IBR Realty Blog

I Promise

This is a video we submitted to ActiveRain for a contest. A special thanks has to go out to all the IBR agents who did a magnificent job in their screen debuts. Watch, enjoy and maybe even learn a thing or two.

Seth Godin Tells Real Estate Agents to “Quit being an agent. Get a job doing something else.”

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..and you know that there will be plenty of agents out there who will follow that advice.

As many of you know, Seth Godin was the Keynote Speaker for the 2008 Keller Williams Convention (or as we Keller-ites like to call it: Family Reunion). This was the same message that he gave us … right up front … Quit. This is what he calls Plan A.

Seth just posted about this event, in fact… Advice for Real Estate Agents (quit now!)

As those words echoed throughout the room of over 8,400 agents, my smile broadened as my eyes scanned the semi-dark room in search of reactions. Boy! Did I ever see reactions! Some agents had the look of “Huh? What did he just say? I don’t get it. [scratching head]. Some agents looked appalled that someone at a real estate conference would offer such advice, and I knew that they were about to tune out the rest of what Seth had to say. Some agents had the relieved look on their face – relieved that someone had just given them permission to quit. (Then there were a few out there, smiling, like me. Why? Because they knew.)

It was in that very moment, that Seth’s point was made.

We are in a market where, according to Seth “the agents who built their business on low interest rates, easy money and speculation (the order takers) have left the building.”

So, now what?

The real estate agents who have not heeded his initial advice, what he calls Plan A, can now take part in Plan B, without the competition of from the “order takers” (the agents who have just followed (or plan to follow) Plan A) of the recent market. Although competition is dwindling, the now smaller group of Plan B Agents has a hefty hill to climb, though.

(I shall call Plan B Agents “we” now, as I am certain that if you are reading this right now you are not of the Plan A variety … In fact, you may even be a Renegade Realtor®, in which case I love you all the more…)

Anyway, we now have the opportunity to transform what it means to be a Real Estate Agent. (Or, is it a duty?)

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We now have the opportunities to become REAL EXPERTS - Superstars - at what we do. He spoke to us about how there is a “Superstar Shortage” in almost ALL businesses, real estate included. Right now, no one really stands out and actually IS the BEST. So many real estate agents claim to be the best, but really just blend together in the so-called-top-producing-agent-look-at-my-Glamour-Shot-13-years-ago- picture-on-my-business-card/bus-bench/glossy-magazine-throw-a-sign-in-your-yard- and-forget-about-you-but-do-you-like-my-turquoise-polyester-suit-and-fluffy-hair kind of way.These are all the agents that need to (and probably will) follow Plan A. Leaving a wide-open playing field for all of us Plan B agents.

Seth goes onto say, in his recent post, that we can now “become the source of information, the watercooler, the person to turn to” by honing our focus to hyper-local permission-based marketing. Gone are the days of dominating an entire city with your face on a bus bench.

One way to become a “watercooler agent” a successful Plan B agent, is to become the Mayor of Your Zip Code … a wonderful way to start becoming hyper-local. From there, why not build a hyper-local community blog? I started one for the Greenhaven neighborhood of Colorado Springs over a year ago and I have become more than the “mayor” … I have risen to dictator, er, I mean near-president status. I am the go-to for ALL things even remotely related to real estate in Greenhaven. And it only takes a few hours a month (yes, a month) to keep up with it.

Seth goes into other great ideas on how to be a great hyper-local, permission-based Plan B Agent, and his post is a Must Read.

So I ask you: Are you a Plan B Agent?
If so…

• Are you SURE you have what it takes to seize this awesome opportunity to be a SUPERSTAR in today’s real estate market?
• How are you focusing your efforts on becoming Hyper-Local?
• What are you doing RIGHT NOW to dominate your hyper-local market?
• Is this all in your business plan?
• Are you REALLY in it for the long haul?

If you answered “no” or “nothing” or “not sure” to ANY of those questions, I am afraid you ARE a Plan A agent, which is just fine. There are probably bigger and better things for you out there. And not everyone can be a SUPERSTAR Real Estate Agent.

If you answered “yes” … or even better, “YES!!!” then we are all in it together. With the competition going down, we can really help each other attain Superstar status. The community of Plan B Agents (us) can not only continue doing what we have been doing, here in the blogosphere, but now we can, and NEED TO, skyrocket all these things that we are reading about into each other’s lives and businesses. We are in this together and can DO this together.

We can ALL be Superstars.

By Mariana Wagner

When loyalty is based on indifference.

It's amazing what some companies take for granted.
It's amazing what some companies leave on the table.
It's amazing what some companies don't do to blow their customers away.

It's sad how little most companies invest in building affection with their customers. I could be talking about major real estate brands. I could be talking airlines. I could be talking about phone carriers.

My Verizon bill

After nearly dropping dead from the shock of my January cell-phone bill, I dialed 611 while pacing a trench in my living room.

As it turns out, the culprits were the hordes of Verizon folks who'd switched to AT&T over the holidays, reeking havoc on my free mobile-to-mobile minutes causing my otherwise stable charges to skyrocket. Just like that.

Verizon could have built an alert of some kind that recognizes when we, the loyalists, are on the threshold of a violent overage. But they didn't. They could issue a voucher for it's customers to be used against spiked minutes due to the anomaly of so many customers switching carriers at once. That would have been mind-blowing. But the company instead chose to do nothing.

According to a summer poll conducted by M:Metrics, roughly two-thirds of people interested in buying the iPhone (the leading driver of a lot of recent carrier-switching) are not currently AT&T customers. Verizon knew this was going to happen. And they did nothing.

And that also blows my mind.

Being stuck is not the same as being loyal

I could leave Verizon. And go where? In a sea of phone carriers, they're all the same. One just as bad as the next. So I'm stuck with what I have.

Corporate folks, as they crunch numbers, tend to view this repeat business as brand loyalty. I disagree. And if the foundation of your business is built on that very same premise, I'd check it for cracks.

Had Verizon checked, it would have noticed that after getting over the shock of the bill, I had to wait over an hour to finally reach a salesperson who took another 40 minutes to investigate why my bill was over $600.

I hung up frustrated, abused, discarded.

What does this have to do with real estate?

Everything. What are you doing right now to mine the richest vein before you -- your existing and past customer base? What meaning are you applying to your brand right now that could translate into genuine loyalty?

Brokers: What are you doing right now, from the top down, to relieve frustration among your customers? To embrace them? To make them feel respected rather than used?

Your brands are stabbed into America's front yard. They know your names but they don't know you. They are hard-pressed to express your value proposition. You are like everyone else. How are you leveraging your differences, your essence, to enhance a sense of loyalty?

AT&T partnered with Apple to create that new bond. Maybe it's working. Who knows. I am already hearing a hue and cry from their newly converted about dropped calls and lousy service. Meanwhile, Verizon does nothing other push that oddball "Can you hear me now?" guy on us while it remains deaf to the gripes of its customers.

So this is my point: In the face of today's market, with all of the issues facing the American homeowner -- from shrinking equity to volatile credit markets to impending foreclosure -- what new bonds are real estate brokers creating? What new offerings or alerts are you presenting to your past customers that could not only bring immediate benefit, relief, information or counsel but that also could assign some new, greater sense of value for you and your brands?

Vendors: In the face of today's struggle to stay afloat, in light of the market and shrinking sales, what are you doing right now to drive new products, services, tools and pricing back to your current broker client base? Are you reengineering your technologies? Are you enhancing your old platforms? Are you working with modern code or are you just sticking to the same old, same old in hopes that your clients just continue writing checks because you've mistakenly confused the futility of finding a better vendor with loyalty?

Can you hear me now?

A new cell-phone carrier will one day emerge with a Zappos-like service ethic, an Apple-like retail experience and a Starwood-like rewards program built to cultivate affection and loyalty. Or not. What interests me is what this would look like in real estate. From consumers within the industry to homeowners outside it, all one has to do is gaze out across the landscape to see the millions of unclaimed, disloyal, stuck hearts looking, yearning and hoping for something they can fall in love with.

Don't wish the cycles would turn; turn them yourself.

- Davison

It's amazing what some companies take for granted.
It's amazing what some companies leave on the table.
It's amazing what some companies don't do to blow their customers away.

It's sad how little most companies invest in building affection with their customers. I could be talking about major real estate brands. I could be talking airlines. I could be talking about phone carriers.

My Verizon bill

After nearly dropping dead from the shock of my January cell-phone bill, I dialed 611 while pacing a trench in my living room.

As it turns out, the culprits were the hordes of Verizon folks who'd switched to AT&T over the holidays, reeking havoc on my free mobile-to-mobile minutes causing my otherwise stable charges to skyrocket. Just like that.

Verizon could have built an alert of some kind that recognizes when we, the loyalists, are on the threshold of a violent overage. But they didn't. They could issue a voucher for it's customers to be used against spiked minutes due to the anomaly of so many customers switching carriers at once. That would have been mind-blowing. But the company instead chose to do nothing.

According to a summer poll conducted by M:Metrics, roughly two-thirds of people interested in buying the iPhone (the leading driver of a lot of recent carrier-switching) are not currently AT&T customers. Verizon knew this was going to happen. And they did nothing.

And that also blows my mind.

Being stuck is not the same as being loyal

I could leave Verizon. And go where? In a sea of phone carriers, they're all the same. One just as bad as the next. So I'm stuck with what I have.

Corporate folks, as they crunch numbers, tend to view this repeat business as brand loyalty. I disagree. And if the foundation of your business is built on that very same premise, I'd check it for cracks.

Had Verizon checked, it would have noticed that after getting over the shock of the bill, I had to wait over an hour to finally reach a salesperson who took another 40 minutes to investigate why my bill was over $600.

I hung up frustrated, abused, discarded.

What does this have to do with real estate?

Everything. What are you doing right now to mine the richest vein before you -- your existing and past customer base? What meaning are you applying to your brand right now that could translate into genuine loyalty?

Brokers: What are you doing right now, from the top down, to relieve frustration among your customers? To embrace them? To make them feel respected rather than used?

Your brands are stabbed into America's front yard. They know your names but they don't know you. They are hard-pressed to express your value proposition. You are like everyone else. How are you leveraging your differences, your essence, to enhance a sense of loyalty?

AT&T partnered with Apple to create that new bond. Maybe it's working. Who knows. I am already hearing a hue and cry from their newly converted about dropped calls and lousy service. Meanwhile, Verizon does nothing other push that oddball "Can you hear me now?" guy on us while it remains deaf to the gripes of its customers.

So this is my point: In the face of today's market, with all of the issues facing the American homeowner -- from shrinking equity to volatile credit markets to impending foreclosure -- what new bonds are real estate brokers creating? What new offerings or alerts are you presenting to your past customers that could not only bring immediate benefit, relief, information or counsel but that also could assign some new, greater sense of value for you and your brands?

Vendors: In the face of today's struggle to stay afloat, in light of the market and shrinking sales, what are you doing right now to drive new products, services, tools and pricing back to your current broker client base? Are you reengineering your technologies? Are you enhancing your old platforms? Are you working with modern code or are you just sticking to the same old, same old in hopes that your clients just continue writing checks because you've mistakenly confused the futility of finding a better vendor with loyalty?

Can you hear me now?

A new cell-phone carrier will one day emerge with a Zappos-like service ethic, an Apple-like retail experience and a Starwood-like rewards program built to cultivate affection and loyalty. Or not. What interests me is what this would look like in real estate. From consumers within the industry to homeowners outside it, all one has to do is gaze out across the landscape to see the millions of unclaimed, disloyal, stuck hearts looking, yearning and hoping for something they can fall in love with.

Don't wish the cycles would turn; turn them yourself.

- Davison

Little do they realize, I was one lunch date away from listing.

A while back I wrote an article about an agent whom I had regular lunch meetings with during the time I was a partner at VREO.

Robin was a client. But unlike most clients, he revered the time we spent together. He never answered his cell phone during or kept me hanging while he flexed his Realtor muscle before me. He never drowned me in his real estate war stories. He never pontificated. He never felt the need to prove anything to me about himself. There was no need. As a result, I looked forward to spending time with him. I never felt I was being sold, pitched, played, managed, incubated or cultivated.

Our last lunch was over a year ago. Well after he went from client to friend. But then some things just got in the way of us hanging out. I started 1000Watt. I hunkered down. I stopped taking lunch breaks.

Then last month, out of the blue, an email arrived from Robin. It was a lunch invite.

I've done business with many agents. Most were pleasant people. I hear from some via their monthly newsletters. Others send yearly holiday cards. A few call out of the blue and ask about my family and then sign off with the tried, true and tested "Oh and by the way..." pitch for referral business. One I never hear from at all.

Little do any realize that I’m seriously contemplating selling one of my homes. Been so for over a year now but haven't because I've been sitting on the fence not quite sure what to do. None of the agents I've worked with in the past have compelled me. None have inspired me. None have made the effort to really mine the past client vein.

Little do they realize I guess how I was one lunch date away from giving them my business.

Robin and I ate at the Madonna Inn. If you've never been there just image what it would look like if gawdy died and went to heaven. (See pic above). The place is a testimony to Alex Madonna, a maverick builder, a cantankerous land owner and visionary who possessed an uncanny blind eye when it came to decorating.

After our meal, Robin and I emerged from this pink palace with another great meal, another great conversation under our belt. Our cars were parked at opposite ends of the parking lot. I decided to walk him to his car. Halfway there, I asked if he would list my home. I told him I was thinking about selling it for the past year. Granted the home is forty miles from where he practices but I would be honored if he would take it.

I know all about the jurisprudence of using a local agent. I've read all the "How to hire an agent" content ever written. But at the end of the day, after viewing every agent website in Nipomo, from the Hawaiian shirt wearing agent with the Hawaiian music that loads with the site to the dozens of agents who never returned an email sent to them from their own website, I came face to face with the reality that at the end of the day, this business is all about relationships. Deep meaningful ones.

Over the years, Robin spent a few dollars taking me out to lunch. We'd talk real estate, technology, movies and life. He never once asked me for business. Never once sent me a recipe. Never once sent me an email newsletter. He just acted like a true friend.

I never felt like a lead.
Never felt like a prospect.
Never felt I was anything but a human being.

Technology sure is great. When used correctly it enhances, expands and engages the experience. But it's not everything. Sometimes technology can distance us from what we do best. Like the human touch. Like friendship. There's no technological substitute for doing that. For doing the right thing. For going that extra mile. To me, this is part of Web 2.0 is about. Back to core basics. People connecting with people.

Robin got the listing.
It's a beautiful home.
3 bedrooms, 2 baths with tenant.

- Davison

A while back I wrote an article about an agent whom I had regular lunch meetings with during the time I was a partner at VREO.

Robin was a client. But unlike most clients, he revered the time we spent together. He never answered his cell phone during or kept me hanging while he flexed his Realtor muscle before me. He never drowned me in his real estate war stories. He never pontificated. He never felt the need to prove anything to me about himself. There was no need. As a result, I looked forward to spending time with him. I never felt I was being sold, pitched, played, managed, incubated or cultivated.

Our last lunch was over a year ago. Well after he went from client to friend. But then some things just got in the way of us hanging out. I started 1000Watt. I hunkered down. I stopped taking lunch breaks.

Then last month, out of the blue, an email arrived from Robin. It was a lunch invite.

I've done business with many agents. Most were pleasant people. I hear from some via their monthly newsletters. Others send yearly holiday cards. A few call out of the blue and ask about my family and then sign off with the tried, true and tested "Oh and by the way..." pitch for referral business. One I never hear from at all.

Little do any realize that I’m seriously contemplating selling one of my homes. Been so for over a year now but haven't because I've been sitting on the fence not quite sure what to do. None of the agents I've worked with in the past have compelled me. None have inspired me. None have made the effort to really mine the past client vein.

Little do they realize I guess how I was one lunch date away from giving them my business.

Robin and I ate at the Madonna Inn. If you've never been there just image what it would look like if gawdy died and went to heaven. (See pic above). The place is a testimony to Alex Madonna, a maverick builder, a cantankerous land owner and visionary who possessed an uncanny blind eye when it came to decorating.

After our meal, Robin and I emerged from this pink palace with another great meal, another great conversation under our belt. Our cars were parked at opposite ends of the parking lot. I decided to walk him to his car. Halfway there, I asked if he would list my home. I told him I was thinking about selling it for the past year. Granted the home is forty miles from where he practices but I would be honored if he would take it.

I know all about the jurisprudence of using a local agent. I've read all the "How to hire an agent" content ever written. But at the end of the day, after viewing every agent website in Nipomo, from the Hawaiian shirt wearing agent with the Hawaiian music that loads with the site to the dozens of agents who never returned an email sent to them from their own website, I came face to face with the reality that at the end of the day, this business is all about relationships. Deep meaningful ones.

Over the years, Robin spent a few dollars taking me out to lunch. We'd talk real estate, technology, movies and life. He never once asked me for business. Never once sent me a recipe. Never once sent me an email newsletter. He just acted like a true friend.

I never felt like a lead.
Never felt like a prospect.
Never felt I was anything but a human being.

Technology sure is great. When used correctly it enhances, expands and engages the experience. But it's not everything. Sometimes technology can distance us from what we do best. Like the human touch. Like friendship. There's no technological substitute for doing that. For doing the right thing. For going that extra mile. To me, this is part of Web 2.0 is about. Back to core basics. People connecting with people.

Robin got the listing.
It's a beautiful home.
3 bedrooms, 2 baths with tenant.

- Davison

96 hours later - Innovation

The saga continues:

Captain's log star date: 1-18-2008

It's been 96 hours since my first distress signal. Still no response. There appears to be no sign of life on planet Realtor. I am a lead. Lost in cyberspace. My mission was to seek out information on a home with a stairway fresco and a bathtub. It must be a very special tub. I boldly went where I have never been before.

These are the voyages of the Starship Consumer.

1988. Four years into my marriage. I was cycling in Rockland County (20 miles north of Manhattan). I rounded a corner and screeched to a stop. In front of me was a home for sale. I was not in the market for a home. With no pen, no paper, no cell phone, I rode up onto the circular driveway and knocked on the door. 120 McNamara Rd.

Mr. Ralph answered. He was several days into retirement. We spoke. 60 days later, I was a homeowner.

2008. I suppose I could call the agent listed on this site. But the home hadn't yet spoken to me. Not like Mr. Ralph’s did. I needed to see more pictures. Many more. Like I can on Zappos when I buy a $50 pair of shoes.

Maybe the agent sensed I'm not really a buyer. Maybe she determined through experience that lead inquires such as the one I made are a waste of time. What else could it be? Email has been around for a long time now.
2007: Friends of mine made an offer on a home. It was declined by the agent. Too low. This couple recently moved back from Spain and couldn't up their offer. Months later, while combing cragislist, they spotted that same home listed for rent. The owner, it turns out, was forced to rent because he received no offers. The couple were shocked. Turns out the listing agent never presented the offer to the seller.
There are too many examples of buyers and sellers getting beamed up into a real estate vortex where it’s all about the agent and not at all about the consumer. That is what all the lead generation this and lead incubation that is all about. None of it has any bearing on or sensitivity to the people who hire agents to represent their needs.

Right now a seller sits in a beautiful home, with a little yellow fire hydrant in the front yard and a special bathtub in a bathroom, blind to his agent’s failure. Blind to the opportunity passing them by.

Where is it written that sellers must be kept blind?

What if there was an inquiry widget created, one that becomes the sole inquiry module an agent places on all his or her listings, that blindly looped the seller into every contact?

Bad idea? Why? Are sellers not allowed to see, or even handle, inquiries? Mr. Ralph did it in 1988 with me and his agent received a double commission.

Are sellers not capable of handling an inquiry? I would debate that heavily.

What if that widget included a quick ping app that sent the inquiry directly to an agent's smart phone where it would be retrieved, acted on immediately, and memorialized in a report pinged back to the seller. Who is a superhero now?

What if you are tied up? I mean literally. Bound in such a way that you are unable to respond. What if your seller made contact? So what? Isn't this about me? The consumer? Selling my home?

Imagine your customers getting instantaneous reports showing you in action. Imagine being able to prove you go the extra mile. How service oriented you are. How your technology works to their advantage

Would this be a cool selling point to acquire listings?
Would this be a great way to involve sellers?
Would this serve to enhance an agent's value proposition?
Would this serve to enhance the buyer’s experience?

A little innovation powered by love could lead to a brilliant sale and make a $100,000 commission check feel good to write. That’s what this is all about. That’s what real estate has got to be about.

This is Captain Davison of the Starship Consumer, signing off.

72 hours later... I am abandoned

It's Thursday. 5:17

72 hours ago I became a lead. Today, I feel ignored. Unimportant. I feel that maybe I failed to clearly express my needs to the agent on whose website I was captured. Maybe I wrote something that rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe she's sick. Or lying in the hospital victim to a crime. Or illness. If that were the case, I would feel horrible for even thinking that maybe she doesn't care. Or worse, can't do her job.

I want to believe that real estate agents are good people who wake up every morning hell bent on doing right by their customer. I know they want to sell their listings. I know they want to get their buyers into new homes. I know they want to build their new client base. I know they want to build deep seeded loyalties with past clients. I know they want to make as much money as they possibly can and live wonderful lives.

Then why aren't they?
I think they have no idea how.
And I wonder... who's to blame?

I believe we are all responsible for our own actions.
I believe that our success or failure rests upon our own shoulders.
I believe that if you take your life in your own hands, you can't blame anyone for your failures.

Yet I cannot bring myself to blame this agent.

A few months back Brian and I were in a cab in NYC and saw a huge ad posted on the side of building. It was a call to action for would be agents. He blogged about it the following week and it's worth reading. It pertains to this.

Is real estate a career for just anyone?
Has it performed a disservice by importing people into it as easily as songs into iTunes?
What happens when an agent graduates and is awarded their license?
Are they ready?

Did they learn bedside manner? Marketing? Technology?
Have then been taught how to analyze cycles? How to analyze data? How to cope with bubbles or even what bubbles are?

Have they written a thesis or given projects to work on to help broaden their awareness or skill set?

Are they briefed on many online communities, forums and destinations that can help them grow, aspire and connect?

Do they know how to discern between the hundreds of vendors that will promise the earth and deliver them soil?

Are they taught how to properly price homes?
Are they taught how to negotiate through the home inspection?
Are they taught how to respond to an email inquiry?

I don't know how long it takes for an agent to master their craft but however long that is, today in 2008, given everything from huge commissions to complex market trends, is it fair that agents are allowed to woodshed these critical skills on the consumer?

I don't have all the answers. But I know this -- the system is corroded if what I've experiencing this week happens more than once in a blue moon. And if it is... the industry must consider its responsibility. Its stake in changing it. I refuse to believe there is an epidemic of agents in that don't care about the consumer. And if that is the case, all the more reason to mend it.

But I actually believe most agents care.
I believe they love their job.
I am convinced they just don't know how to represent.

The industry as a whole owes something to the agents it recruits. It owes them a more comprehensive education at the onset. Better training and internship once hired. And stricter standards along the way.

The industry owes something to sellers like the owner of the home I inquired about and never heard back on. The industry owes something to buyers -- the ones who get sucked up into the vortex.

And the industry owes something to the professional agents who who kill for their clients but get lumped under the big tent of stereotype.

And the industry owes it to itself to live up to its self portrait.

...to be continued

- Davison

72 hours ago I became a lead. Today, I feel ignored. Unimportant. I feel that maybe I failed to clearly express my needs to the agent on whose website I was captured. Maybe I wrote something that rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe she's sick. Or lying in the hospital victim to a crime. Or illness. If that were the case, I would feel horrible for even thinking that maybe she doesn't care. Or worse, can't do her job.

I want to believe that real estate agents are good people who wake up every morning hell bent on doing right by their customer. I know they want to sell their listings. I know they want to get their buyers into new homes. I know they want to build their new client base. I know they want to build deep seeded loyalties with past clients. I know they want to make as much money as they possibly can and live wonderful lives.

Then why aren't they?
I think they have no idea how.
And I wonder... who's to blame?

I believe we are all responsible for our own actions.
I believe that our success or failure rests upon our own shoulders.
I believe that if you take your life in your own hands, you can't blame anyone for your failures.

Yet I cannot bring myself to blame this agent.

A few months back Brian and I were in a cab in NYC and saw a huge ad posted on the side of building. It was a call to action for would be agents. He blogged about it the following week and it's worth reading. It pertains to this.

Is real estate a career for just anyone?
Has it performed a disservice by importing people into it as easily as songs into iTunes?
What happens when an agent graduates and is awarded their license?
Are they ready?

Did they learn bedside manner? Marketing? Technology?
Have then been taught how to analyze cycles? How to analyze data? How to cope with bubbles or even what bubbles are?

Have they written a thesis or given projects to work on to help broaden their awareness or skill set?

Are they briefed on many online communities, forums and destinations that can help them grow, aspire and connect?

Do they know how to discern between the hundreds of vendors that will promise the earth and deliver them soil?

Are they taught how to properly price homes?
Are they taught how to negotiate through the home inspection?
Are they taught how to respond to an email inquiry?

I don't know how long it takes for an agent to master their craft but however long that is, today in 2008, given everything from huge commissions to complex market trends, is it fair that agents are allowed to woodshed these critical skills on the consumer?

I don't have all the answers. But I know this -- the system is corroded if what I've experiencing this week happens more than once in a blue moon. And if it is... the industry must consider its responsibility. Its stake in changing it. I refuse to believe there is an epidemic of agents in that don't care about the consumer. And if that is the case, all the more reason to mend it.

But I actually believe most agents care.
I believe they love their job.
I am convinced they just don't know how to represent.

The industry as a whole owes something to the agents it recruits. It owes them a more comprehensive education at the onset. Better training and internship once hired. And stricter standards along the way.

The industry owes something to sellers like the owner of the home I inquired about and never heard back on. The industry owes something to buyers -- the ones who get sucked up into the vortex.

And the industry owes something to the professional agents who who kill for their clients but get lumped under the big tent of stereotype.

And the industry owes it to itself to live up to its self portrait.

...to be continued

- Davison

48 hours later - I am still a lead

The saga continues

No call. No email. Nothing.

Is this the great promise of technology?
is this the result of an clueless agent?
Is this what happens to "leads"?

I'm hung up on the notion that the word "lead" dehumanizes consumers. It boils us down into this heap of electronic impulses relegated to inbox's or junk files. To an unfulfilled promise. To an invisible mass of vapor that maybe many agents have lost faith in.

If my inquiry were terrestrial, it would have turned into a baton and passed around an office until it was carried across some agents finish line. I believe for the web to work for real estate, its technology and its agents need to attend to electronic inquiries in the very same spirit. With the very same zest.

This listing was picked from hundreds. Random.

Is it possible that this happens over and over on sites all across real estate to "leads" just like me?

Do you think this might add to the diminishing cache of agents?

Does this reduce consumer trust in light of how effective and advanced customer service or inquiry technology is and how often it's used in other verticals?

Is this a problem for this individual alone or is this an Achilles heel for real estate in general?

We are at 48 hours.
She is 47.5 hours too late. (I stole that from Greg Tracy)
Had I filled out a request his site, he would have already sold me the home.

The industry needs more of that than it has.

How can we help this agent?
This is a $2,000,000+ home.
At 5% commission, there is a six-figure commission check for services not being rendered.
What tools are there that could be plugged in behind that form that could have conveyed the humanity behind the inquiry and got the agent on with me immediately?
What skills are missing by the agent?

There's a seller out there that deserves more for their money than their getting.

- Davison

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The saga continues

No call. No email. Nothing.

Is this the great promise of technology?
is this the result of an clueless agent?
Is this what happens to "leads"?

I'm hung up on the notion that the word "lead" dehumanizes consumers. It boils us down into this heap of electronic impulses relegated to inbox's or junk files. To an unfulfilled promise. To an invisible mass of vapor that maybe many agents have lost faith in.

If my inquiry were terrestrial, it would have turned into a baton and passed around an office until it was carried across some agents finish line. I believe for the web to work for real estate, its technology and its agents need to attend to electronic inquiries in the very same spirit. With the very same zest.

This listing was picked from hundreds. Random.

Is it possible that this happens over and over on sites all across real estate to "leads" just like me?

Do you think this might add to the diminishing cache of agents?

Does this reduce consumer trust in light of how effective and advanced customer service or inquiry technology is and how often it's used in other verticals?

Is this a problem for this individual alone or is this an Achilles heel for real estate in general?

We are at 48 hours.
She is 47.5 hours too late. (I stole that from Greg Tracy)
Had I filled out a request his site, he would have already sold me the home.

The industry needs more of that than it has.

How can we help this agent?
This is a $2,000,000+ home.
At 5% commission, there is a six-figure commission check for services not being rendered.
What tools are there that could be plugged in behind that form that could have conveyed the humanity behind the inquiry and got the agent on with me immediately?
What skills are missing by the agent?

There's a seller out there that deserves more for their money than their getting.

- Davison

I am a lead

Yesterday, I became a lead.

I was searching around FrontDoor.com for homes in my area. I typed in Arroyo Grande, CA and come up with this page.

I scrolled around. Found an attractive home. Nice exterior w/ocean view. I clicked on it.

I scoured the details.
3,397 sq. ft.
4 bedrooms.
3 bathrooms.
$2,450,000.

The agent has added only three photographs. I think perhaps this is just a teaser so I click through to get more info which takes me to the agent's listing page. I see the same three pictures. They are:
A shot of the exterior of the home.
A fresco.
A bathtub.

Mmm.

There was some data on the agent's site. When I cocked my head sideways it sort of looked like it was giving me the finger.

Wearing my consumer hat, I'm not sure I, a regular Joe, can really grasp the meaning of this graph. And why does it have data going back to 1939 and no data between 2000 and today? Am I missing something here? 

I wonder what the average consumer would do next.
I thought the web was supposed to be easy.
Understandable.

I'm really confused right now.

But I like this house. And the yellow fire hydrant under the yard sign on the front lawn. I could always paint over the fresco. Or punch it out and replace the wall with a window. And who can't use a bathtub. It must be a very special tub. 

I decide to click on Request Information. Up pops a form. It wants to know who I am.

What would you do?
I filled it out.

There is a "Message" field in the lead form. I suppose that's where I put in my request. The questions I have that might better qualify me. The remarks i have that when answered could serve to better qualify the agent.

Seems to me a simple, courteous, consumer friendly, relationship building "how may I help you" would be a simple improvement over the generic Message as well as support the agents desire to build a relationship with me. 

Maybe, I'm wrong.   

I inquire about the availability of more pictures. It's a sign of my interest.      

I hit submit.

The time is now 5:17pm.
The day is Monday.
I am now officially a lead.
I hope I don't turn into an orphan.

... to be continued.

-- Davison

Yesterday, I became a lead.

I was searching around FrontDoor.com for homes in my area. I typed in Arroyo Grande, CA and come up with this page.

I scrolled around. Found an attractive home. Nice exterior w/ocean view. I clicked on it.

I scoured the details.
3,397 sq. ft.
4 bedrooms.
3 bathrooms.
$2,450,000.

The agent has added only three photographs. I think perhaps this is just a teaser so I click through to get more info which takes me to the agent's listing page. I see the same three pictures. They are:
A shot of the exterior of the home.
A fresco.
A bathtub.

Mmm.

There was some data on the agent's site. When I cocked my head sideways it sort of looked like it was giving me the finger.

Wearing my consumer hat, I'm not sure I, a regular Joe, can really grasp the meaning of this graph. And why does it have data going back to 1939 and no data between 2000 and today? Am I missing something here? 

I wonder what the average consumer would do next.
I thought the web was supposed to be easy.
Understandable.

I'm really confused right now.

But I like this house. And the yellow fire hydrant under the yard sign on the front lawn. I could always paint over the fresco. Or punch it out and replace the wall with a window. And who can't use a bathtub. It must be a very special tub. 

I decide to click on Request Information. Up pops a form. It wants to know who I am.

What would you do?
I filled it out.

There is a "Message" field in the lead form. I suppose that's where I put in my request. The questions I have that might better qualify me. The remarks i have that when answered could serve to better qualify the agent.

Seems to me a simple, courteous, consumer friendly, relationship building "how may I help you" would be a simple improvement over the generic Message as well as support the agents desire to build a relationship with me. 

Maybe, I'm wrong.   

I inquire about the availability of more pictures. It's a sign of my interest.      

I hit submit.

The time is now 5:17pm.
The day is Monday.
I am now officially a lead.
I hope I don't turn into an orphan.

... to be continued.

-- Davison

Yesterday, I became a lead.

I was searching around FrontDoor.com for homes in my area. I typed in Arroyo Grande, CA and come up with this page.

I scrolled around. Found an attractive home. Nice exterior w/ocean view. I clicked on it.

I scoured the details.
3,397 sq. ft.
4 bedrooms.
3 bathrooms.
$2,450,000.

The agent has added only three photographs. I think perhaps this is just a teaser so I click through to get more info which takes me to the agent's listing page. I see the same three pictures. They are:
A shot of the exterior of the home.
A fresco.
A bathtub.

Mmm.

There was some data on the agent's site. When I cocked my head sideways it sort of looked like it was giving me the finger.

Wearing my consumer hat, I'm not sure I, a regular Joe, can really grasp the meaning of this graph. And why does it have data going back to 1939 and no data between 2000 and today? Am I missing something here? 

I wonder what the average consumer would do next.
I thought the web was supposed to be easy.
Understandable.

I'm really confused right now.

But I like this house. And the yellow fire hydrant under the yard sign on the front lawn. I could always paint over the fresco. Or punch it out and replace the wall with a window. And who can't use a bathtub. It must be a very special tub. 

I decide to click on Request Information. Up pops a form. It wants to know who I am.

What would you do?
I filled it out.

There is a "Message" field in the lead form. I suppose that's where I put in my request. The questions I have that might better qualify me. The remarks i have that when answered could serve to better qualify the agent.

Seems to me a simple, courteous, consumer friendly, relationship building "how may I help you" would be a simple improvement over the generic Message as well as support the agents desire to build a relationship with me. 

Maybe, I'm wrong.   

I inquire about the availability of more pictures. It's a sign of my interest.      

I hit submit.

The time is now 5:17pm.
The day is Monday.
I am now officially a lead.
I hope I don't turn into an orphan.

... to be continued.

-- Davison

Excellence Unchained

Excellence Unchained

I joined the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church choir about nine years ago.  (Geno, chill.  This is a story about excellence, not Bible Boy!)  There was an interim director who led about twenty singers. The assumption of the director, and most of the elder hierarchy in a still dying denomination, was (is) that choirs and classical music are essentially passé, that contemporary music, a rock and roll praise band and ‘Jesus is my girlfriend’ anthems are necessary to put people in the pews. Armed with that assumption, the director aspired to mediocrity and almost succeeded; why put effort into something that’s dying?

I was on the search committee to find a permanent director.  I had concerns about the person we picked – Wendy Bamonte, a wisp of a thirty-something with a terrific cv in instrumental music, but less so in choral.  She was hired, but I took my concerns to the pastor anyway, who took them to Wendy, who called me and said: ‘Let’s talk.’  We did.  It turned out she’s every bit as direct as I am, and out of that, um, lively discussion, developed a friendship that I’ve had with her and her husband since.

Wendy isn’t one who accepts conventional wisdom simply because it’s conventional.  She had (has) a vision:  provided excellence both in the choice of music and its preparation, choirs and classical music aren’t only not dead, but on the cutting edge of the future. No one believed it, of course, but it was nice to have someone passionate about something, as quaint as it seemed.

But she’s been driven from the first year eight years ago.  Interested less in genre than in the excellence of the music, we’ve done everything from baroque to gospel.  She’ll spend two weeks picking exactly the right music for a twelve week sermon series. She has the personality, drive and tact to get the most in the least amount of time out of unauditioned amateurs.  Unlike those who protect themselves from anyone better, she brings in world-class directors for choral workshops.  She’s very, very good at what she does, but still takes the time each year to spend a week at a choral workshop herself; excellent is never quite good enough.

As a bonus, her husband Dave plays trumpet for the Oregon Symphony.  He’s played with Boston, with Mehta, knows Wynton; between the two of them they know many – most – of the best musicians in the Portland area, many of whom have sung and played with us.  Working with professionals ups the concentration and ability of amateurs, which then allowed Wendy to find more challenging music.

[There is, of course, a downside.  Directness is not an asset in an organization that admires boats not rocking, and Wendy is still delightfully direct.]

The reputation grew.  Oddly enough, people left mega-contemporary-churches to sing with us, hungry for good music. The choir grew.  Because of her and one of the best pastors in the faith*, the congregation grew, and continues to grow.

This morning ninety-one singers and a nineteen piece orchestra sang and played Bach’s Magnificat, one of the most difficult (and gorgeous) pieces in the choral repertoire.  In the 450 seat Sanctuary we had 715 attend the first of two services, 569 the second.  Three of the kids I used to work with in youth group came up to me between services with versions of “OMG!  That was totally AWESOME!”, the very kids who we’re told can’t sit still for…classical music.

Excellence trumps everything.

Jeff Kempe

Ten reasons real estate clients want to pay more to the agent

Why should any real estate buyer or seller want to pay more to their agent? Isn’t it exactly the opposite of what clients want: pay less or not pay at all? Here is the two word answer: Ritz Carlton. Do not read further if you as a real estate client do not want “Ritz Carlton treatment” or if you are an agent who is not interested in providing it.

What do I mean by Ritz Carlton treatment? I just stayed at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park in New York - it was expensive and worth every penny I paid. Let me give you the 10 golden nuggets of what this treatment is and why real estate clients would want to pay you for it.

Here is what makes Ritz so special and how our clients would want no less.

1. Ritz treatment is about top quality – the sheets, the beds, the flowers, the building, the public spaces  – is beautiful and made to be enjoyed through touch, feel, smell, views, tranquility, energy and spice, anything and everything to make the clients feel special.

In real estate we can have the “standard package” with the MLS, the signs, the company web sites. But we can also have a “Ritz” package – creative brochures, beautiful videos, unorthodox advertising channels, interactive presentations, blogs, and web – presence that is unique and targeted.

2. Ritz treatment is about the expected standard and reducing risk. When you make reservation at any Ritz hotel in the world you can expect the same standard of quality. It relieves a lot of anxiety knowing ahead of time you can expect quality all the time.

In real estate it is as important to communicate clearly what our standard of quality is and what our clients should expect. Is it different for a $300,000 property and a $3,000,000 property? Is it different for one community as compared to another? If it is, what is the difference and what should the client expect?

Our standard of quality should be just that – standard.  This consistent standard would eliminate a lot of stress and reduce the risk for our clients when selecting their real estate agent and entrusting us with their important asset -their home.

3. Ritz Treatment is about attention to details. My son was very excited when he saw on the web site the picture of the room with a telescope. He asked me, if our room will have one. I said that it was there probably as a prop for the photo. To my surprise every room with the view of the New York Harbor had the telescope. This was a detail but it made our stay so much more enjoyable.

In real estate it is as important to deliver the details that make our clients experience more enjoyable? It can be staging, it can be making the showings easier, it can be accommodating the clients' time and schedule. It's details that can add to a big difference in service.

4. Ritz treatment is about training. Every employee is trained to the same high level of service to clients.

In real estate it is as important to have agents trained in the best and latest marketing and communication available.

5. Ritz treatment is to say “yes” to clients’ requests. You can stop a person from the housekeeping and ask about something totally unrelated to their department. The answer is always “I will get it taken care of”- and they do.

In real estate do we unequivocally say to our clients “ I will get it taken care of”, or do we think it’s not our job?

6. Ritz treatment is about communication. If you are standing in the lobby, you can expect a staff member to come over and ask if you are enjoying your stay, where are you from, is there anything you need? The room attendant will leave you a note with the weather forecast and also asking if there is anything you need.

In real estate it is as important to communicate on a consistent basis with our clients about important things, and sometimes just asking if there is anything else they need?


7. Ritz treatment is about upgrades. When you make a reservation and ask for an upgrade, although they do not guarantee it, they will always do it, if they have room availability.

In real estate it is as important to upgrade our service, when we see an opportunity, or when a client is asking for something extra that can be done.

8. Ritz treatment is about doing the right thing. You will be asked so many times during your stay “Is everything OK?” that it’s probably not possible to have something major or even minor to go wrong without it being addressed right away.

In real estate it is as important to not allow big time gaps for asking “Is everything OK?” A lot of small problems can be fixed before they develop into big problems.

9. Ritz treatment is to know you as a friend. If you mention an important event in your life, while staying there, you can expect champagne, or fruit, or chocolates and a card with best wishes.

In real estate this may be the most important - treat our clients as people and friends who want to receive our best wishes.

10. Ritz treatment is to provide the product and service that was worth every penny in their clients’ mind.

Shouldn’t this be the treatment all real estate clients deserve?

Faina Sechzer