Whether markets are hot or slow, there still seems to be little time to learn new technologies, adapt them to our business, and implement them efficiently. Realtors struggle with:
- understanding & valuing the offers of hundreds of technology vendors.
- evaluating a brand new technology product or service for the long term. Will it still be right for them a year from now?
- safely selecting vendors who will deliver on support as promised after the sale.
- tieing together multiple products or services into an efficient system for marketing and management.
- getting past the techie sales descriptions to a true picture of how the product or service will actually fit into a real estate practice.
- selection of technology products and services that will provide value far in excess of the time and money invested to get them into service.
I recently received an email from my local association inviting me to a qualifying brokers' meeting to discuss many agenda items of interest to those running brokerage businesses. The top item on the agenda was the question of how the association could better advertise for the membership. This is classic old school thinking. There is some value to the constant reminders to consumers that we are here, we are who they need to use for real estate transactions, and we can save or make them money as buyers or sellers. But, if some of those dollars spent in "announcing our greatness and value" were re-directed to helping broker and agent members to better serve clients and market to prospects, all would receive much greater benefit.
Bringing in vendors to present products and services, without any endorsement or compensation, would be a great start. We don't always need to get Continuing Education credit for a class, especially if it is helpful and free from a vendor. However, we need to go farther than just providing a platform for the vendors. We still haven't helped members to understand and evaluate, as they're going to get the sales-speak. Money would be well spent to hire a technically oriented person, preferably a real estate professional, to attend these sessions and advise the membership on the value they perceived in the product or service. Perhaps this person could come later and "translate" the techie sales stuff into "meat and potatoes" information on how the average Realtor will implement the products and services in their business.
Corporations and big business have been using consultants for many years. They use these independent hired guns to give them the straight scoop on what's best for their company. Why can't our associations do the same? We should be helping our membership with unbiased advice from experts who can do the translation from tech sales-speak to "in the trenches" use of technology to practice real estate.
