Relying on technology that is never truly implemented to bring you business is a waste of time and money so please stop whining about it.   So you bought the latest and greatest widget out there.  The vendor, in a hyped up seminar, promised it will bring you more business…now what?  This is the story I hear all the time.  Broker says, “I have this website that is supposed to bring me leads but I haven’t had one lead and now my business is tanking and it is the website and web provider’s fault.”  You can’t just throw a website up, get an IDX feed and expect miracles.  You have to work on it and in it.

Blame for lack of business is rampant.  What happened to self directives and responsibility?   I even hear from agents, “My new website (that I bought 3 days ago) isn’t up yet and I have lost at least 20 sales because of it. I am going to sue xyz web provider for lost business.”  How could that be if the agent never had a website before to even gauge what was possible? 

Yes, technology breaks and can cause issues but this is what flashes through my mind when I hear people make those comments. I hear:  ”I lost a gazillion dollars in sales because the phone system was down for 10 minutes.”  Same story…different times. Be real, there are agents out there making lots of money with no website, widgets or gadgets.  As a matter of fact, if you try to set them up on a widget, their business flounders because they are focused on the wrong things.  Get back to basics!!!  What activities did you do today to make you money?  The phone is still your best resource…pick it up!!  The blame game only hinders your ability to see the truth and make corrections in your actions in order to create success.

What would happen if all web technology disappeared tomorrow?  Could you still sell a house?  OF COURSE YOU COULD!  Whenever I say this, agents look at me like I just fell out of the sky.  They ask “But how would I find the listings?  How would I advertise my listings if I can’t upload to MLS?  Where would I get contracts without ZipFormsOnline?”   Ah, well, you could start by driving the neighborhood your client is interested in and looking for signs, or God forbid, knock on doors to see if people want to sell.   You could hire a sky writer to advertise your new listing or you could do what we did in the dark ages and meet weekly to pitch your listings and buyer needs to your local association peers.  Oh and, pen and paper with authorized signatures work quite well as legal documents.

Of course I believe in technology as a viable business builder.  I am a technology provider, it’s my job to sell you on technology.  I use it every day to make money.  Yes, there are people making lots of money using web strategies but the percentage is still very low and those people allocate a great deal of time, energy and resources to build that business.  If you are not prepared or capable of doing that then don’t expect to get the returns these people get.  To truly implement any technology takes time, money and most important, strategy.  Your web provider is not going to babysit your site.  As a matter of fact, they build their solutions so that YOU can manage them yourself and most of them truly don’t know very much about our industry.  

Where is your time better spent? Reading a how-to on creating web pages or making new friends?  Really think about this, especially those of you who are new to the business.  There is no magic bullet.  If it sounds too good to be true…yadda yadda.  Hire someone to manage your technology solutions and generate ADDITIONAL business for you.  Bring a few agents together and combine your financial resources to hire someone who really understands how to make it rain for you.  Hire the new zealous, techy agents to manage your website and drip campaigns and pay them a commission on all business they generate.  This scenario helps both of you and doesn’t cost a thing until you close a deal.

The foundation of most agent’s business should not be internet leads, period! There are 3 things that you should have a solid grip on before trying to make technology your cash cow.

1.  A solid contact database.  Ideally 300-500 contacts with 100 of them being your core foundation for referrals and repeat business.  You need full names, addresses, phone numbers and EMAIL addresses.   I don’t care if you start with 10…just start!  95% of agents do not even have a contact database working for them.

2.  A business plan.  Do you have a business plan?  If not then how do you even know where you are going and what you are supposed to be doing every day?  Read Dirk’s Business Plan blog to get you started.  http://www.realblogging.com/champion-real-estate-agent/business-plan

3.  Raving fans.  You must have a group of  people you have done business with, whether in real estate or any other business, that are your fan club and cheer leaders. (ok, distant relatives whom you pay a bit on the side works too ; )  Satisfying clients isn’t good enough.  Satisfied clients rarely refer you…heck they rarely ever use your services again.  Listen to the book on CD “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard the next time you are cruising neighborhoods for your buyers.

Getting back to basics and having someone assisting in your technology will make you feel more in control of your destiny and make your relatioship with your tech provider so much nicer ; )