managers. What separates agencies of successfully developed talent from those that constantly struggle with turnover? That's a great question.

I think there's got to be a focus on company culture. You know, the closing industry can have tight deadlines. It takes a high level of customer service. You know, it takes a high level of that attention to detail and multitasking, right? There can be a rise and fall of intensity and I think the wise agency owners are mindful of that and they help their employees to manage that stress, you know, to plan ahead and then also plan some downtime as needed.

You know, if there's an intense day of closings, maybe you're bringing in lunch that day to facilitate the needs in that office and then people can stay focused on task and they're not having to leave. But then maybe balance that in a slow season where someone might need to leave the office a little bit early. You know, that there's a little bit of give and take in helping to manage stress, again, manage training to build that confidence and to have that positive rapport, you know, that that person's, again, not afraid to come to you with a request or a question. The owners are available. Owners are accessible.

So again, I think the more successful agency owners are going to be mindful of the needs of their employees when it comes to managing stress, that there's also a clear path to advancement, that they know if they're looking to take on more leadership or responsibilities, that they know a realistic timeline for that and that they have an opportunity to learn those skills, whether, again, through more access to training or attending industry conferences where they're able to network and to take advantage of other training platforms that are out there. My personal advice and something we've been implementing for a while is doing like Launch and Learn. It's going to put them on a calendar. It was Wednesdays, Launch and Learn Wednesdays. It's not always by title.

Sometimes it can change to different topics, to finance, to health, kind of, so it's give kind of some little diversity in the training as well. Yeah, I agree with that. And I think it's important to keep the fun. You know, everyone wants to enjoy what they do. Everyone wants to enjoy coming to work and enjoy the people they work with.

So making time for any kind of team building activities, you know, mixing it up a little bit with any kind of friendly games or competitions in the workplace. Or again, a lot of people implement maybe some kind of book club or something around a self-help topic that is really investing in the whole person. So how can agencies create a true career path for professionals instead of just training for the next file? I think that really depends on the vision of the agency owner and their own plans to expand, right? You have small offices where it's one person that handles an entire file from start to finish, or there might just be one or two people in an office.

Or do you have 10 people and there's more of a factory process where each task is handled by different people? And then do you plan to own multiple agencies someday? So I think it depends on your vision because we like to say that most people are starting in the industry. Usually the starter roles are the pre-closer or post-closer, maybe a receptionist or file opener. And then usually people are advancing into a closer role.

And then I think after time, maybe that person could be an appointed trainer within the office or again, maybe elevated to an office manager or regional manager again as Cause we like to say that most people are starting in the industry. Usually the starter roles are the pre-closer or post-closer, maybe a receptionist or file opener. And then usually people are advancing into a closer role. And then I think after time, maybe that person could be an appointed trainer within the office, or again, maybe elevated to an office manager or regional manager, again, as a person has an eye on expansion. I think that's going to depend on each individual business owner.

Let's stick with a career path. What advice would you give a title professional from escrow officer or processor or paralegal, closer, different terms, different parts of the country that want to kind of grow into leadership? So I would say to be proactive about your own training. So again, maybe you're employed someplace and your boss maybe is not able to, or not willing to invest in your training. You can invest in yourself.

So again, yes, take charge, steer your own boat, so to speak. So again, look for training, attend software training, be mindful of Alta best practices, Alta conferences, or your local state land title association. Even just being active on a networking platform like LinkedIn and finding some of those thought leaders that you can follow, I think of Michael Holden, who has a great blog on- Yeah, he was a guest a couple of weeks ago, so. Yeah, yeah. And he's been a guest trainer for us at RECP.

Or like your podcast, and I know there are others in the industry. There's a new women's organization called HER, the title collective. Again, so there are ways that you can connect, whether through reading a blog, through attending a podcast, through attending a conference or being a part of some kind of online training, that you can be proactive and it always looks good on your resume, and that's going to translate into more confidence and more job opportunities for you. To add to that, I mean, the content is endless and limitless between libraries, bookstores, online, YouTube has an incredible amount of kind of managerial, kind of just basic leadership skills. I mean, that's just, it's everywhere.

Yeah. I'm reminded of, this is a Tony Robbins phrase, or I think I learned it from him. My favorite. Where he once said, you know, more is often caught than taught. So when you're hanging around people who are successful, he also says success leaves clues, you know?

So if you see yourself and you aspire to that leadership position, then start hanging around and following those people that you look up to and want to be one day, to read their books, listen to the podcast, follow them on social media, networking, and do what you can to position yourself, to be ready, to be ready. And then I think those doors of opportunity will open. So looking ahead, what skills will define the next generation of high performing title professionals? I think I know the answer to this, but what would love you to take? Right.

So, and I know the younger generation's a little, you know, more positioned for this, but of course being tech savvy and then, yeah, yeah. It's not optional anymore. I like to tell, should I tell them myself? I have a funny story that when I was in high school, back in the day, yeah, yeah. Just a few years ago.

Typing was an elective and I never took typing because I never thought I would need it. So I did not have an eye on the future at all. I thought, well, that's what secretary is doing. I'm not going to be a secretary. So I had to learn at, you know, the late age of mid twenties of how to type as a beginner.

So, uh, certainly have an eye on the future. So tech savvy, of course, and then just always know that the ball is moving. I think, you know, there's a tendency with an older generation to think that you're just going to step into a job and then that's your job for 30 years. And it's not, your job is going to be ever evolving, ever changing. There are always going to be new things to embrace and new things to learn.

And I think the younger generation is probably a little better at that. So I think there are good things ahead for everyone. As long as the older ones are in charge and the younger ones wanting to come in can work together and maybe have a mutual respect for the unique gifts and talents that each age bracket brings. It's going to take working together. So if an agency owner or manager could improve just one area of training in the next 90 days, what would you recommend they focus on first?

That's a great question. And usually the first thing that we share with everyone, we offer something, in fact, we offer it for free on our website. It's called a closing timeline graph. And it is that big picture overview from start to finish. You know, here's what happens with a file.

And again, if someone in your office has been the pre-closer, they may have no clue what happens on the back end of a file that they could probably really benefit from, and they might better understand that what they're doing or not doing as a pre-closer, you know, is going to have ramifications down the line. So I think it helps to even understand the big picture of all the roles, even if you're not doing all of the roles. I think there's some advantage to just having more awareness. So I would say start with the big picture, start with the big picture, allow someone to step back, allow someone to come out of their day-to-day tasks for a minute so that they can learn more of what everyone else is doing, you know, because there's a lot that goes on with a file. In fact, I was talking with one of my coworkers yesterday that one of the biggest things too that agency owners could implement is just more customer training, not just employee, we're focusing on really employee training, but when someone's buying a house for the first time and they don't know what they don't know, and they almost need a checklist of sorts, you know, what should I expect from this closing transaction?

You know, what are my rights? What kind of timeline do I need to be aware of? So not just educating your employees, but educating consumers as well. I think there's more training needed there. I love that.

What's one misconception about training or compliance you'd love to see disappear in this industry? A misconception about training or compliance that I would love to see disappear, well, one, it doesn't have to take a lot of time and a lot of money. Again, I think with some intention around it, again, we offer training monthly and we have some people who like to come and take all of our workshops and it'll take about a week and a half and you can deep dive and do it all at once and yet there are some people who would find that overwhelming and it's too much to process at once, but maybe you just take one class a month and that's a pretty easy commitment, just one class, sorry, one class a month or even one class a quarter that there's some kind of repetitive and ongoing support in place because again, sometimes you don't know what you don't know and there can be value in spacing it out. So whether you're someone who likes to deep dive and put a lot of time and money up front, but you can also kind of slow play that game and it doesn't have to be overwhelming. That's awesome.

We're getting close to the end of our podcast and I always have this two last questions. The first one, do you have a favorite quote? So yes, one that has helped me in business and in life, and this might be timely because we just wrapped up with football season and the Superbowl. So if you're a sports fan, you'll like this one. Someone once said that the best defense is a strong offense and so I really have learned to live by that.

So that means you be the one to take the initiative. You be the one to make the phone call. You be the one to lead the meeting. You be the one, again, to take advantage and to knock on those doors to open them instead of sitting back and waiting for doors to open or waiting for someone to call you, waiting for someone else to lead the meeting. You know, anything you can do to take the initiative, have that strong offense and I think people will have more respect for you overall.

How about a favorite book? I have several. One that we shared with our first round of students, we gifted to all of our students in our very first class is called The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. And you might recognize his name. He was famous for that whole series of the chicken soup for the soul.

So he does have a great business book called The Success Principles, and I love more respect for you overall. How about a favorite book? I have several. One that we shared with our first round of students, we gifted to all of our students in our very first class is called The Success Principles by Jack Canfield and you might recognize his name. He was famous for that whole series of the chicken soup for the soul.

So he does have a great business book called The Success Principles and I love it because it's short little chapters with real stories from the industry and great little teachable moments. I think it's really accessible to anyone. That's awesome, well, thank you Janice for being on the show and thank you to our listeners for tuning in to the Tower Agents podcast. If you found value in today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share with someone on your team who could benefit from strong training and leadership development. Till next time.

And that's a wrap on today's journey with Mo Shemill from the Title Agents podcast. Reminding you that mastering the art of innovation is key in the title industry's fast-paced world. If you're finding it tough to keep up with the changes and challenges, remember, you're not alone. Our calendar is open for you. Find the link in the show notes and let's connect.

Make sure to hit subscribe to not miss out on strategies that elevate and insights that empower. Together, we'll navigate the future of the industry. I look forward to our next meeting in the upcoming episode. Keep pushing, keep innovating and see you in the next episode.