We are currently in a very challenging market.  Some markets are worse than others, but overall, everyone is affected in some way.  I am watching as some very large companies ( Billions in Sales just a few years ago) are now in bankruptcy and probably won’t make it out.  How can this happen?  How can companies fall from glory so hard and so fast?  It is simple – just like the industry as a whole, they have not adapted.  Like it or not, technology is here to stay and things like email, PDA’s, text messaging and the like are going to make or break those in the industry.  Adopt or Fail.  That is the truth.  Many brokers running brokerages today are still using buggy whips and the rest of the world is driving Ferraris.  When I see an AOL email address given out by a broker, I just shake my head.  When I ask an agent what their web address is and they start “johnsmith123@…” I just think “wow, this person better get with it!”

It comes down to desire.  I have brokers and agents say to me all the time ”You have a knack for computers – I don’t”.  That’s just an excuse.  I’m 42 years old and grew up in scarcely budgeted inner-city schools.  I didn’t have access to computers until I was an adult.  Do you know why I know so much about the Internet?  Because I’ve logged in more hours online over the past 10 years than almost anyone on earth.  10’s of thousands of hours staring at a computer screen – surfing sites.  No excuses.  NO ONE was born with a PDA in their hand.  OR a mouse.

Do you realize that a 23 year old started Facebook?  That means that 10 years ago, not very long to most of us, he was 13!  As Gary Busey said in the movie “Point Break”, “ I was in this bureau when you were still popping zits on your funny face and…” (catch the rest of the quote in the privacy of your own home).

So how did he get to a position of owning a company that is projected to be worth BILLIONS?  Because he didn’t create any of his own limitations.  He didn’t make excuses about not growing up with computers or that he was never very good at typing.  Like the bumble bee, who shouldn’t be able to fly because it’s body is too heavy for it’s wings according the rules of physics, Mark didn’t know he couldn’t do it - so he did!

Anyone that smokes and says they don’t have a knack for computers deserves a kick in the teeth.  Smoking – now THAT’s an unnatural act.  And what did it take to learn that?  What kind of sacrifice?  How much coughing?  Just to look cool?  How about driving?  We can all do that!  Were you born with a steering wheel in your hand?  Didn’t think so…you drive because you HAVE to.  Well now you HAVE to embrace technology – or die.  Why?  Because your competition is and they will be able to do things faster and cheaper because of it.  You need to know about VOIP and PDAs and email clients - enough to make proper business decisions regarding them.

Where are broker's priorities?

I’ve got Portal science and theory down so well, I could improve Yahoo! itself.  Like the airline that took one olive away from salads in 1st class and saved a million dollars a year, I could help ANY (I repeat - ANY - AND I'll add ANY Brand as well) brokerage improve their bottom line with technology.  Yet, I have trouble getting brokers that are struggling - to take the time to re-examine their technology…

I have one thing to say to those brokers...Goodbye.  And good luck in your next business. 

Google paid me.  They paid for a 1st class trip to their HQ for my advice on their “widget” for real estate.  It made sense to them to talk to someone that had experience in the endeavor they had planned…

So how does Google manage to have an entire staff meet with me for an entire day, and I can’t get a broker that barely makes 100K to find an hour to meet?

I did have one broker pay me what I am worth.  It was a lot.  The result?  I took them from 20 leads/month to almost 1000 on their website alone in one year.  Improved their recruiting methods as well (they grew by 800 agents).  They built an entire multi-million dollar department around the technology I provided including internal technology that was the foundation for their vendor program and was a breakthrough for internal agent communications.  Then, when the market declined, they laid off the people that hired me, and then shortly after, cut my services, and now, that dept. is gone and they are down to 2 offices from 8 and struggling to survive.  This was a company that sold over 5 Billion in Real Estate one year.  They did the “Hot Dog Vendor” thing.  The story goes:
 

    There's an old story about a man who had a very successful hot-dog stand. He paid all the bills, grew his business and was eventually able to send his son to college. Business was booming. Customers came from miles to buy the man's wares.

One day, his son came home from college and said, “Dad, don’t you know there's a big economic downturn? People are losing their jobs. Businesses are closing. You have to be more cautious, cut back on inventory and slow down on the marketing.” The man thought, “Well, my son is pretty smart. He goes to college. I’d better listen.” Sure enough, he cut back on supplies, was more careful in his marketing and expenses and, in general, became conservative. Not long after he made these changes, he noticed his business slowed down, eventually to the point where he wasn’t meeting his financial needs. Shortly thereafter, he closed his business, fulfilling his son's prophecy.

Another broker never invested fully in my services.  As soon as I started down a planned path, they would be off somewhere else.  They never got into technology.  They (the owners) can barely send emails to each other.  Now, after doing well in a good market, they are in bankruptcy.  For them, it’s too late.  And this was a multi-billion dollar brokerage too.

With over 80% of buyers starting their search online (and that’s with a lot of crappy websites out there), isn’t it worth it to get in the game?

There are a few of us that are qualified “witch doctors”  - able to diagnose the illness and prescribe an effective remedy.  Are you going to come to us?  Are you going to pay us?  You’d better before it’s too late and you get stung...