…for some people. Wow, did I actually write that? I am launching one of the biggest technology platforms of my career right now and have worked on the cutting edge of technology in our industry for 15 years and yet today, I am going to say, some agents just need to surrender and forget about ever incorporating technology into their business and stop investing time and money in the newest and greatest widgets. They just will never use it and it is a waste of time and money and can actually hinder their ability to make a living in our industry. Once they give it up, they will be free to do what they do best to generate leads, which is making friends, going to lunch, attending social functions and/or playing a round on the golf course.

For those of you struggling with technology, this isn’t a “get out of tech jail free” message. I still believe technology plays a huge and vital role in our industry and if you can adapt it into your business even in a small way, you will be ahead of a majority of agents. In this article, I am referring to a very small and select group of agents.

I recently attended a party with some agents who worked with me at my Prudential brokerage in Tucson and ran into a fantastic agent whom I have great respect for. She and her husband have been in the industry for over 25 years and have sustained a lucrative business. When she asked what I was up to I, of course, immediately started ranting about the new technology solutions I am helping to build and launch and how she could benefit from them. I saw the glaze and the immediate shut down. Then it dawned on me, this agent was the one for whom I kept a 3X2 foot paging system at my front desk for 5 years after everyone else had moved on to cell phones…. She still has the last couple MLS books printed for nostalgia. She is highly resistant to change and my in-house tech team was constantly on her personal computer fixing something trivial or finding lost emails. Driving across town to deliver documents vs. faxing or emailing was much more comfortable for her.

This agent, and many more out there like her, has the ability to grab a HUGE niche market. I find it very interesting that technology has spawned this Niche market that didn’t exist just 5 years ago…. The new “Non-Tech” Consumer who is surrounded by a tech world.

There are many buyers and sellers who are just like these agents but fear admitting to their “new found” techy agents that they really don’t want to use Docusign to sign contracts. They have no desire to login to anything anywhere! These clients have to ask family members and friends to pull down and print emails and efaxes because they don’t even own a personal computer. They have no idea why anyone would want to text, or for that matter, Tweet and they just recently got their first cell phone.

These non-tech agents are not all older either. Some are in their 30s and 40s but, a majority are in their late 50s and 60s. They have been scolded for not updating their profiles on MLS and scoffed at because they don’t have a website, CRM, LinkedIn, MySpace etc. So, what do they do? They go out and buy and attempt to set up all these tools and fail miserably or end up having to pay someone lots of money to do it for them. Reality is, they will NEVER use it and it will always be subpar making them look a lot less professional than they are.

How can these agents capture this great niche? By marketing to the idea that they are NOT TECH SAVVY AND DO BUSINESS THE OLD FASHION WAY. You could have a lot of fun with this marketing strategy by doing a series of old fashioned postcards and ads with images that demonstrate how we used to do business in our society.

Leaders and managers, stop trying to force feed technology onto these agents and embrace the fact that all you have to do is help them get systems in place to get their snail mail contact database onto labels they can copy and get their monthly newsletter or recipe postcards in the mail to their sphere and a geographic farm that best represents their tech abilities such as retirement communities, older established areas etc.

All you non-tech agents get on your rotary phone and book some lunch dates and tee times with these consumers and grab this opportunity. The referral opportunity is fabulous because a lot of these consumers have friends and family just like them. It may not be a cash cow and bring you 200 closings a year, but it will be a great steady business that is in tune with your comfort zone.