Barry Plant bets on AI to train the next generation of agents

You have probably watched a new hire shadow a senior colleague for a week, then receive a laptop and a target. No structured curriculum. No safe space to rehearse a difficult conversation. No feedback loop before the first client call. Barry Plant, the Melbourne-based real estate network, decided that model was leaving too much to chance.

The franchise launched Launch Academy, a twelve-week training programme that combines weekly modules with three AI-powered applications. Participants complete six to seven modules each week, covering the sales process, brand and culture, prospecting, client conversations, business development and the network's systems. The apps turn theory into repetition: Rolio for role-play, Rebot for pipeline intelligence and the Barry Plant App for campaign visibility.

What happened

Franchise performance manager Rayni Jerram described the industry norm as "Sit next to me, watch and learn, and there's your laptop, and now you're on your own." Launch Academy replaces that with a framework covering the fundamentals of real estate, Barry Plant's systems and processes, and the practical skills required to build a sustainable pipeline.

Rolio is an AI role-playing platform that lets agents practise real-world conversations, receive instant feedback and build confidence before engaging with clients. Participants work through scenarios, refine their approach and develop the skills needed for conversations with buyers and vendors. The platform addresses the confidence gap that Jerram identified: new agents often lack a safe environment to rehearse difficult exchanges before they matter.

Rebot uses data intelligence and predictive AI to identify contacts in an agent's database most likely to sell, while helping maintain clean, accurate CRM data. The tool surfaces warm leads that might otherwise sit dormant in a spreadsheet. The Barry Plant App gives agents insights into the broader customer experience, providing vendors with secure, real-time visibility of campaign activity, buyer interest and feedback. The three platforms work in sequence: Rolio builds conversational muscle, Rebot points agents toward the highest-probability opportunities and the Barry Plant App keeps clients informed throughout the campaign.

The programme accommodates unlimited participants. More than thirty agents were active in the pilot, and the content will continue to be refined and updated as new information, resources and industry requirements emerge. The design creates connections beyond individual offices, allowing participants to develop relationships with people at a similar stage of their careers.

The numbers

Jordan Dontsios, a Barry Plant Epping sales consultant who recently transitioned from gardening and home maintenance into real estate, said the Rebot platform alerted him to a potential seller within two weeks. He gained his first listing and ultimately secured a sale. Before the programme, he lacked confidence on cold calls. Repeated practice and feedback helped him become more comfortable handling different scenarios and speaking with buyers and vendors. "Before I knew it, speaking to potential clients became second nature and felt like normal conversation," he said.

Barry Plant CEO Lisa Pennell said the initiative marked a significant milestone, reflecting the brand's commitment to support and ensuring new starters had the right resources to build confidence. "Ultimately, our role is to empower our people to become the very best version of themselves," she said. "Launch Academy gives new agents a strong foundation to do exactly that, while creating the habits, connections and confidence that can support them throughout their careers."

What this means for L&D

Barry Plant's model solves three problems that plague onboarding in high-velocity sales environments: unstructured knowledge transfer, late feedback and invisible pipeline. The twelve-week cadence gives new hires a predictable rhythm. The AI tools compress the time between theory and application. Rolio turns every commute into a rehearsal studio. Rebot removes the guesswork from prospecting. The Barry Plant App closes the loop by showing agents how their work lands with clients.

The programme also addresses a structural weakness in apprenticeship models. When learning depends on proximity to a top performer, quality varies by office and by manager. A centralised curriculum with AI-augmented practice ensures every participant receives the same foundation, regardless of which franchise they join. The peer cohort effect (agents at similar career stages connecting across offices) builds a support network that outlasts the twelve weeks.

For L&D leaders in other sectors, the lesson is not to copy the tools but to examine the architecture. Barry Plant identified the moments when new hires fail: the first cold call, the first objection, the first time a lead goes cold because no one followed up. Then they built scaffolding around those moments. Rolio rehearses the call. Rebot surfaces the follow-up. The app keeps the client warm. The result is a system that does not rely on heroic managers or lucky placements. It assumes variability and designs for it.

The franchise's willingness to refine content as industry requirements shift also matters. A static curriculum becomes a liability the moment regulation changes or a new competitor enters the market. Continuous updates keep the programme relevant without requiring a full redesign every quarter. That approach works when the underlying structure (modules, apps and peer cohorts) remains stable even as the content evolves.

If your organisation still onboards by osmosis, ask whether the sit-next-to-me model is a feature or a bug. Barry Plant decided it was a bug and built a replacement. The twelve-week programme will not eliminate every mistake a new agent makes, but it ensures those mistakes happen in a role-play session with Rolio rather than on a call with a vendor who has three other agents waiting.

Sources:

• Real Estate Business, 15 October 2026