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One Paradigm Shift After Another

By Barry Owen

Real Estate Broker/Owner with Pareto Realty TN #251071

April 23, 2013 08:48 AM

The only thing that is certain is change.

We are ALWAYS in transformation.

Everything is moving . . . always.

and it seems that the shifts are moving FASTER and FASTER . . .

and the faster we go, we behinder we get.

So . . . How do we keep up?

Clearly, some folks “get it” sooner than others . . . The innovators and early adapters are riding on the wave – the bleeding edge . . . seeming (to everyone else) to be relatively (and irresponsibly) unattached, carefree, and reckless in their lifelong quest for NEW.

They don’t always get it right. Sometimes, they catch a bad wave, but that’s OK because they’re not attached and can always catch the next wave.

The Paradigm for these people is one of high energy, high play, and higher and higher levels of performance . . . These are the XTREME wave riders.

Most people (80%) develop steady paradigms over time. They invest heavily in ONE platform and go DEEP with it.

These folks resist change . . . and even when change happens, they hold on for dear life to their beloved paradigm even as it withers into oblivion.

Traditional CRM (Customer Relationship Management) programs
Resident email management platforms (Outlook)
Fax
Text
Voice Mail
Land Line Telephones
Internet Explorer
Windows
Microsoft Office
Facebook
Twitter
Marketing
Cassette Tapes
8 Tracks
VHS Tapes
Vinyl Records
CD and DVD
Dial up Internet
Analog TV signals
This list continues ad-infinitum

For each of the above, there are LARGE, invested groups of people CLINGING to THAT technology . . . and declaring that they’ll NEVER change and that the new way is just a fad and cannot possibly replace the old way.

they are ALL wrong!

I remember (1995ish) MANY “Old School REALTORS” who very passionately professed that they would NEVER make the shift to the internet for their business . . . a couple years later, the MLS folks stopped printing the listing books . . . The shift HAPPENED, and these REALTORS had a choice . . . adapt or die.

Today, I’m shopping for a new computer and feeling very adventuresome as I dabble in the realm of the “All-In-One Cordless Touchscreen, Desktop Computers” . . . and I realize that even as I have prided myself in my own technological agility and adaptability . . . I myself have not shifted MY paradigm thinking “enough” to be ready to make an intelligent buying decision.

The entire vocabulary of computer hardware and software has changed dramatically since my last CPU purchase (5 years ago). Processor speeds and capacity are radically different . . . and most of the software options I had 5 years ago are no longer offered even as add-ons (like Microsoft Office).

Most of the useful software “out there” is REALLY “out there” in the CLOUD.

Here’s where I’m going with this . . .

I’m already operating in the cloud. I use gmail as my primary email, contact manager . . . and Google drive for most all of my documents, spreadsheets, drawings, presentation . . .

My social media is a relatively smooth ensemble of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Linkedin, YouTube, and this blogsite . . .

BUT . . . my PARADIGM still had me looking for Microsoft Office, Quicken, and using old technical parameters to decide which machine to purchase.

My frustration turned to elation as I realized that I no longer NEEDED to buy those add-ons because I was already fully functional WITHOUT them.

So . . . How does any of this apply to YOU?

Some people are stuck in old paradigms as they maneuver new markets . . . I see some REALTORS out there beating home sellers DOWN on pricing when the market is commanding HIGHER pricing (Resulting in ridiculous multiple offer bidding wars leaving only ONE Buyer happy).

I see other Sales Professionals spending large sums of money on expensive CRM programs . . . and passe marketing strategies . . . and wondering why people aren’t coming (because they built it)

Open your eyes!

Consider YOUR current paradigm and how it compares what’s REALLY happening out there.

I found my new computer . . . and I didn’t buy the Microsoft Office to go with it . . . and my new website is going to ROCK in ALL of its new paradigmness.

Let’s be pioneers together, eh?

(this stuff energizes me)