"Sorry, your seat belt seems to be broken. What do you recommend I do?" - Mitch Martin, Old School (2003)
Let me first say, this post is in response to Brett Reichel's post, "New School" or "Old School? Which should you embrace? First off, I have to give kudos to Brett. Your thoughts hit home for so many people, as is evidenced by the huge chain of comments. And for me, your post led me to revisit a dilemma I experience as a Virtual Assistant: How far should I lead my clients towards "New School"? Outside of their comfort zones? This is something I struggle with...
I especially loved Dave Halpern's comment, "Old school and new school are 2 sides of an echo chamber. They amplify each other." I follow your line of thinking, Dave. When both sides of that echo chamber are at full amplification, it is the most powerful voice possible, usually...
Honestly, everyone has their own style/methods that historically work best. Sometimes agents end up spinning their wheels on both ends of the spectrum. Some success in "Old School" methods here, some success in "New School" methods there... But as Brett's post articulated, our efforts nowadays must, usually, at least, acknowledge the existence of BOTH.
And though I may not have the breadth of experience in this industry as many of you reading this do, I do have some experience in how different agents work. And I have learned that we all continue to be unique individuals. I strive to make sure that my clients have the best "New School" technology & marketing at their disposal, without neglecting the "Old School" methods which have made them great money in the past.
I actually learned quite a bit from my husband, who works in a completely different industry. He sells pricing/inventory computer systems to car dealerships. Many of them rely on historical sales data, while others rely on current market trends and solutions. And guess what? That industry caters to specific, dealership-based needs, blending new technology with proven methods. In my opinion, agents should have the same tailored, need-based solutions.
Sometimes as a VA, I want to throw a client onto the monorail, and expose them to whatever "New School" methods I can. But that doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes, when you think someone's seat belt is "broken", you find it's not really "broken". At the end of the day, we all know what works best for our business. If 70% "Old School" / 30% "New School" works, then don't fix it if it isn't broken. If it is time to embrace "New School", then...
What do you recomend I do?
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