#Japan #Tokyo #Real Estate #LIFULL HOME'S #Cocoro Play

LIFULL HOME'S Launches Innovative Training Program

In a groundbreaking move for the real estate industry, LIFULL HOME'S, operated by the Tokyo-based LIFULL Corporation, has developed a unique card game-type training program named "Cocoro Play." Set to launch on February 2, 2026, this innovative program aims to enhance communication skills in real estate sales, scientifically systematizing the sales process through engaging gameplay.

What is Cocoro Play?

The Cocoro Play program is designed for individuals with limited real estate sales experience, including new recruits, allowing them to cultivate their customer service skills in an interactive card game format. Participants assume the roles of both real estate agents and customers, analyzing personality types and extracting needs to propose the most suitable properties based on dialogue and interaction.

The Motivation Behind Cocoro Play

Traditional training methods in real estate sales heavily relied on role-playing based on the experiences of seasoned professionals. However, this approach often led to issues such as subjective quality variations, low reproducibility, and psychological barriers for less experienced employees—collectively creating a framework known as "personalization in education." This inefficiency not only hinders employee development but can also result in mismatched property proposals due to a lack of skillful needs assessment by agents, ultimately leading to lost sales opportunities and diminished confidence among staff.

LIFULL HOME'S defines the quality of communication between agents and clients as crucial to the home-search experience. Therefore, they developed Cocoro Play, a gamified program that employs psychological approaches to empower anyone to detect "true needs" effectively in a short time, thus facilitating optimal proposals.

Three Key Updates in Sales Training with Cocoro Play

1. Eliminating Performance Anxiety

Previous role-playing required agents to act out customer personas based on their experience. Cocoro Play shifts this dynamic by enabling players to read from cards, removing variability linked to acting skills and honing the analytical skills needed to identify underlying personality types.

2. Scientific Basis of 9 Personality Types

The program incorporates a scientifically backed approach utilizing nine distinct personality types derived from Diagram Diagnostics. This method allows agents to learn appropriate questioning and proposal skills tailored to specific personality traits, standardizing sales skills independent of personal intuition.

3. Promoting Autonomous Learning through Gamification

With a game-like structure that encourages experimentation, Cocoro Play provides a psychologically safe environment for rapid active learning cycles. New employees can effectively train with each other without relying on direct supervision from trainers.

Product Details

• - Name: Real Estate Service Sales Practical Card Game "Cocoro Play"
• - Target Audience: New real estate sales agents (1-2 years) and new recruits
• - Usage Time: Approximately 15 minutes per set
• - Number of Players: 1-2
• - Contents & Price: 188 cards per set, priced at 30,000 yen (excluding tax)
• - Purchase Method: Interested parties can order through the inquiry form available at Cocoro Play. Currently, orders are limited to corporations, with individual purchases to be announced later.
• - Shipping Date for Initial Products: Early March 2026
• - Additional Offer: Custom training packages utilizing Cocoro Play are available, starting at 200,000 yen, which include training courses and one set of Cocoro Play.

Playing Concept

The primary objectives of Cocoro Play are:
1. Proposing Properties Aligned with Customer Needs: Players engage in a dialogue across seven phases, utilizing question cards to identify traits and needs, culminating in property proposals.
2. Identifying Customer Personality Types: Players analyze responses during interactions to select appropriate question cards that elicit client needs based on inferred personality traits.

Cocoro Play stands out as the first card game training program in the real estate industry. This innovative approach not only promises engagement and efficiency in training but also strives to build a better communication framework for agents and clients, ultimately enhancing the home search experience.

Testimonials from Play Testers

Participants who tested Cocoro Play provided feedback emphasizing its objectivity, removing biases often present in traditional role-play scenarios. The card-based structure encouraged logical thinking without performance anxiety, proving beneficial for both sales training and internship programs.

Developer's Insights

Takashi Igarashi from LIFULL HR Solutions noted that real estate brokerage requires sincere and nuanced communication, especially given the significant transitions in clients' lives. The challenges faced by many real estate firms—such as attracting clients while struggling to train young staff—highlight the need for an innovative tool like Cocoro Play. This initiative aims not only to alleviate the burden on experienced agents but also to empower young professionals with confidence, driving effective property solutions and enriching the overall customer experience.

For more details about LIFULL HOME'S and its services, visit LIFULL HOME'S.