That, my friends, is the message from one of my favorite bloggers, Thomas Baekdal. I've posted his stuff before and not gotten much response but if you don't read this latest post you will miss one of the biggest heads up you will ever get!
He describes how we are very quickly moving from a "find economy" to a "use economy". In a "use economy" your observations about the things you know and the conversations it starts are part of people's very existance. What matters is your CMS...Content Management System...your internal work flow...and he provides a checklist for us. What self respecting real estate agent doesn't like a checklist!
I know we all have friends and colleagues who don't "get" social media, blogging or what we are doing on ActiveRain. All I say to them is you need to "do it" to "get it". Maybe what I'll do is pass this article on to them. After all, as Baekdal points out, people discuss articles, conversations, and what they care about and how they feel (I would add people they respect, or don't, as the case may be) but they do not discuss presentations or campaigns.
Happy Labor Day!
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SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate professional in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina with over 60,000 hours of experience. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers, home buyers and investors in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County and is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas #1 independent realty company.
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I've read your blog and the entire article. It's a bit high-level and challenging to consider how to implement this strategy. Please share your plans moving forward with us on Active Rain.
I love check lists (LOL). I have stickies everywhere and my crazy kids are always taking them (ROTFLMAO). I may need a checklist for my checklist (LOL). Great post! Going to check out your friend. ;-)
Sarah, I can appreciate what he is saying in his post, however I can't see that the search portion of the real estate business will go away! I belive those of us that are here on AR and other platforms blogging "get it" and are going to survivie, and those are are not run the risk of being left in the dust!
Vickie, the thing I like about Baekdal is he STARTS CONVERSATIONS and I think that is the point! I would LOVE to see a conversation get started here about how others hear him. His use of a checklist is amusing because he clearly is targeting folks who want to follow one and somehow I don't think conversations normally do that!
Carolyn, glad you're here...I'm awaiting your thoughts...on what ever level you feel the spirit moves you to!
Hi Sarah-I couldn't function without checklists. Great post. :-)
Andrea, I agree that AR folks "get it" and of course that the sheer volume of real estate propreties requires a search. I just love where his concept takes me and am fascinated by the futre of this medium!
Good food for thought Sarah. Thanks for bringing my attention to Thomas Baekdal. I too am not sure how to go about implementing the ideas he has, but hope that future posts make that clearer.
Sarah - I'll check out the post. By the way, I wanted to say how much I like your branding as "Agent Outlier". I am a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell - I was excited when he sent me a friend request on Facebook!
Sarah, I liked his ideas. I think you're right that it takes doing social networking to understand it. Especially if you have been used to presenting product. If I caught the gist of Thomas' post I think there is already an element of what he is suggesting already being captured by effective networkers. But change is inevitable and in the digital age that change is fast.
Denise, thanks for checking him out. I'm not sure he will ever give us a "checklist" in the sense we would like! He seems to be a guy who is fantastic at seeing the future and starting a conversation about it. I don't think he would say there is a blueprint for it.
But when you think about what he says it makes sense. A 'conversational economy' is a term we've heard before. Just let your mind go to where he is leading you and figure out how that would speak to the way you do things.
We are in a big transition now where the public sees the vast majority of agents as standing between them and what they want...they aren't seeing us as repositories of knowledge and experience about how to most successfully accomplish their goals. A wonderful IDX will get the listing agent a call but does nothing to establish a relationship. We still need to get in front of folks and share what we have to offer before they decide we are a valuable resource and not just the keeper of the keys to their dream home. A great agent has a lot to offer beyond just 'I can get you in to see it' and all of us who have successful referral businesses know that.
Take that just a step further. If we go with Baekdal's vision, it means we stand a chance of using this "new normal" of social communication to establish a relationship and credibility with a person BEFORE they decide to start looking for a product (in our case, house.) Information is ubiquitous now. That isn't what we are trafficking in...
It's an exciting concept...no more 'procurring cause' just because someone clicked on a web listing and made an initial appointment through the listing agent. The client will insist that YOU are their representative because they value YOU. Let's not digress into a 'procurring cause' debate but think outside the box about how many problems would GO AWAY just because the client isn't passive about the outcome.
I'm just sayin'...and thinking myself...
Jason, thank you! That means ALOT coming from you! I'm also more than a tad envious that Gladwell admires you...but not surprised.
Chain real estate...I think you're at the same place I am! Thanks for saying so! Our businesses are built on networking, this just takes it into the future!
Sarah, I read his post and then subscribed to him. It will take a little more reading in my feedreader to really "get" what he is saying. But, social media and putting no barriers between you and the consumer is correct. Need to think how to do that besides here and on all the social networks I have joined. But, I will say, I belong to many that have NOTHING to do with Real Estate...Navy moms and some of my political and religious folks.
Oh dear, something else I bookmarked. I need to start reading all this marvelous information and stop blogging for a bit. Thank you SarahGray
Sarah, I am going to have to go back and re-read your post. Excellent. Like Jason, I loved Outliers and think you are definately an Outlier!
Sarah: You het the nail on the head. I agree whole heartedly with you, it's not about us, it's about them!