3 Reasons Real Estate Agents Should Stop Being Technology Experts
I Know this sounds a little old fashioned but there's a good ole boy in his 70's that's been using the same technology which is none other than his telephone and for the most part that's just his land line because all of his brochures and 
marketing are connected to it.
He has a cell that his land line calls are forwarded to but rarely uses it. He listens to the incoming calls before he picks up the phone. He has always worked out of his home.
His wife is his TC and he has the same handful of specialty contractors, handyman and Gardener that he's used for decades. But has no other agents under his license and doesn't want any.
He still sits open houses regularly on new listings and he uses regular stationary for his communication, follow up and thank you notes.
Oh, and BTW, he's consistently knocked down high 6 and even into some 7 figure incomes for at least a couple of decades. His farm has never changed and consists of only one street which he lives on which is about two miles long.
He walks it everyday with his wife for part of his daily exercise regime all while meeting and greeting his neighbors most of who've known him for years. Most of his listings convert within 60 to 90 days and he rarely ever loses one.
So I guess the story here is that sometimes it's not about all the technology, the car, the clothes or the jewelry we don ourselves with. It's more about establishing good consistent and productive work habits that work for you.
By golly I think this rant has been inspiration and great fodder for my next blog, follow and reblog of the day.
Focus On Applying Technology To Real Estate Practices
I just read a very nice article on the Feature Page about someone who attended a ReBar Camp. As with many technology conferences, agents go in looking for knowledge on the latest software to do everything from generate leads to transaction management. Along the way they're bombarded with cryptic (not really) acronyms like CRM, SEO, SEM, etc. Based on what I read in similar articles, tend to become overwhelmed by all the technology and feel like they can never be "ahead of the curve". Here's piece of advice: stop trying...and for 3 reasons.
REASON 3 - Be A REALTOR, Not A Technology Expert
I've said this many times, your expertise is in the practice of real estate sales and marketing, not technology. It's OK to know it but nearly all of these seminars want you to build expertise in SEO, SEM, etc so you can "do it yourself". Here's a little executive management advice: learn to delegate. Hire a software expert who can do it better, faster, and ultimately cheaper.
REASON 2 - Not All Technology Is Good
You just heard about cool new software that's going to "revolutionize the real estate industry"? Guess what, there have been 20 other software products claiming the same thing this year. You know how many of them will survive to next year? One or two. Stop chasing the "latest and greatest". It's a waste of time. Look at what makes sense. Which leads me to the last point.
REASON 1 - It's About The Business Process
Seriously. Think about how you do business; work with clients, capture leads, etc. Write them all down and then think about "How could I make those better?". When you've got that written down, then you're ready to go look at software. The worst mistake you'll ever make in business is to buy software and look for a problem to solve with it. First, identify the problem then look for the software.
By focusing on how you do business and then on how you'll need (maybe) software to make that better, you'll be able to selectively review and acquire technology. How you do business should drive these decisions, not the other way around. I tend to focus on how technology will create a better customer experience. Even with my technical knowledge and experience, I still outsource.
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Bryan Robertson, CEO | T: 650.799.9951 | Email: bryan@catarra-re.com | Website: http://www.BryanRobertsonHomes.com |CA BRE# 01191946 | Catarra Real Estate, Inc | 171 Main St #220 | Los Altos, CA 94022
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