11 January 2009
Are you in the game?
Posted by Jerry Kidd under: Rants; Sales Tips .
As I write this, the New York Giants football team looks like they are not. The number 1 seeded team in this year’s Super Bowl hunt is likely to go down to Philadelphia (#6) and Donovan McNabb. Something that no one would have predicted last September.
What happened? I can’t say for sure, but from what I have seen today (and yesterday in the Panthers #2/Cardinals #4 game) one team wanted it more and they executed on the basics of blocking, tackling and scoring. In both games the winning team was the underdog.
How about you? Are you in the game? Are you prepared to execute your game plan? The basics of real estate are lead generation, lead conversion, listing, selling and closing. And of course not making mistakes!
How can you use technology to help you with the basics? If you look back over the past year of postings on this blog, I have given you over 50 ways to do just that. You can click on one of the category headings over on the right sidebar to see the different posts under each category. Click on the post heading to read it.
But, just reading the post isn’t going to do it for you. You are going to have to take some action. You will need to come up with a technology implementation plan and then execute it.
There are any number of reasons why you can’t create a technology plan for yourself and then execute it, and I’ll grant that they are most likely valid reasons, but I will also say a few things about why you will need to overcome the adversity and get it done.
To start with, you will not be replaced by technology. You may have heard that in the past, but I think that time has proved that technology of itself cannot execute a real estate transaction. But, you WILL be replaced by those agents who do incorporate technology into their businesses and do so in a way that increases their efficiency and or profitability. You simply must keep up or they will beat you to the punch in lead development and lead conversion. You will get fewer and fewer leads to work on. Perhaps you have seen some of this already.
You will need to become proficient in the new ways that are available to start conversations with consumers and you will need to know the new ways to deliver your message via dialogs with your clients. Finally, you will need to know how to stop wasting money on the old methods. Too many of us spend precious money on media that produces ever diminishing returns. We do this because of ego and because our sellers demand it. I believe that the major reason sellers demand it is because we haven’t gotten good at showing them the realities of new marketing. That has to change. We need to change.
The current market has exposed the gaps in our businesses. We really weren’t as good as we thought we were. But the good news is that is that we are not as bad as it might feel. We do have to do what it will take now to be successful. We’ll have to toughen up somewhat and focus on what is really important. And from my perspective, what is really important is finding people who NEED to do a real estate transaction. Then nurturing those people through the process so that we can find them the home they want (or help them sell the one that they have). We have to be the Trusted Advisor, The Skilled Negotiator and The Expert Facilitators and we have to do it using all of the tools that our clients expect us to be using.
We are living in a time of tremendous turmoil. But, it is also a time of tremendous opportunity, (go re-read this post for details:http://realtytechbytes.com/can-we-chat-about-the-economy-for-a-moment/). It really is time for you to plan how to work where the clients are, time to learn about and use FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube. It’s time for you to ignore the press, the belt tightening, the changes in our offices and just concentrate on the basics of real estate and the building of your skills in technology.
One thing is certain and that is that “This too shall pass…”.
Will you be ready for the next upturn or will you be left behind?
