Jerry was a Real Estate Broker… (aka the conduit between new and old)

Jerry was a race car driver, And he drove so goddamned fast
He never did win no checkered flag, But he never did come in last
Jerry was a race car driver, He’d say el solo number one
With a bocephus sticker, On his 442 he’d light em up Just for fun

- Primus, “Jerry was a Racecar Driver”

The 1969 Camaro 302 V-8 was my dream car since I was a little boy, so please pardon the analogy of this post.

Picture the Camaro above as representing the American Real Estate Brokerage.  It was built a strong chassis, road gripping tires for any environment, and an engine that churned perfection.

It has been a tradition in it’s marketplace.

Born on the assembly line of Motor City, the unions created this work of art with their bare hands.

Dirty, greasy, made of molten steel, it consumed the elements around it

Long celebrated for it’s brand of muscle, power, design and air of freedom.

It has stood strong in its customer loyalty and commands an air of respect as it growls down the street.

Individuals around you looked, looked again, admired, and yearned for it.

People loved the Camaro… but its time has come and gone.

Today brings about the Toyota Prius of Real Estate Brokerages with 60 MPG, integrated bluetooth technology, super computers that allow analyzation of all systems in the car and aerodynamic design to aid in efficiency.

The Prius complies to all environmental standards, provides awesome safety to it’s drivers.

Engineered by robotics to be near flawless

Tweaked and streamlined in every way it rolls silent, brand-less, sophomoric, almost afraid to make noise.

The brokerage of tomorrow works its way into our homes and resides in garages across the United States.  Cold, Plastic, Unloved, Uncherished, it resides only to serve the purpose of it’s owner… never to experience the warm, wet embrace of a chamois on a sunny Summer day.

Where’s the love?

In countless posts across the Web, from 1000watt consulting to Inman to a post by Ashfaq Munshi over at FOREM and even the Notorious R.O.B. the topic of real estate brokerage’s future (and office) are dotting the radar.  But through all of the speculation, the insight, and the fanciful brainstorming (see my post for this here!) there’s one huge element missing.

Where’s the warm, wet chamois on a sunny summer day?

Here’s what the real estate brokerage of the future looks like in my muscle car mangled mind.

Welcome to the Brokerage of the Future, (a.k.a The 2010 Chevy Camaro)

Throughout the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World conference last week I submerged myself in both Geek Estate and Brokerage Estate as deep as I could go.  This is what I realized:

Geek Estate Thinks…

• The brokerage house of the past is dead, buried and old
• Twitter will solve the worlds’ real estate issues
• Faster, sleeker, interactive communication is not only expected, but demanded
• SEO, Lead Capture, CRM and Drip are the new biz-love words of the future

Brokerage Estate Thinks

• There’s a distinct rift between The Agent and The Brokerage
• I need to own the technology (fear)
• You can’t “love” an avatar
• The “family” brokerage I built is dead and gone
• There’s no way I can learn all of the technology that’s out there

I think that both are right… but both are dead wrong.  Where’s the mutually beneficial relationship?

The 2010 Chevy Camaro is a kickback to yesteryear and embraces tomorrow with both arms.  Brand, loyalty, love, mpg, innovation, design, efficiency, performance, power, technology are blended into a streamlined modern-day muscle car of the future.

My Thoughts on How to Transform you Brokerage into a Muscle Car?

1. Get a GREAT website that will help generate business (check out this link to see some of the best)

2.  Partner with a company like Onboard LLC. to provide local information to the consumers

2. Invest in a couple of local citizen journalists to teach your agents how to write great copy

3. Invest in some great Email marketing programs like MailChimp

4. Hire a couple of Temps or Interns to take agent created content and send it out to their clients

5. Use the copy that they write to power your company’s blog to engage your client and create killer SEO

6. Create an internal designation to create/educate The Best Realtors in your market

6. Align yourself with financial planners, attorneys, mortgage brokers, and inspectors to teach your agents advanced education and client “life cycle” marketing

7. Align yourself with the local school to teach your agents about client psychology

8. Open your doors to the consumers and answer ALL of their questions

9. Give the agents a 5% bump in commission if they will work virtually

10. Invest in something like homefeedback.com where it will automatically send out feedback requests

11. Send an email to all of your agents (Right Now) that tells them how much you appreciate all of their hard work, commitment, and encourage suggestions to capitalize on the market

The brokerage of the future will understand this and embrace all of these things and work dilligently to keep the culture and brand your company has created (or work hard to create this culture if you’re a newer brokerage).  Twitter can’t give a handshake.  But realize that the client DESERVES and EXPECTS the most cutting edge online experience that you can deliver.  It’s not one or the other… the goal should reside somewhere in the middle between 1969 and Prius.

And if you achieve this happy medium…  you will have created something admired, yearned for, desired and loved by not only the consumer, but your agent population as well.

Matthew Dollinger

The You Factor