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The Herd Of Real Estate Brokers, Agents, REALTORS Moved Slowly, Inching Ahead Shoulder To Shoulder.

By
Real Estate Agent with MOOERS REALTY ME Broker License 106759

The "herd" of real estate brokers, agents, REALTORS...which one are you and are you so jammed in tightly you feel smothered, listless, light headed?

country cows herding Is your daily routine creativity, uniqueness, passion and spontaneity missing? You so tightly entrenched in the old way of marketing property listings but looking around figure you are about in the middle of the pack, so safe and comfortable? Ho hum. And did I just hear someone utter a "moo" in the back of the line? What's that smell? Where are you in the wall to wall sea of real estate professionals "practicing" listing, marketing, selling property in your area?

Your daily routine..like a comic do you shake it up, add new material, fine tune and adjust constantly to keep them entertained? Or do you plod along, not really considered wildfire in your profession but figure there are folks doing lot worse, maybe a few at the head of the line, hustling and trying a little harder? Step it up and mosey ahead of the pack. Read, watch, consider small changes you could make for big results. Study how you do it and ask the guy or gal in the mirror why you do it that way. Ah Ah No...don't say its because everyone else is doing it. That did not work in high school either when pleading for the family car keys for the trip to the beach with the wilder kids with total freedom either did it?

Start with the property listings you have. Rather than looking for more, how are you handling, servicing the ones you already have? Look at the images...skimpy in number and lack luster in quality? Not just clarity but what is the "subject" of each photo? If the sun had been behind you in this shot, would that end of the world look eclipse have not wandered in to the frame? Neat affect for a Stephen King movie but it makes the home so dark that even you have to squint to recall which one of your listings is that one anyway?

Video. Oh. You don't do video. That's another subject but for the simple approach of this blog, look instead at your copy. Did the lady with the bun hairdo and 1950's cat eye glasses and pound of bondo..I cattle market stock yardsmean make up try her level headed best to craft something award winning for you? She has never been to the listing, can not read your Klingon hieroglyphics hen scratching and opts for the safe "nice home, nice area, you'll be happy here so hurry and call will ya" approach. Safe, boring and missing what this listing jewel is all about.

And lastly, if you have one Internet site that was dusted off when it came out of the $99 dollar Western Auto or Canadian Tire box, stop and look at your own site.

Have you ever sat down and went thru what you put out there for the public to graze on, what you cattle rustle up on line for all to see? Studied what you do lately stem to stern?

Ditto if you craft blogs, podcasts...how do they look from "out of space" if someone other than you landed on them? Do the analytics show flit flit flit? Using sugar instead of vinegar works light years better and knowing the target you are shooting at, for, trying to hit over and over. And you know that if asked, if someone points it out right? But why are you still loping along with the rest of the real estate herd anyway? Break out of the herd, get out of the real estate rut, shake it up, take your job to a whole new level. Get fired up, excited, spring fever to run full tilt, wild open, all out as hard as you can to put the smell, stuffiness of the herd behind you. Way way behind you. Your property listings, buyers, sellers and YOU deserve to be the best you can be. If you are comfortable with the way you promote your property, your area, your brand..then you don't grow. Create, implement new ways to do the real estate day to day cattle run to market and make it a sport, a game. Be the cow, bull, steer, heifer, bossie, calf way way out front and break away from the herd. Start moving faster and having fun doing it. Maine, we farm a whole new way. Roll a little different than the rest of the herd.

I'm Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers

Comments (10)

Deborah Byron Leffler BzyBee Real Estate Lady!
Keller Williams Realty Boise - Nampa, ID

I love the analogy....it is so true..so many of us at times want to stay in the middle of the pack in everything...it is so comfortable....and change can be challenging!!!   LOL   You nailed it on this one!!!

Great post ANdrew!!!

Apr 23, 2010 12:10 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

We have a tendency to get comfortable and apathy can set in or worse we can think the way we market is 100% and there is not an itch for ways to improve it. Maybe it was blue ribbon in 1978..but the way we market changes..new ways to do old things better come up. Video is one big missing component in many realtor's branding on the trail to market thru the sage brush, cactus and FSBO's. Deborah..I think you got a little something on your shoe in this post...there. You got it. Moon pies everywhere to clean up after the show.

Apr 23, 2010 12:41 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Andrew, moooo!  I do love cows, but I agree that being in the middle of a herd of them is not a great idea. 

Apr 23, 2010 01:17 AM
Bill Travis
Captain Bill Realty, LLC - Gilbert, AZ
Broker/Owner

Great post Andrew, thanks for posting. Reminds me of being back on the farm.

Apr 23, 2010 01:43 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Andrew...btw..everytime I see your pic, it reminds me of the Mayor of Los Angeles...see if you agree...now as to your post

Anything with HERD in it gets a smile from me. You see herds at the movie theaters, market check-out and freeway on ramps...After reading Patricia's (#3) comment, I can only add...MOO to YOU TOO.....

Apr 23, 2010 03:00 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Patricia...you are not the type of broker striving to be just "that's good enough". That's one reason you hang out here.

Bill...Pitching hay is just like bragging, pitching your area and farming for listings..well there are similarities.

Richie...we will check out our body double. Here in AR there are lots of look alikes..one agent that is a splitting image, dead ringer for Tom Brokaw. Another that looks like the first lady, etc. Know who I am talking about? I get a lot of you look like the guy on America's Funniest Videos...don't even know his name and not a show I eat a bowl of cheesos in front of while channel surfing.

Apr 23, 2010 03:28 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Mayor Andrew......I have seen the "first lady" and "Brokaw" comment on AR(lol). Many years ago, I was repeatedly and overwhelmingly mistaken for two people. First one Gene Wilder and the second was the lead singer for the band KISS. I was younger, wore my hair different etc. At first, I denied it and people didn't believe me anyway. Later on I just played along...... and chuckled.........

Apr 23, 2010 05:02 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Stick out your tongue..put on these platform shoes, leather suit, some white/black actor's paint..hey, Gene Simmons is on Active Rain! Play 16, Beth, Detroit Rock City will ya?

Apr 23, 2010 08:23 AM
Coleen DeGroff
Coldwell Banker M.M. Parrish Realtors - Gainesville, FL
Haile Plantation Real Estate - Gainesville FL

Andrew - GREAT points!  In every phase of life we need to shake things up.  Change or die, bro....them's the life rules! :)

Apr 26, 2010 10:46 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

Be the best in your job, balance the family, have hobbies, take vacations and do community volunteer work but be anxious, ready, raring to go when you get to work. If you don't feel excited about what you do, how you do it, if you are not an innovator and if work feels like, well work...change it up. If you are reading this and thinking, gee that sounds like extra effort..and groaning...remember your job should not feel like work. It is a sport, it is you and helps define who you are. Be a little red hen and don't follow, be just in the herd.

Apr 27, 2010 01:17 AM