BACK TO
BASICS
DO YOU WANT TO BE BETTER
TOMORROW THAN YOU WERE
YESTERDAY? ARE YOU AWARE
OF ANY OF THE WAYS YOU CAN
SET YOURSELF APART FROM
YOUR COMPETITORS?
BY BRAD DAVIDSON
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
AT ROYAL PALM COAST REALTOR® ASSOCIATION
W
hether asked of you or you’ve asked
this of yourself at some point, you need
to know the answer if your goals are
centered around success. You chose this
industry – an industry where we work for
ourselves, pledge trustworthiness and accountability, and
have the opportunity to sell an infinite supply of product.
In business, we are always trying to determine ways we are
better than the competition.
It is not some secret marketing strategy that
nobody knows about.
If you ever hear of such
things… run. Run fast. There are no secrets.
The
basics have always worked and even the new-school
techniques are widely recognized and implemented
strategically by the professionals. Yes, technology shapes
consumer behavior in this era and yes, technology is
always changing; however, there are no secrets. The answer
lies within your current practices. Refining your skillset and
becoming a master of your craft is an absolute must. In
contemplating the dangers of our industry, specifically
after reviewing the D.A.N.G.E.R report published
by the National Association of REALTORS® and its
partners, our Association now recommends the Multiple
Listing Service (MLS) and the Realtor® brand as a
8 RPCRA.ORG | SEPT/OCT 2016
Realtor’s® last hope for their future when it comes to the
purchase and sale of real property in this country.
If you disagree, take a look at Uber – the consumer
response to cab rides. It is an app you can download on
your phone which allows you to hail a ride from someone
who chooses to be an Uber driver. That’s it. That’s how
simple it has become. However, cab drivers are required
to be licensed and pay fees, abide by laws, etc. Uber’s
solution allows someone who drives a semi-luxurious
4-door vehicle to show up at your location and drive you
to your destination without requiring extra insurance,
paying extra fees, or even abiding by laws outside the
rules of the road.
Think for a second… technology has rendered a
license-carrying cab driver useless.
What will stop
consumers from rendering a license-carrying Realtor®
useless?
There is an art to the business of selling Real Estate and
this art lies within the ability to be something for which
very few of us ever received formal training. We are
marketing professionals before anything else and,
although the principles of customer service applies, this