Xactimate LowDown
Xactimate Lowdown is a blog about Xactimate news, classes,
helpful hints and any news that affects its users.
helpful hints and any news that affects its users.
|
|
 How can you start your Xactimate training without paying the recommended 3 day class fee, especially if you don’t know if the class will give you the knowledge or training you need? Just about every class you see advertised says how great they are and many of those classes will disappoint. The answer is easy because we try to give as many options as possible.
If you are unsure about whose class to take and our testimonials haven’t convinced you (I didn’t put any bad ones on there because I haven’t received any yet), we have an option for you. Our self-paced training videos are taught just like the classroom. The online self-paced training allows students to see how to perform functions one step at a time & follow along one step at a time. The videos were created with the same information as provided in the classroom and are timed so that students have time to follow along (although the videos can be paused, re-winded and replayed as many times as needed). You can purchase our level 1 (Fundamentals) self-paced training for $250.00 (a small investment into a powerful program) and have access to those videos for 1 year! When you see how great the videos and training are, you can then decide if you are ready for the level 2. Not sure about the $250.00? Try one for free. Go to https://www.crestllc.com/xactimate_self-paced.html and video #7 and see a video from level 1 which introduces you to sketching and try it out.  Have you ever googled how to do something in Word or Excel and found out it was very simple, but the next time you attempted it you could not remember because you had not done it in a while? That is essentially Xactimate. It is actually a very easy, large program. So why is it so daunting. First, you don’t know what the program is capable of. If you did, you would know what to search for. This is why you take an Xactimate class; to learn as much as you can but more importantly, to experience what the program is capable of. If you know it is possible, you know what to search for if you can’t retain it. For example, how do you change the manner of calculating so that Xactimate calculates waste on a 15-foot-wide carpet instead of 12-foot-wide carpet? If you don’t know it can be changed, you won’t look for it. Even though we concentrate on retention by repetition in class and the information is easy, there is only so much your mind can retain especially with 3 days of information. At some point the hard drive (your mind) gets full for that period of time.
What does it take to excel at Xactimate? In one word…practice, especially when it comes to sketch. It’s all muscle memory. No level of intelligence is required. And the more you practice, the easier it gets and faster you become. And speed and efficiency equal more money. A lot of bad habits are formed when someone is self-taught and it is hard to break those habits. Even when they are taught to do it correctly, if they don’t practice it until it replaces the bad habit, the correct method is forgotten & the bad habit returns. I tell my students to practice sketching correctly everyday until they master it. I don’t care if it is only 5-10 minutes a night drawing a part or all of their house. Then delete it and do it again & again & again until it is so easy, they can draw it in their sleep. Then move on to new challenges. I don’t worry so much about my Public Adjusters or Contractors, because they have work waiting for them so their practice is back at their office. I do worry about the IAs because unless they have a deployment right after class & if they don’t have the discipline to practice, they will be lost and leaving tons of money on the table when that deployment does arrive. A deployment is the absolute worst time to try and learn Xactimate. That is why we give unparalleled support on all of our classes & products. Anyone who registers for any class with us will receive a free 1-year membership which gives you access to the online self-paced training videos for the class you select. What this means is that you can keep retaking the class information or refer back to any part of it for a year! We wanted to make sure that any part that you missed, didn’t understand or forgot was still available for you. |
Highlight Video - A few good sketch habits to begin with
Downloads
Alfred ReyI became a Certified Trainer because it was the part of industry I loved the most. I've come to really love it because of the distance a new student goes in those 3 days. " >
Archives
November 2024
Categories |
||||||