Starting in 2001, and after I’d gotten 15+ years of experience and earned my CCIM designation, I decided to create and deliver my first Continuing Education class called “Geting Started as a Tenant Rep” at Capitus, the school associated with my local board of Realtors. As the years passed and as the growth of my national practice gave me more opportunies to learn, I continued to create and deliver new content. Then the awards and recognition started to come – Who’s Who, National Top Producer, Costar Power Broker, Phoenix Award, SIOR designation… As they say, it’s been a great run!
And now it’s time to share with others what I’ve learned. Please take a look and reach out if you’d like to book me help you achieve success. I’m available nationally and travel out of downtown Chicago.
My Courses
Starting out Right
In CRE brokerage you don’t have a job; you’re running a business. Since there’s no structure imposed by others, it’s critical that you know what you’re looking for, why, and how to get it. We’ll discuss the dynamics of mentorship, how to survive the pre-revenue stage, and my 4-step start-up plan.
Starting out Right
Negotiating UP
We’ll discuss the strategies and attitudes that create an environment for success with clients. I’ll provide some memorable stories from real-world examples and also a step-by-step approach that’s proved useful in negotiating with clients and others in positions of authority.
Negotiating UP
Closing the Sale
We talk about the three major phases of most sale transactions and the five most common deal point categories. Of course, we’ll discuss some case study examples, some of which were tough because of difficult personalities, changing market conditions, or environmental issues.
Closing the Sale
Questions About Ed’s Continuing Education Programs?
Executing the Lease
We describe the five deal points common to almost all leases. We cover different lease structures, separate business from legal issues, and talk about the documentation process. The examples I’ll use will provide an appreciation for the wide range of issues that we have to navigate with assignments involving leases.
Executing the Lease
Your Money Matters
Income fluctuates, even among those of us who’ve been very financially successful CRE brokerage practitioners. In this course we’ll give you practical strategies for dealing with this reality. We walk through the four stages of money, describe a system for tracking your two most important financial metrics, and provide you a cash flow automation approach that will move you toward financial independence.
Happy clients, of course, are the real key to our prosperity. We’ll turn to character actors for lessons about how to become the go-to person for clients. The most common feedback from veterans who have taken this course is “wow, I wish I’d learned this 20 years ago!”
Your Money Matters
Need A Custom Course?
Selling Dirt
Brokering raw land or redevelopment sites is just so different from selling other types of investment properties or negotiating leases. We’ll cover the three categories of issues that drive land values, and we’ll then walk through a large and very complicated assignment of my own. We’ll discuss in detail how the assignment was won and how the deal was closed.
Selling Dirt
Dealing Skillfully With Emotions
We’ll demonstrate the benefits of learning to deal with emotions skillfully. We’ll talk specifically about the emotions of fear, anger, sadness, happiness, and disgust and how we can use them to navigate our daily lives. Using case studies, we’ll end with me demonstrating the ROI that has come for me from dealing with emotions skillfully.
Dealing Skillfully With Emotions
Hard Won Relationship Lessons
We’ll discuss some non-intuitive ideas that will enable you to better serve clients and have a more successful career. We’ll show that it’s good to have a plan, and also that we sometimes benefit when things turn out differently than expected.
Hard Won Relationship Lessons
People Say Nice Things
Jack Chapman
Commercial Real Estate at Transwestern
“If I had to pick one real estate continuing education speaker to learn from for the rest of my career, then I would – at no hesitation – select Ed Riggins. Leveraging decades of commercial real estate transaction experience and a God given talent for story-telling, Ed captivates industry practitioners by using clear communication skills, effective “teaching moments,” and his brilliant sense of humor to keep audiences entertained and engaged. After four consecutive days attending Ed Riggins’ class, I left so well informed that I felt it necessary to recommend Ed’s services to another industry organization for the benefit of their members..“
Joseph Howie
Vice President at ICON Commercial Interests
“Ed Riggins is a fantastic corporate speaker and offers a unique and interesting experience every event. I make a point to attend his seminars and engagements whenever he comes through town. Ed is very knowledgeable about corporate real estate, relationship building, and negotiation. More importantly, he does not shy away from a deep and meaningful discussion while relating the business world to real life. Ed actively encourages participation and seamlessly dances between serious discussion, lighthearted banter, and depth rarely seen in this type of environment. I promise you that you will learn something, think deeply, and laugh often when in his audience.”
Jeff Olson
Partner at Carr, Riggs & Ingram
“Ed and I have known each other back to the early 2000’s. In that time he has developed a second career in public speaking in which he draws from his many years of business negotiations from his primary career in commercial real estate. He has honed his craft through diligence and persistence. I have co-instructed continuing “ed” with Ed, worked on mutual client assignments with him, and I have had him speak to the Real Estate Section of the GA Society of CPA’s and the National Association of Real Estate Companies. He is both entertaining in his delivery and is an interested and engaged transferor of knowledge and experiences.”
