Training New York City brokers to be all they can be.

I've been in the real estate business for over ten years, and I have worked with closers, and with those who just can't seem to make a deal happen. Over the past three years of building Nest Seekers International, I've worked with all kinds agents- -some great, some not so great.

What's the magic formula? From my experience, the first rule of the game is that you must love real estate, the next is that you have to be willing to be trained.

At Nest Seekers, we often prefer to hire those who are new to real estate. On the up side, I've found them to be more enthusiastic and energized. They haven't picked up bad habits from being in the industry and they're more Internet and technology-savvy. But because of lack of experience, they need a lot of training.

What does it take to train a top broker?

The number one thing the new sales agent needs is guts. I can train a person the ins and outs of real estate, but I can't give a person guts. Natural confidence is a force that most top brokers come with. They don't learn this on the job--but it is definitely honed with more exposure to the market and knowledge gained on the variety of real estate products available.

Nest Seekers International is a boutique agency--we pride ourselves on being completely present for our clients. We are not a mammoth corporation where the individual is lost. This means that I and other members of the management team instill high standards for our brokers to live up to.

Mentorship is key.

Our top brokers take on more inexperienced agents and mentor them. The culture at Nest Seekers is to share knowledge and listings so that everyone can co-broke, especially within the company. When a new broker comes in--we match them with more experienced brokers with a large inventory of properties. This type of relationship benefits both parties involved--the established broker gets the help of a team which helps to sell their inventory of apartments and the new broker gains hands-on guidance.

Some of our most successful teams include The Andy Kim Group based out of the Nest Seekers midtown office. The group--Sy Yaz, Jahan Yaz and Ida Rae--consistently close the sales of many high-end properties. The Stanley Ekure Group of Nest Seekers Downtown Gallery office includes Jermain Miller and Violeta Velickaite. And the successful Michael Arcos and David Tobon team works with Eric Benaim and Susanne Hallen.

Every new agent who comes into Nest Seekers is given one-on-one training with the management team. This includes a lot of time with me--something that you won't find at some of the bigger firms. I learned real estate by doing everything myself--so I pass the tricks that I've learned over the past ten years. This frees them from unnecessary work--and helps them close deals faster and more consistently.

Perseverance. I like to tell the story of the first time I rented an apartment--when I showed the client over fifty places before he found the one he liked. Fifty places is a lot of showing before getting paid. This is perseverance. It's important to stay on top of the game and not get discouraged by negativity. Keep showing until you close. Because of what I learned, I share with my team of brokers how not to run around 50 places before finding a client something. They learn from my own decade of lessons.

Psychology. Selling a place to live is not the same as selling retail. When selling a place to live--a place to call home, the client wants something to reflect who they are. And every person's psychology when it comes to home is unique to their age, position in life, career, family goals, and lifestyle. We teach our brokers how to handle the delicate psychology that comes with matching a client to a home.

Business Development. We transform our agents to think like sophisticated marketers instead of mere salespeople. We provide them tools for effectively networking and targeting homes to the right buyers. These tools include the latest in Internet applications, direct mail, advertising and creative techniques for "thinking out of the box."

The Nest Seekers edge lies in the culture of the company. We are young, fast and motivated. We encourage brokers to be themselves and to love the New York City real estate market. And to go beyond the negative bubble talk out there--housing is always a necessity.

EDDIE SHAPIRO, CEO, NEST SEEKERS INTERNATIONAL