You don't need my permission to have an opinion of your own. I guess I am writing this because it seems like the first people in our industry to express opinions on important issues are the people who sell products and services to us. They are outspoken and articulate, knowledgeable and well liked and when they write everyone reads. The discussion of the important topics of the day are viewed through a narrow lens and the big picture is missing.
Keep in mind as you are reading their most eloquently expressed opinions that their opinions often support their product or their coaching or consulting practice. The opinions are worth reading and they do have merit as long as we put them in the context of our own business goals.
It is easy to be a sheep and to follow the shepherds but real estate is still local and if you are an agent who has been in the business for awhile listen to your own experience chances are you have a better understanding of your business than some of the thought leaders do. Go one step further and picture them doing your job, even for a day. I don't think they have to be able to do our jobs to give us advice but I think we need to filter the advice and put it in the context of our own experience and local businesses.
There is also some value in thinking outside of the box instead of following. Innovation and new ideas seem to come from the black sheep.
In all seriousness, it’s been a hard lesson for me personally since I prefer to be liked- going against the grain pisses people off and while it improves the industry in the long run, in the short run, you have to sacrifice popularity.
The problem is that EVERYONE in the space thinks they’re innovative and EVERYONE thinks they’re not sheep and EVERYONE thinks they’re making a sacrifice for the whole and EVERYONE thinks they’re an authority on real estate even if they’ve never set foot inside of a brokerage. BUT, the truth is that it’s a tiny minority that breaks the mold. You can spot them by whether or not they’re talking to the same ten people, repetitively linking to, twittering with or sitting in a corner of eliteness at real estate conferences with each other. The polite term for this is “the echo chamber” and the unpolite Texas term is “the circle j*rk.”
T, you’ve always been genius in that you’re just outside the circle and not inside which is why you’re respected and loved.
I appreciate your comments and they echo my own. Does that mean you are herding me? I have been in the real estate business a long time. I have worked for many companies in multiple states within multiple associations and with various MLS systems that have changed through the years. Some were better than others and what I have today is far better than when I started.
Web sites, systems and programs are just tools. I absolutely want the best tools for my business. I want easy access to data for as little money as possible. I want information that will enable me to serve my clients’ needs in the best possible manner. Perhaps I am not looking out for the little MLS company, but I don’t really care who gives it to me. At the end of the day, tools are only tools. The real estate business is very different from where it was when I landed my first job in real estate in 1989 and yet at the same time, it is also very much the same. My grandfather was an agent for over 50 years. The basics of how he did business then and how I do it now are not very different.
I love my trinkets and technology and tools and will continue to learn new ones, but at the end of the day, they are still just tools. The only real game changer is me.
Yes, I have my own opinions, with no hesitation! Surrounding myself with the ‘best’ in many aspects of the industry means I must travel as well as read a good bit. Regardless, it’s not about me, it is about what I can do for my clients.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. In the very small, insular world of real estate bloggers, it’s easy to feel a little bit like one of the kids that sit at the nerd table at school for no other reason than they keep their head down, do their homework, get good grades, and still don’t quite fit in with the cool crowd.
So I just remind myself that my entire circle of real life friends and clients have no idea who any of the real estate glitterati are and,truly, they don’t care. As long as I meet their expectations on a professional level and remain a good friend on a personal level, then I’m a success.
Lisa – I love what you said. The only way to have a successful blog is to think about the folks your are writing for and the only way to have a successful real estate business is to focus on your clients. Nothing outside of that matters at all.