Web 2.0 / Social Media

Thought I’d share a preview of my presentation for the Houston Association of Realtors BigE Event on October 13th.  I’ll be sharing this thing twice, each session is twenty minutes short.  I’m gonna have to talk fast like the wind.  Hopefully not like a big giant bag of hot wind.  The material is a small sample of examples I included in the book I wrote, Less Blah Blah More Ah Ha – How social savvy real estate agents become trusted, preferred, referred and rewarded.  It’s on Amazon in both printed book and Kindle/eBook format.  You can check it out HERE if you’re up for it.  Cheers.

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Fire-In-The-Hole?

It started with Chris Smith’s incendiary controversial exciting blog post titled “It Is No Longer A Relationship Business – Here’s Why”.  Basically he shares that citizens in general, don’t really want a relationship with their real estate agent.  What they want, is their real estate transaction handled masterfully, and that’s it.  Fair enough.

Of course this notion goes against every stone tablet ever chiseled and every character ever written on How To Succeed In Real Estate.  Hell, I’ve even written a book on trust and social savvy relationships myself.

Unless you’re hopelessly apathetic (which of course you’re not, because you’re reading this), Chris’s story will get your attention.  (There’s almost 150 comments.”

In this blog post (keep reading) I share two other important voices in the conversation, Rob Hahn’s and Bill Lublin’s.  You can click here to read Chris’s story now, or scan the rest of this post and click-through for the juicy stuff from all three at the end. It’s up to you.

For the record, if I was in a foxhole and Chris was in with me, I’d feel sorry for the other guys.  If you told me you respected Chris more than I do, I’d chuckle. Chris is a supreme giver.  That’s how I feel about Chris.

What could be more important?

The “Relationships or Robotics” topic and conversation is awesome!  The reason I think it’s awesome is because we don’t often take the time to sit and think-real-hard.

Thinking-real-hard about what’s important to you, your value to others and the roll you will play in the real estate business of the future is something that could have a profound impact on you.  Do you agree?

And then . . .

Shortly after reading Chris’s post, one of the branniest in the RE Biz added to the conversation with a blog post titled, ”If Real Estate Is Not In The Relationship Business, What Business Is It In?”.  In it he lays out some thoughts and then among several questions, he asks this, “If “real estate used to be about relationships” because it was, at its heart, a service-business rather than a skill-business… what is it today?”.  

That’s a question we should all ask ourselves.  Rob asks some others worth answering as well.  You can click here to read Rob’s post, or skim forward, then read all of them at the end where I’ve numbered them 1, 2, 3.

For the record, If I was on the Who Wants To Be Millionaire TV show, and if I made it to the final question (I know, BIG IF, but play along), and they blew me away with a final twist, something like, to win the $1,000,000 instead of answering a question I had to solve a complicated, multidimensional problem, and I could call only one friend to help me, and the that one guy had to be a cool guy in the bargain, inside I’d be boiling with excitement, outside I’d be as cool as Steve McQueen. Wanna know why? Because if I had a quicksand problem to solve, I’d call Rob Hahn.  He’d figure it out, we’d be $1,000,000 richer, and it’d be party time.  You don’t ever want to miss one of Rob’s parties.  That’s how I feel about Rob.

But wait, there’s more. . .

The Commissioner of Real Estate (That’s how I see Bill Lublin.  In my eyes he’s the unofficial Commissioner of Real Estate, like Roger Goodel is the Commissioner of the NFL.) pours his feeling, beliefs, truths and realities all across the inter-webs in his post titled “Being Without Relationships is Being Without Business.”

Bill articulates the counter point in this Ménage à trois of blog posts on “Relationships or Robotics”.

You can click here to read Bill’s truths, or read the short rest of this blog post, and end where I share links to all three posts in order.

For the record, you already know how I feel about Bill.  He’s the Commish, man.

Now what…

At this point, if you haven’t already, I’d read everything in 1, 2, 3 order.  I’ve included the links below.  The comments are equally thought-provoking. But before you run off clicking and reading, read down to the 1, 2, 3.

After reading all three posts and their equally interesting comments, I sat quietly and thought-real-hard about what I believed and how I felt about it all. I invite you to join me, Chris, Rob, Bill and all the people who shared their comments on the subject.

Whether you believe in Robotics or Relationships isn’t the point.  To clearly understand what you believe in and why you believe it, that’s what’s most important and invaluable.

What do I think, “Relationships or Robotics?”

If you know me at all, you know what I think and how I feel.  I’m hands down a Relationship guy.  I’ve got no problem with the Robotics tribe borg, contrast is a good thing.  Especially if you’re on the right side of reality.

The 1, 2, 3 List

 1.  It Is No Longer A Relationship Business – Here’s Why

2.  If Real Estate Is Not In The Relationship Business, What Business Is It In?

3.  Being Without Relationships is Being Without Business

Cheers and thanks for reading.

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