CEO’s Introduction
Meanwhile, down at 100 Acre Wood, Christopher Robin looked at Owl’s demolished house.
“If you ask me, when a house looks like that, it’s time to find another one.” said Eeyore.
“That’s a very good idea, Eeyore,” said Christopher Robin
My kids love any story that is read to them, but ‘Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day’ is one of their favorites. Two of the characters crossed my mind this week when I learned about Professor Randy Pausch.
Professionally, Dr. Pausch is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon. Personally, he is a 46 year old father of three beautiful children ages 5, 2 and 1 and is married to Jai. Over the last few weeks, Dr. Pausch has received tremendous media coverage following his “Last Lecture.” The ninety-minute speech used to be called, ‘If you had one last lecture to give before you died what would it be?’ The tragic irony is that Dr. Pausch has pancreatic cancer and only months to live, making this a very real Last Lecture.
Watching the speech is truly one of the most moving things I have seen. Dr. Pausch seems to focus the lecture on “childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and some lessons learned.” But ultimately explains that the message of the lecture is completely different: “It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life.”
The connection with Winnie the Pooh comes when Pausch asks, “You just have to decide if you’re Tigger or Eeyore.” Anyone knowing Dr. Pausch, even those watching just a few minutes of his lecture, will see his energy and can’t help but be impressed by his positive outlook. “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. I think I’m clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate.”
Eeyores start their day with “Good morning, if it is a good morning, which I doubt.” And we all know people like that. And there are others, like Tigger, whose enthusiasm is so overpowering they really are bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
With headlines like, “Is This the End of the Line For Real Estate Agents?”, daily news pieces on record foreclosure rates, sub-prime mortgages, decreasing property values and the danger facing “sacrosanct commission rates of 6 percent,” is it only natural to be pessimistic? Winston Churchill once said, “There are a terrible lot of lies going around the world and the worst of it is half of them are true.” Individually we have all decided, consciously or subconsciously, where we stand on these issues.
In my many conversations with Realtors, it’s a shame that recently I have met a lot more Eeyores than Tiggers. Not that I always want someone “loaded with vim and with vigor,” but considering all things, tremendous opportunity exists for Realtors who try and see beyond today’s headlines.
Dr. Pausch spoke of “The elephant in the room,” that thing that no one wants to speak about. In his case it is cancer, for the real estate industry, the elephant comes in the form of the Department of Justice lawsuit against NAR.
My oldest daughter turned seven last month. She invited several friends to her birthday party and again I realized just how much I love kids, as long as they are my own.
I spent some time talking to one of the mothers who is a Realtor in a local office. When I asked her about the DOJ lawsuit she looked at me blankly. I was surprised to learn that she didn’t know anything about it adding, “No one’s ever mentioned it.” I asked her if she reads real estate news from either Inman or RIS Media. She told me she had never heard of either organization. This is a full time Realtor, working for a national Franchise, selling over fifty properties a year.
Britain’s greatest leader is also known to have said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” What can a Realtor do if they don’t even know about a current issue that could fundamentally change the way they work?
I would not have been surprised if this particular Realtor had said “I don’t want to know about all that stuff, I just focus on my own market.” This “ostrich” method of obtaining industry news is popular (my mother uses it for all news), but the “King Canute” technique seems to be a favorite. It involves standing tall and simply refusing to bow to the impending tides of change.
Dr. Pausch tells us, “Brick walls are there for a reason; they let us prove how badly we want things. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it bad enough.”
He adds, “Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.”
If you don’t already subscribe to the daily Inman and RIS Media (free) emails, then please, please do so. You might not agree with all the politics, but I can assure you that a wall is heading this way, and walking towards it with both eyes closed can only result in one thing – a bloody nose.
In current market conditions, finding something ‘Tiggerish’ to talk about is difficult. But that doesn’t mean we all need to be an Eeyore.
As always feel free to contact me personally, at any time, for any reason.
Stephen Fells,
CEO
Allen Hainge and AgencyLogic Announce Best Agent Website Winner
Congratulations to Diane Szoke & Carolyn Dubrofsky of Charleston Your Home in Charleston, SC for winning our Best Agent Website for www.CharlestonYourHome.com.
Our winner has a beautiful, effective site, one that exhibits simplicity, elegant design, ease of navigation and serenity. This site recognizes and meets the needs of today’s consumer rather than focusing on the agents.
For more information on our winner and runners up, click here.
What Makes a Website a Winner?
Here’s what Allen Hainge, CRS looks for in a successful agent Website:
- Downplay yourself…focus on the consumer
- Include thumbnail photos on listing inventory page (the PowerSite showcase is a perfect example of this)
- Present complete listing information including: multiple photos, virtual tour, area photos, downloadable brochure/flyer for every listing, downloadable relevant property documents, map and school information
- Include several “Ask Me For” response forms
- Do not make site visitors sign in to view listings
- Utilize auto responders for site inquires
- Have a specific action plan for following up on site inquires, usually tied to your real estate database
Click here to read what Allen Hainge had to say about our contest winner’s site and to learn how you can hire Allen to do an individual online evaluation of your own Website.
Client Success Interview: Karen Mathison
Previous PowerSite of the Month award winner, Karen Mathison of RE/MAX Associates of Boerne, Texas took some time to tell us how she is thriving in her marketplace with the use of the Internet and PowerSites.
Click here to read more about Karen.
Schedule of Events
Meet us at the following events for your chance to win a free PowerSite:
October 9-11
California Association of Realtors
Anaheim, CA
October 24-27
EXIT Annual Convention
Colorado Springs, CO
November 13-16
National Association of Realtors
Las Vegas, NV
Contact Us
US: (888) 201-5160
CA: (866) 484-2644
Fax: (845) 227-6497
For Sales: contact us here.
or sales@agencylogic.com
For Technical Support:
(888) 201-5160 x2
support@agencylogic.com
General Inquiries: info@agencylogic.com