For more than four decades, Carla has worked exclusively with real estate professionals and affiliates to improve their skills, productivity, and profits. She is known throughout the industry as a master trainer of trainers. Earning this reputation through creating comprehensive training programs, she has written and implemented programs for most of the major international real estate franchises.
No Theory: Demonstrated Success
Unfortunately, too many seminar gurus today have little or no experience in the real world of real estate practice. They are good at presentations, though!
In contrast, Carla teaches the sales, management and training skills she developed–processes and systems proven to work in the real world. She not only understands your challenges, she has lived them!

A Different Approach to Skills Development
What sets Carla apart is her unique approach to increasing performance skills, productivity, and profits. At age four, she crawled onto the piano bench, found the black keys, and picked out her first pop tune. This started her journey to becoming a professional musician.
Entering the real estate business in her early thirties, Carla applied these same performance principles to become a top producer, selling 50 homes in her first full year. (and she knew 2 people when she moved to Seattle….) Then, she carried those same success concepts into management, creating the most profitable office in her 19-office, top-rated company.
Today, she train others to develop their full potential. Her systems help leadership get top productivity and profits with their team members.
Systems for Productivity and Training

Through more than 20 resources, Carla Cross has helped thousands of real estate professionals internationally create better careers. Her best-selling book for new real estate agents, Up and Running in 30 Days, is now in its 6th printing internationally. Not just a book of advice, it is a step-by-step business plan designed for the new agent–and the agent who is determined to succeed as a top real estate agent.
Carla has written six other books for real estate professionals and trainers. Her Train the Trainer programs are the most widely used and recommended in Washington state to train to become clock-hour approved instructors.

A Speaker with A Different Kind of Presentation
A long-time member of National Speakers Association, Carla delivers polished, entertaining, substantative presentations for real estate professionals and affiliates.
Carla keeps the audience on its toes with a unique interactive style. Frequently, she uses her piano skills to demonstrate how to get exceptional performance. (even teaching an audience member to play the piano in 30 seconds!)
She helps audiences see their challenges and opportunities in a new way. The audience leaves with new skills, and the confidence to put them to work.
See descriptions of her presentations in Events.

Virtual Presentations Now
Carla was one of the first presenters chosen by the National Association of Realtors to provide educational webinars and has been presenting virtual programs for more than 15 years. With an entertainment background bolstered by her experience training trainers, Carla adds innovative methods to assure attendees have take-home value to apply immediately to real-life challenges.

Recognized for Excellence
Over the course of four decades in sales, management, and training, Carla has won numerous awards for exceptional performance:
- Top 1% in sales in a 500-agent company (during one of the worst recessions ever!)
- Top manager in a 19-office company
- One of the top 3 Regional Directors, now the largest real estate franchise in the world
- Honored as National Realtor Educator of the Year, 1990
- Washington Realtor Educator of the Year
- Featured speaker at 16 National Association of Realtor conventions
- Master level Certified Real Estate Brokers (CRB) instructor for 12 years
- Author, training & coaching programs for CRB, Re/Max Eastern Canada, Re/Max Europe, Re/Max Israel, Royal LePage Canada, GMAC, Windermere Real Estate, Keller Williams Realty, and Better Homes and Gardens
- Most endorsed and recommended real estate training resources by Certified Residential Specialists (CRS) and CRB, advanced training arms of the National Association of Realtors
- Named one of 50 Most Influential Women in Real Estate, by Stefan Swanepoel Trends Report