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21 Comments so far

1. Greg Swann December 20th, 2007 12:12 pm

   I disagree completely. This is my comment to a post on this video at The Future of Real Estate Marketing:
   

   Not to rain on everyone’s parade, but Daniel Rothamel’s video is the polar opposite of good marketing. Given that it appeals to you, to Lani Anglin and to Jeff Brown on BHB, that should tell you precisely whom it will not appeal to. The video is pandering and condescending, insulting to consumers. I have huge respect for Daniel and his skills, but this is a good example of how the incestuousness of the RE.net leads people astray. There’s nothing wrong with being cordial, but if we’re so interested in courting each other that we can’t see when we’re sneering at our clients, we’re playing entirely the wrong game.

2. Jeff is right. Daniel is onto something… « 4realz.net December 20th, 2007 12:17 pm

   [...] (via Jeff) [...]

3. Ken Montville December 20th, 2007 12:48 pm

   I don’t think I agree with you, Greg. I have seen lots and lots of posts on different blogs and websites preaching the same message — it’s about the price.

   Daniel does it in a video that’s simple and direct. And it comes from a third party giving it some authority (vs me who is really just interested in the “quick sale” so I can get my commission )

   Heck, David Knox, monster “old school” guru, has a 20 minute DVD called “Pricing Your Home to Sell”. The difference between that and Daniel’s is production snazz…and length.

4. Jeff Brown December 20th, 2007 1:02 pm

   I’m stickin’ with my first impression on this. Anyone offended is looking to be offended. Anyone who reads Daniel regularly, especially on his Zebra site, knows he’s not only the real deal, but he’s a genuine guy.

   Genuine + Perceived Expertise + Simple = Effective

5. Greg Swann December 20th, 2007 1:09 pm

   Again: “The video is pandering and condescending, insulting to consumers.” Your reaction to it is not what I’m talking about.

6. Don Reedy December 20th, 2007 3:43 pm

   Greg,

   Don’t think this is a pandering video. That it be so would imply that Daniel is somehow attempting to exploit a known weakness in the client, and appeal to their basest instincts. Clearly this video is an attempt at the opposite tack. Daniel is trying to make the client aware, do so simply, and he is appealing not to their lowest or basest abilities, but to that side of the typical client that needs to be vetted in what could almost be called an intervention….that side of the typical consumer that needs the most professional advice some of us give; i.e. the buyer’s idea of money and the seller’s idea of money are distinctively different.

   And honestly you can’t say “Your reaction to it is not what I’m talking about” since the video without a reaction is what, a falling tree in the forest with no one around?

   You, in the role of a consumer, feel insulted. Others in the same role will no doubt feel the opposite. But this is unchained, no? Unchained means that some of the consumers will be freed by this information, perhaps even better consumers for it, and thus this video shouldn’t be colored with just a single crayon. Let Daniel color (even in black and white), and never think that the stick figures your kids make up are any less significant than a Miro. (I had a Miro once, and I think I actually felt I might be being “had” over its importance).

7. Steve Berg December 20th, 2007 4:56 pm

   Since it is the political season, I’ll just say that I see both sides of this. And like in politics, from a practical standpoint it doesn’t matter. There is the “message” that we agents, looking from the outside in, see so clearly. Yet to many sellers, their perception is their reality. Either their home is “special” meaning that the laws of supply and demand are no longer applicable, or there is a belief that their home value has not dropped as much as the others in their neighborhood, for whatever reason. It’s natural and it’s emotional and it’s one of the the most important reasons to have a good agent - someone to bring objectivity to the process. The toughest nut to crack is to win the sellers trust, because if they’re not buying into your message it’s all for naught.

   Having said all this and since if I’m correct it doesn’t matter, I really enjoyed the video. Thanks Jeff!

8. Kris Berg December 20th, 2007 5:56 pm

   I like Daniel, and I enjoyed the video. I will try to remove myself and imagine my reaction if my home has been on the market for four months, if I have spent every morning for the past 120 days vacuuming and Windexing the bathroom mirrors and generally putting my life on hold, if I have done everything my agent has asked of me, from pricing to staging to taking the children for ice cream every time an agent calls from my driveway (some times at 8:00 in the morning), and I am tired. If I am this person, I might not be feeling the love.

   >There’s nothing wrong with being cordial, but if we’re so interested in courting each other that we can’t see when we’re sneering at our clients, we’re playing entirely the wrong game.

   I like this statement a lot, and the idea of remembering who we are really here to speak to is something that I constantly have to remind myself of. (For the record, my Broker of Record even had to “remind” me once. ) So, I will hold my husband up as an example, since he is in the other room and none the wiser - that, and he is not my intended audience.

   Whenever a discussion in our home ensues (discussion = argument), I always tell Steve that it is not the message I object to but the delivery. As Ken mentioned, we have all posted on the subject of proper pricing. The finesse is in delivering the message in a constructive, instructive manner versus in a “your mamma” sort of way. I am not saying that Daniel did, but I’m just saying that this raises an interesting issue.

   At the risk be being too tangential, we do tend to “court each other” to the extreme, forgeting why and for whom we are doing this.

   Having said that, I thought it was funny.

9. Greg Swann December 20th, 2007 6:13 pm

   > Having said that, I thought it was funny.

   Precisely. And would you even consider loading it onto your laptop and incorporating it in your listing presentation? Anything even remotely like that? If you were interviewing a vendor, would you welcome an introductory presentation like that? Can you name any circumstance where you as the controller of the purse strings would want to be treated as that video treats consumers? I swear, sometimes I think I’m from Planet Glinko.

10. Russell Shaw December 20th, 2007 6:18 pm

    I really liked watching the video and thought it was witty and quite funny. I also agree with Greg - there is NO way I would promote that to my clients. If someone already knows Daniel and find him completely credible then the video is not necessary. If they did not already know him, like him and trust him - and had an overpriced house - I seriously doubt they would lower their price as a result of watching the video. I can say the very same thing about the stuff David Knox churns out. His stuff is polished and he is a very dynamic speaker. But any agent telling their customers to “listen to him” is also saying, “no need to listen to me”. I would not use nor would I recommend someone else use a David Knox video to get a price reduction.

11. Todd Carpenter December 20th, 2007 8:34 pm

    IMO, The general advice to not overprice your house reinforces the primary accusation that Levitt & Dubner made of the industry. It’s selfish advice. Imagine a loan officer telling a client how much easier it will be to get approved if they simply agree to a high risk, limeted doc loan? Yeah, it might be easier, but it’s probably not the best deal for the consumer.

    It’s a RE agents job to find the right price, and that price might me lower than what the owner expects, but it should only be offered after an agent has reviewed a particular property.

    I hope I do not offend Daniel, but to be honest, I think the video is terrible. Especially considering how beautifully he has leveraged video up until now. To me, the entire charm of using video is that you can impart your own personality in what you are saying. People can tell it’s sincere, or sarcasm, or whatever by the way you talk. This video does none of that. It can be interpreted as advice, or condescending insult. It’s no more powerful than simple text.

12. Robert Kerr December 20th, 2007 8:41 pm

    Well said; I could not agree more, Greg.

13. Ken in Chicago December 20th, 2007 8:53 pm

    >”If you were interviewing a vendor, would you welcome an introductory presentation like that? Can you name any circumstance where you as the controller of the purse strings would want to be treated as that video treats consumers?”

    This video alone would guarantee I would never use your services if shown to me. We all talk about proper pricing, or at least we should, but there is professional way to do so and this just isn’t it.

    Now I personally think that it could be tweaked and targeted to agents. They are the real problem anyways, there would be no overpriced listings if agents would just be willing to say no to the sellers.

14. Teri L December 20th, 2007 9:43 pm

    Howl, howl, howl.

    On my home blog, I’ve only linked to other RE blogs a handful of times because I try like the dickens to avoid that incestuous “echo chamber”. But I did link to this video. I added it to the end of my post because I felt it was a nice compliment to what I was posting about- same message, different style.

    It’s not insulting or pandering in that context, it’s not out of line for my market. I prefaced the link with an introduction to the REZebra’s “calls ‘em how he see’s ‘em” motto. I think I do a nice job of gently leading the reader along through the post to the point where they can put the video into perspective.

    I do hope Daniel continues to create these- they will only get better. There is some usefulness to his message and this style of delivery.

15. Benn December 20th, 2007 10:28 pm

    It’s no more offensive than the apple commercials that make fun of windows machines- it implies (as well as those who rag on windows) that windows users are somehow less than. That being said, I find the commercials to be funny and generally watch them twice when on. I think any way you communicate with the consumer that is different and fun you score attention (this is a win), and no, you wouldn’t use it in a listing presentation, but in a 2.0 world, found on youtube or google, the place is perfect, it’s catchy, and to me it’s rather humble in it’s appeal. Coming from a public relations background, the video neither does damage, nor improves his image, but it does lend a message which in the long run may help someone- and if it doesn’t, chances are it didn’t hurt them either. Found in Daniel’s blog the video lends to his voice, and will be in absolute context. This context is what will assist Daniel in making his consumer think and absorb the information, which he will solidify in a listing presentation. You know what you get with Daniel, he’s honest- I’d hire his integrity in a heartbeat, the video only changes the tone of voice in which he redelivers his message.

16. Controversy over the Black & White Video : agentgenius.com December 20th, 2007 11:07 pm

    [...] (2) Read all comments in the link above, then read all comments on the Bloodhound Blog.  What a mixed bag- this is crazy.  THIS is controversial?  Wow. [...]

17. Todd Carpenter December 21st, 2007 12:17 am

    Benn, I think you make a good point that in the context of being on Daniel’s blog, the video would be more sincere. I guess because I saw it on FoREM, I didn’t look at it this way.

    The video would definitely be looked on more positively in that regard.

18. Matthew Rathbun December 21st, 2007 5:21 am

    OMG! Did someone wake up on the cranky side of the blog? Was there just not enough diatribe elsewhere? Looking at my market in Northern / Central Virginia, Daniel’s videos are right on the money. I have had these frank conversations with clients, even on the first visit. I am not taking a listing any longer where the sellers will not listen to frank comments from me. I think the video casts are great and appeal to Daniel’s niche marketing plan. Not all of us are thrilled with the Pollyanna way in which NAR has promoted agent interaction. C21 has a commercial series (I am a C21 agent) in which the buyer is thinking their agent for showing a bazillion houses. Why is the AGENT doing that? Why are we promoting this type of abuse to us? Take a stand, tell ‘em how it is, I say! I think Zebra did a great job on this, and I wish I had thought of it first!

19. Charleston real estate blog December 21st, 2007 5:26 am

    Greg, I’m sorry but I can’t agree with you on this one since I usually do agree with you when I understand what you are saying.

    First of all, this isn’t listing presentation material. But if it was, maybe sellers do need a sledgehammer to wake them up and get real with pricing their homes to sell when competing with thousands of other available homes. I think Daniel was cleverly ‘tongue in cheek’ in the message.

20. Seattle Bubble » Blog Archive » A Tip for Current Home Sellers December 21st, 2007 9:12 am

    [...] And if the video wasn’t entertaining enough for you, check out some of the reaction among other blogging real estate agents around the country. Most of the agents in the various blog comment exchanges reacted positively to the video, but there were some exceptions… [...]

21. Spoiler alert: Yet another post about you-know-what | BloodhoundBlog: Real estate marketing and technology blog | Realtors and real estate, mortgages, lending, investments December 23rd, 2007 6:16 pm

    [...] I do Twitter though, and from that I’ve met quite a few RE.net bloggers, and I have completely enjoyed making Twitterfriends with each and every one of them. One of my favorites (yeah I got favorites, don’t you?) is Daniel Rothamel. There are very few RE.net bloggers I respect more than Daniel. We’ve had several offline conversations, and that is a RE.net relationship that I value. Earlier last week when he tweeted that he just posted a video, I didn’t hesitate to take a look. I like Daniel’s video. I did then, and I do now. I thought it went well as a link to a post on my home blog, so I added it without hesitation. Then Jeff Brown posted about it and fast forward to all hell breaking loose. [...]