Ready for Rule #2? Ok, here's how you can shake up your 2008 and the competition at the same time:

Real Estate Rule #2: Work Backwards from the Consumer

The more you study actual buyers and sellers in the market, the easier it will be to tailor your company’s services and tools to meet their needs. Maintain outward focus and everything you’ll need to improve internal systems will be readily apparent.

The real estate industry is actually really bad with this one (at least to date). The biggest example are "agent websites" which are the most total waste of money and time ever invented (ok, maybe growing Chia pets is a little worse). Every study ever done by NAR or anyone else will tell you that NO CONSUMER ever searches for AN AGENT when they go online. Sure, it's a wonderful ego stroke for agents, but it's factually and financially a disaster.

This same issue - of doing things because "we" (REALTORS) want to rather than because "they" (Consumers) want it is CRITICAL to success. And we give a LOT of lipservice to it in the business: we say we're "service oriented" but we don't answer our emails for days; we say we're "consumer friendly" but our attitude is "sign a contract or call me later" with most buyers (who we continue to call "liars" in our little pithy phrases). We meet prospects out at the listing and work with them from the trunk of the car, rather than having them visit the office, meet our company, learn about the process and prepare to effectively view homes. And we give lots of "huff and puff" to education, training and learning - but can't get agents to show up to anything that doesn't have Continuing Ed credits attached to it (or Feng Shui).

So, Rule #2 is about changing - or more importantly, eliminating - every self-centered habit and re-tooling our companies and services for the END user. Or, put it another way: You love you, your fellow REALTORS love you, but the consumer DOESN'T LOVE YOU - at least not immediately. It's not ABOUT YOU. It's about them.

Take a hard look at everything - from how your secretary answers the phone to IF you ever answer your email - and see if it's CONSUMER centric. Is your sales approach "You need me" or "I need you"? Is your goal with prospects to have them fall into your lap - or come to trust you after weeks or months of cultivating a relationship? Is your website about your ego and high-school hairdo - or about finance, investment, taxes, home ownership and other issues that continue to confuse consumers.

Get it? Following Real Estate Rule #2 means it's time to understand who's the boss... and it ain't you!

- M