Home : Blogs : Todd Clark (Broker) (503)524-9494 (Beaverton, Oregon Real Estate Expert) : Helping Families Home - Your Oregon Real Estate Blog

I don’t give my best stuff away for free

I had an agent in my area call me and ask me how I do business and if she could copy it. OK, you want me to give my trade secrets to you because you are failing? You see me doing well and you want to know what I'm doing different...Am I correct?

She said, "Yes". OK, first of all, when I post stuff on the net, I'm only giving about 10% of what I do away, just enough to peak the interest that drives traffic to me and my real estate business. Then she said "No, I want to know about the other 90% of what you do!"

I told her that that wasn't going to happen unless she went to a seminar of mine or was planning to buy my book and seminar when it came out. She asked, "How much is that going to cost?" I told her "probably $1,495 or more." I wasn't sure yet and I told her that.

She got very mad at me and I had to ask her "Why would I want to give away my secret to you in full so you can use it against me? You live in the same town, you advertise to the same people, and you even mail to my farm area." My farm collects other's post cards and letters and gives them to me.

When I asked her that, she said, "Well, I've had a house on the market for 5 months that is better than your listing and priced $5,000 less and my clients are mad that yours went sale pending in 2 days!" I said, "That is why my clients call me, they know I can get things sold. I'm sorry, that you don't know how I do it, but if I give that away, then I really wouldn't have an advantage in the neighborhood, would I?"

She thought that was a stupid reason not to share and I then asked something that really made her mad...Oops! I asked her, "How many leads she had from her listing, and if she would like, I can sell her the 24 leads that I got on the home next door at $59 each."

At this point she called me a liar and told me that there was no way I got 24 leads in 5 days on that home. She is right, I didn't get 24 leads in 5 days on that home, I got them in the first 24 hours, but I thought it best not to mention it at that point, since she seemed pretty mad already.

My question is, would you take the time to help a competitor that wants to encroach on your farm? I decided that my knowledge is valuable, and I shouldn't have to give it to a competitor, that when there listing expires, will be my listing. I know if the shoe was on the other foot, she certainly wouldn't have volunteered the information either.

Sorry, just my little rant for today.

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739

Posted by Todd Clark (Broker) (503)524-9494 (Beaverton, Oregon Real Estate Expert) on 01/05/2008 07:16 PM

Comments (27)

Seminars in the Training Channel

free content, seminars

Post is included in group: The Art Of Marketing You
Post is included in group: e-PRO Internet Technology
Post is included in group: Coaching-Personal Development

27 Comments on I don’t give my best stuff away for free

JAN

2008

Todd i agree with you on that. When they're so close to you. Competing in the same town. I wouldn't give my stuff away either.

You are coming out with a book? What is it about???

I'm a total supporter of the old R & D(ripoff and duplicate), but it's got to be done surreptitiously - no calling the competing agent, that's just weird.

If she were to come here on AR she could spend a few weeks reading through many pointers on how to improve her business, and then act on it. Sounds like she doesn't want to do the legwork.

That's an agent who wants to turn a quick dollar without working for it!!

Todd, Congratulations on being such a gentleman with her. Some would have played with her mind and then watched her crash and burn ! LOL Hope your New Year is the best ever !

In some circumstances it is appropriate to set others on the right path. That's being a mentor. But I don't believe it is ever appropriate to give away the store. A lot of times what works for one individual doesn't work for others anyway.

Todd,

I certainly see your point!

Have a great dinner and we'll chat some other time.

Todd, you handled yourself well. It does seem odd since you are in the same area. I would say she was looking to be mentored so I think she should have addressed you differently. If I wanted something from you, I wouldn't rant and rave to get it. I would lure my bee with honey...as they say. AR is her best bet as someone has already said.

Todd ~ I can see your point; However, I take a different approach. I do help agents in my office who ask for my help. I'm not sure how large your town is, but in area, there are more than a million people and the chances of me and these other agents going after the same clients is relatively slim.

I do believe in working. And if someone is willing to put in the hard work to succeed in this business - and they want a few pointers from me, I am willing to share.

(I have to say that I am really blessed to have had folks take my hand and help me. For instance, when I was brand new in the business, I met an agent from a competitive real estate firm. I called him a few days later, and we decided to have coffee. He was so helpful to me and shared things with me that would've taken years to learn on my own!

Why would he do that, you ask? Because he is a sharing person and he said I reminded him of himself when he got started.

He shares and he is totally blessed by doing so. I am friends with him and his wife, and feel so fortunate to have met them.

Todd - I think you pretty much figured out the answer - I know if the shoe was on the other foot, she certainly wouldn't have volunteered theinformation either.I'm amazed she was asking!

I have had similar things happen to me. I give them very general information and move on.

Todd,

I agree with you on this one.

Yes, we are in a very competitive industry and giving away your trade secrets that you've worked so hard to develop is like Coke giving away their secret recipe to Pepsi.

I like your response. I share general information. Then I learned, even if you give 100%, the odds of them actually using it is 2.

I learned from listening, reading trial and error. I think we respect our business more if we have bumps and bruises.

Maybe you should have ask her if she would like to work for you!

JAN

2008

Todd, I agree with you and like your responses. I don't think you should give your secrets away to a competitor. Although, you should be glad that you are ahead in the competition. That is something to be proud of!

i enjoyed reading your perspective. It is amazing to me that she wouldn't just get on the internet & start her own research project. there is so much really good useful information that it seems she is not wanting to work for what she is looking for. Good for YOU :) Have a great one :)

What was she thinking? With her working in the same local area, how could she have expected that?

She is nuts if you ask me! No business would give away secrets to a direct competitor! It would be a slightly different story if she was from another city or state - but she is a direct competitor.

Sometimes people just want something for nothing.

Jeannette - Yep, I will be posting about it very shortly. I've actually been asked to write two books. So watch for that blog some time this week. 5 months on the market isn't a quick dollar - lol

Lisa - It took me a few years to get to this point in my market area and I wasn't about to sit down and tell her how I dominate it so she could take it over.

Bill - I had to be honest with her, I mean I couldn't just tell her why I'm better than her. Dang she has the house next to mine listed, why would I want to give my ideas away while attempting to get another listing in the same neighborhood.

Rosario - I don't know if this was a new agent or not, but if she did her research she would have found that I have 50% of the sales in that neighborhood and saved her marketing dollars.

Ricardo - Thanks, it was nice talking to you on the phone. Glad to see Kathy is still talking nice about me - lol

Latonia - I've been married to long and don't recognize honey anymore - ROFL

Darleen - I see your point and if you ask around A/R I've gotten a lot of calls for advice and have been very willing to share. It is just that this person is going after my farm area of only about 1500 homes and I'm not about to give it up my secrets to her so she can try to get more of the share.

Marlene - I'm not really surprised by anything anymore in this market.

Gayle - If she wants general information, she can go to my website and do some research. I think if she read my blogs and website she could figure out just enough to be dangerous, but like I said I do seminars and soon to have a couple books. If they want more, they can buy it.

Wayne - EXACTLY! That is what my wife said!

Angie - Not sure I could handle an assistant or an employee, don't like to share even legos.

Roberta - Thanks and I hope soon to have her expired listing. I'm guessing she listed it for six months, then she can see what I do different.

Christina - I don't want to see anyone fail, but I'm not going to take all my education and money spent on books and research and give it to her so she can compete with me.

Derrick - I don't know, but like I said I'll sell you my knowledge.

James - I've talked to many people around the country and don't mind talking for 15-20 minutes about business, but much longer than that I tell them to sign up for my 8 one hour seminars, where they get CD's, Worksheets and other material to help them.

Thanks everyone, I really expected with this rant to be taking to task, but actually was presently surprised with the responses and only lost one associate over it.

You lost an associate from this post. The nerve of them!!!

Aw Todd....You might want to discount those leads, give a coupon for the Seminar, or just wait and you will have Both Houses under Contract (listed).......too funny, and I know that we can be helpful, nice, and all that good stuff......but we just can't give aways our Sales because someone else wants them LOL.....

JAN

2008

Todd Truly amazing! The thing is for the most part,even if you told her, she couldn't BE you and that's the most powerful about your results!!!

FEB

2008

Some people just do get it! They are also the people who don't put in the time you do to have the knowledge to do the job.

It is very difficult in this market. The agents in your office are your competitors and you want to help someo one who asks you for help .It is easier if the agent is from another office.

FEB

2008

When I was at my prior company, an agent who had never been friendly to me one day called me and said "I see you got another listing in my area. What are you doing to get all these listings in my turf?" I was speechless! "Working hard" is what I replied and she hung up.

A few weeks later I had 2 of the houses under contract in her "turf" and the 2 listings (overpriced) that she had were still sitting there. She called me again. "How did you get those houses under contract so fast? Mine are just sitting there. What are you doing that I'm not?" I answered "Pricing them right????" and again she hung up on me.

Then the sales manager called me and asked me to help this woman sell her overpriced listings, please.

Um, NO!

MAR

Jeannette - Nothing surprises me anymore!

Kathy - EXACTLY!

Joeann - Now, she probably couldn't have done what I did, just because like most people who go to those seminars and buy those books, they never read them or follow through.

Susan - They want to get quick results without taking the time to learn their craft.

Gita - I'm starting a new chapter in my career where I'm going to help train new agents, but part of that is they don't work in the same areas I do.

Erica - I wouldn't have helped her either, but I think you telling her to price her homes correctly was even too much information to give her.

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?