My mind is alive with themes for BloodhoundBlog posts that I’m not writing — the Principle of the Yes Man and the Elephant on the Balcony and Prometheus the Mind-Giver. I’d write more, except my having written so much over the past three years is paying off in spades — in diamonds, as it were.
But in the comments to Chuck Marunde’s marvelous post on the ubiquity of the part-time Realtor, the idea of improving the quality of practitioners came up again.
We’ve been through all of this many times before, and a search of the archives on the terms “licensing” should prove enlightening. But this is the Cliff’s Notes on my own position on the topic: Licensing laws serve only to enshrine mediocrity by implying that minimum standards are adequate and sufficient. To the contrary, a higher standard of care among real estate professionals will be achieved not by stricter licensing laws, and not by the National Association of Realtors, but by the persistent application of market-borne pressure. In other words, a higher quality of service among real estate professionals will come about when superior practitioners raise the bar — and tell the world they have done so.
To which sentiment I will amend this addendum: Ahem!
This is the BloodhoundBlog mission, of course, and, at our third anniversary, I wrote about how proud I am that the word “Bloodhound” has become a de facto meme for quality in the practice of real estate.
And: Nothing exceeds like excess. Anything worth doing is worth over-doing. So I’ve made a little button you can put on your web site or weblog, if you like, to spark a Bloodhound-like conversation. That much is the Elephant at the Dining Room Table: Your clients aren’t thinking about quality because the state and the NAR have schooled them to look for meaningless imprimaturs instead. If you want for your clients to be able to identify the better from the worse, you have to initiate the conversation with them. The buttons you see below can help you get that discussion started.
Witness:
160 pixels square:
125 pixels square:
To install the button of your choice, just select all the code within the text box and paste it in your sidebar or wherever you might want it to go. If you use the WordPress sidebar widgets, there are folks here who can tell you how to install a button like this in a widget.
To address the inevitable kvetching in advance: Yes, these buttons link back to here. Why? In order to let your clients know where they can go to see an uncamouflaged debate about high-quality service and representation among serious real estate professionals. We never forget the ninety-and-nine, and BloodhoundBlog is an outsized challenge to everything that has been substandard in the real estate profession. We want for our clients to see us here so that they can grasp how serious we are about raising the bar — and about chasing the bums out of our business.
Readers more contemplative may wonder if we are not diluting the Bloodhound meme by making these buttons available to anyone who might want them. This seems unlikely to me. To post one of these little badges is to promote the conversation the text of the button elicits. If you are not prepared to talk about going that extra mile, you would be ill-advised to raise the topic in the first place. But if you are prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done right, you will do better for your clients and for yourself by taking on the elephant in the room without having to be asked.
Is this the ultimate solution to our problem? I’m sure not. But it is a preliminary tactic, a way to turn the marketing conversation in our direction. If we can spread the idea that quality is the only distinction that matters, in choosing a real estate practitioner, we will not only grow our own businesses, we will effect a permanent improvement in the real estate marketplace for everyone.
That’s a goal worth pursuing, don’t you think?
Al Lorenz says:
It’s on my sites. Happily, a brand that signifies quality well beyond the Realtor logo!
August 5, 2009 — 10:47 am
Don Reedy says:
“….quality is the only distinction that matters.”
The buttons are up, prowling the junkyard, keeping the bums at bay…….
August 5, 2009 — 1:44 pm
Keith Lutz says:
Thank you… I moved it below the American Flag, but above the REALTORS pledge on my home page!
August 5, 2009 — 3:11 pm
Cheryl Johnson says:
While all things Bloodhound are very dear to me, I am struggling here. The more years I am in this biz, the more uncomfortable I become with speaking in absolutes.
I truly hope and want to deliver exceptional value to our clients. But can I say that always happens, absolutely, in every single deal we make? The truthful answer is no, perhaps it is not humanly possible.
And the word teach? Now there’s a word that makes me cringe. In my mind, to “teach” seems to assume I am smarter than the person I am teaching. I usually make a point of saying “let me ~show~ you how to do that.”
Greg, perhaps you could provide an alternate version of the text that would read something like: “We believe in delivering exceptional value to our clients. You can join our conversation as we explore this belief here…”
You could call it the New Age Wuss Version….
August 5, 2009 — 7:07 pm
David Losh says:
Raising the bar is an interesting concept when any one talks about a Real Estate.
Any one can make a million dollars by creating a Real Estate.
Every late night infomercial, the seminars, buy the book, or tapes for only $99.50 is absolutely true. I’ve done it and seen it done. I’ve given the seminars and Yes You CAN make a million dollars building a Real Estate.
As another example, a long time client of mine and his wife divorced in 2002. He wanted to sell their apartment buildings. They owned five or six around Queen Ann Hill, a nice neighborhood in Seattle. They are older brick buildings.
This guy worked on all of those buildings replacing wiring, plumbing, refurbishing all of the classic architectural detail. They are absolutely pristine. In 2002 when prices first took a jump he wanted to sell, his wife wanted to keep the retirement nest egg. He was concerned about an economic collapse.
They had to liquidate in order to settle the divorce. She took her money and bought a self storage building, some water front condos, and put the rest in Treasuries. He put his money in Mutual Funds and cash. They closed in 2005. In 2007 he looked pretty stupid. Today he’s a genius once again.
She was a secretary for AT&T and he was a line man. He quit working when the first building began to cash flow and the second was nearing completion of the remodel. They had bought a third and decided him working days and refurbishing a building at night was too much. She retired after twenty five years with a pension.
The point is these are every day down to earth people. Working people who could care less if the paper work is correct as long as the deal can close and know they did the right thing. I have gone toe to toe with some pretty smart guys who all thought they were slick, the paper work was perfect, and we never go to court, every body wants to settle.
You can know the law, but can you use it? Will you use it? Will you grind the other person to dust for your client? Can you ensure that the opposition will be so backed into a corner they have to capitulate?
The paper work can’t help you. We write Agreements. We facilitate a meeting of the minds. The contract is signed at escrow and recorded. I have come to Agreement on a cocktail napkin and it was legally binding, as an Agreement.
When I first walked into a Real Estate office with my jeans and 1968 Ford Galaxy 500 parked in front I remember all the guys in suits looking at me like I was doing something to offend them. When I got a license my first broker would sit and pick his ears with a paper clip.
Those were the bad old days of plaid jackets and big hair. Century 21 was so offended they used to advertise their agent wore only gold jackets. Another guy who was raising the bar had all his sales associates wear blue blazers.
Now we have the web 2.0 with an online Brokerage raising the bar by going to Congress and getting rebate Brokerage legalized. Rebate used to be called “kick back” in the bad old days. Today it’s an improvement.
The office that holds my license is owned by a guy who was in a Chinese refugee camp fifteen years ago. Our top producer is from Gambia and he has made over $300K so far this year. If we raise the bar will a couple of guys with a tenuous grasp of the English language still have these kinds of opportunities?
We need to do what’s right and fight what’s wrong. We have a duty to conduct business in an honorable way. We need to help get to that meeting of the minds with dignity.
August 5, 2009 — 8:04 pm
Mark Madsen says:
“In other words, a higher quality of service among real estate professionals will come about when superior practitioners raise the bar — and tell the world they have done so.”
Excellent
August 7, 2009 — 10:38 am
Teri L says:
Cheryl-
I understand exactly what you are saying, I’m very nervous about posting this as well. It means I must deliver the goods. Gulp. So we step up our game. It’s both an inwardly and outwardly directed challenge. I love a challenge…
>to “teach” seems to assume I am smarter than the person I am teaching.
Have you been to a school lately? Adjust your assumption. Trust me, teachers are not smarter, they simply know how to share specific information. You do that every day. That’s one thing we get paid for, that’s one way we create value.
A belief is nice. Acting on the belief is nicer. 🙂
August 16, 2009 — 7:03 am