A Lesson in Transparency

🤖 [T]echnology: My Favorite Time of Year...
🎓 [E]ducation/Entertainment: YOU MATTER
💪[C]oaching: A Lesson in Transparency
📹 [H]ow To with Abby: Build and Maintain Relationships

[T]echnology:

It’s iPhone time!!! 📱

If you’re a nerd like me, you watched the latest Apple Event showcasing the new iPhone.

There’s no groundbreaking feature like when they launched a front-facing camera and Facetime.

The camera gets incrementally better year after year, the processor gets faster, etc.

When I consider whether or not I’m going to upgrade…Who am I kidding? I’m going to upgrade…I look at features that will increase productivity or make our videos at Agent After Hours better. 📹

First up, I’m very excited about the addition of the action button. I use voice memos quite frequently, and being able to simply click a button to start a new memo is awesome. It may be a moot point when my PlaudNote comes in, but I’ll certainly find another use for it.

Second, the addition of USB-C. (Cue the laughter from Android fans.) While the iPhone has more accessories than you could ever possibly need, the ability to record video directly to an external hard drive is incredibly helpful for our workflow. Typically, I’ll record videos and then Airdrop them to Abby, but sometimes these videos are 20gBs. Now I’ll simply hand off the hard drive after recording. 👏👏

The additional zoom on the Pro Max is nice for shooting photos of my kids at sports, but not that helpful for real estate. One thing I am excited about is the 3D video feature. I don’t see us using this as advertised for the Apple Vision Pro, but I am hopeful they open this technology up to third parties for 3D virtual tours. 🤔

Needless to say, stay tuned for a side-by-side comparison in a few weeks!

[E]ducation: 

September is Realtor Safety Month.

You don’t have to look far for alarming statistics.  

In 2022:

· 45,000 REALTORS® were victims of a crime while performing their duties.

· 300,000 REALTORS® felt fear for their safety while on the job.

· 400,000 REALTORS® don’t have safety protocols in place to protect themselves.

😮😮😮

Unfortunately, the standard of practice for many agents is to jump at the chance to meet a potential new client at a private residence. You wouldn’t meet a stranger on a dating site for the first time at a house (hopefully), so why are we still practicing real estate this way?

Meet customers at a coffee shop ☕ or your office to better understand their needs, explain the process, and demonstrate your value (see all past Tech with Ty emails on preparing for the massive shift in the way buyers are represented).

Set a safety timer on Homesnap or a similar app that will notify your emergency contacts if you don’t check in on time.

Better yet, consider Panic Button Jewelry like InvisaWear.

Most importantly, go with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it could be a sign that you need to make other arrangements.

If you ever need a safe place to meet a customer, regardless of your brokerage affiliation, our office doors are open to you. Just send me a message, and we’ll have coffee waiting for you. 🫶

[C]oaching:

This week Facebook has been a war zone. 💣 

We all know that Rappatonni had a cyber attack, and in the blink of an eye, we (CincyMLS) had no access to arguably the most valuable tool in our arsenal, the MLS.

Fast forward to the launch of Perchwell.

A complete and utter disaster. 🔥🔥🔥

Agents are pissed, and rightfully so, but the tipping point came when the MLS started a private Facebook group for agents to share listings and buyer needs in the absence of an MLS, but also to share tips and comments on Perchwell. 

The overwhelming consensus is that it is not ready for prime time.

That’s when the questions started rolling in. Who chose this system? Why? Did anyone read the privacy policy that allows the sharing of your data? The list goes on and on…👇

The sheer volume of comments was overwhelming, and I get it…those in charge now may have had no input on the decision to switch systems. But then comments started getting deleted, and inevitably, they turned off commenting on the entire group. 

This is when shit hit the fan. 💩

Again, I get it…no one could have predicted that a company like Rappatoni would get hacked and we’d have ZERO access to an MLS. This forced the hand of the MLS to launch a product that simply isn’t ready, but will it ever be?

Agents are demanding a switch back to Rappatoni. Agents are demanding transparency. Agents are pissed.

Many of these issues could/can be avoided with a proactive approach of transparency. Yesterday, they held a broker/manager meeting that did not live up to the expectations of further transparency. They held a webinar-style meeting in which we were not able to speak or discuss issues. We were allowed to type questions in the chat box, and in many cases, they filtered our questions. 🙉

This is the opposite of transparency.

Proactively an actual town hall meeting. Open up a Q&A. Don’t silence your members by shutting down the only means of communication they have.

Because it was handled this way, a group of agents and brokers have started a petition to demand a special meeting. 👏

Believe me, I do not envy the position of the elected leaders. There is a massive feeling of distrust, and being fully transparent is the only way to get through this. 

Take this lesson in transparency and apply it to your business in all aspects. Your clients expect the same proactive approach.

[H]ow To:

Building and maintaining client relationships is the foundation of your business. Without your clients, you aren’t making money. 💸💸 

If you don’t already have a sphere, my biggest suggestion is going to your local coffee shop ☕, telling the barista that you will pay for the next ten coffees and plopping yourself down with your business cards.

There is no easier way to introduce yourself to future clients without it coming off as a sleazy salesman. Odds are when they thank you for the coffee and see your business card, they are going to ask you how the market is. BUT, make sure THEY bring up real estate first. Don’t force the topic, make them feel like they were the ones reaching out to you. 🧠 

If you don’t want this forward approach, join every single local Facebook group that you can. No matter the topic, if your city name is in the group, join it. Respond to local recommendations, questions about the city and anything you feel you could give advice on. When local events are posted, go to them, meet people around town and start building your sphere. 💬

Once you start to build a foundation, ensure you are maintaining relationships. There are TONS of ways to stay in touch with your sphere. I can name ten right now…weekly emails, client events, social media, postcards, wishing them a happy birthday or home anniversary, sending personalized videos, sponsoring local events, market updates, drive by gifts, or creating educational videos.

Whatever you pick, just make sure you are doing something. Nothing is worse than seeing someone you know selling their home and you weren’t one of the first names they called. Stay top of mind and stay in touch. 💯

-Ty Morton