“The Death of the Old School Realtor”

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We held the Inaugural Fraser Valley Real Estate Technology Meetup yesterday and it was a huge success. We have been running the Vancouver version for over 2 years and have decided to add the Fraser Valley as a regular meetup. We had a great turnout for this first event with 49 people showing up in person, and 79 attending online via live video feed from all over North America.

For our first speaking we invited Realtor Ian Watt to come out and do his talk on “The Death of the Old School Realtor”. A big thanks to Rodney Bartlett, Dave Miller and Teri Conrad for all of their help in getting things rolling.

For those that missed it, here is Ian’s complete presentation:

 

Check out the great feedback and some pictures from there event here.

Be sure to RSVP for the next meetup. Complete details can be found here.

10 Answers

  1. Marc D
    3/4/2009 at 5:47 pm

    Absolutely engaging. “Build a niche”. “Don’t try to be everything to everybody”. “Be known for something”. “These are all just tools” “I pay $500 a month for all my marketing.” “Dominate Google”. “Stop your print advertising”.

    Every sound byte could be a presentation of it’s own. Ian rocks and Chantelle (hope I spelled your name right) you are brave to making your first video. Make more.

    Thanks for posting!

  2. Mr. Internet
    3/9/2009 at 6:06 am

    It has been my experience that less than 2% of all real estate sales people choose to really dominate a niche –something I’ve been speaking and writing about for the last 15 years. There simply is no “marketing” without targeting –period!

    Can you imagine if you were a Realtor that had a discussion with someone from another industry (any industry) and remarked “Oh, I try to do business with everyone!” —they would fall on the ground laughing. Only in real estate is the idea of target marketing a major “Aha!”.

    Sales associates are terrified about targeting because they are afraid of losing “all that business they never had a chance of seeing anyway.” This means there are tremendous opportunities for those brave enough to take the leap into dominanting one or more niches.

    My company launches 10 – 20 eTEAMS per month for real estate organizations all over the world (we are launching a Perth, Austrialia one next month). One of the requirements of being on a eTEAM is that you MUST chose a niche. Now more than ever is establishing a beachhead in some niche will pay huge dividends not only in today’s challenging environment, but when things turn around as well.

    One last note. If you build a service brand around your niche you then have the makings of a very valuable “exit strategy” that will turn your book of business into a great deal of cash when you are ready to retire –but more on that in a later post…

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  4. Tyrone Lingley
    3/9/2009 at 9:42 pm

    The Tipping Point for Realtors

    Was here ever any doubt?

    We have reached a critical mass in the real estate industry. The belief that land will appreciate forever, that traditional marketing works, and that your sphere of influence will support your business has been shattered. For if this sub-prime meltdown has taught us anything it is that we as Realtors need to consistently evaluate how we conduct our business; measuring is vital to our survival, especially in these trying times. We must embrace change, not resist it, and recognize that certain things are here to stay – especially the Internet.

    The art/science of selling, will always be an integral factor in a Realtor’s success, there is no questioning that. How we sell and particularly where we sell will become increasingly important. Leveraging the power of the Internet in generating real estate leads is not only an effective use of your time, but will quite likely become the main source for obtaining clients in the near future. Do not let your fear of technology stand in the way of your success.

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  9. PMM Properties
    3/9/2010 at 4:42 am

    The face of real estate has changed rapidly over the past few years, and the advent and rise of the internet and web 2.0 has necessitated the adoption of new technologies to stay ahead of the competition. It is adapt or die out there, and the longer you hold out before taking the plunge, the more likely you are to flounder and drown. Just do it!

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