Stand Up for Yourself

Tech with Ty.

🤖 [T]echnology: Canva on Steroids

🎓 [E]ducation/Entertainment: Lights. Phone. Education.

💪[C]oaching: The Getaway

📹 [H]ow To: Stand Up for Yourself

[T]echnology:

Canva has long been a fan favorite of real estate agents. You don’t need what feels like a computer engineering degree to use it, unlike Adobe. However, it certainly has its limitations. ❌

Until yesterday (as of writing), ok maybe in the near future.
 

Canva recently acquired a company called Affinity.

This will allow Canva to better compete with more complex edits, much like Adobe Photoshop Express.
 

I imagine this, paired with AI, will lead to the demise of graphic designers…totally kidding, Abby! 🤣 You still have to have an eye for design and know what attracts consumers.
 

Ok, so it won’t get rid of graphic designers, but it will make their lives much easier because they won’t need to jump between products. This will, in turn, make the lives of agents easier with shared templates and quicker turn arounds on edits. 👏👏

No telling when this will actually launch, but I foresee Canva taking away some major market share from Adobe.

[E]ducation:

Along with every other “expert” in the industry, I did a webinar last week on what’s next for our industry.

I’m not going to rehash what’s been said hundreds if not thousands of times by now, but no one knows what the final outcome will be.

If buyers' agents are required to have buyer broker agreements signed before showing potential buyers a property, what will happen to the Zillow business model? 🤔🤔

In the past, it’s always been whoever can answer the phone and schedule the showing first certainly has a better chance of capturing and converting that lead, but what does the conversation look like when you are required to present them with a contract before you walk in the door? One could argue that this exact issue is what helped devalue our industry. 
 

Unless Zillow or whatever agent/ISA is the best salesman on the planet or offers a ridiculous incentive to sign a buyer-broker agreement via dotloop before they’ve even met the agent, chances are slim to none that this will be the model moving forward. ❌
 

There are still slim chances, but the only way to build trust with someone is through education, aka video. We know that consumers will work with someone they know, like, and trust, but the only way to accomplish this with someone outside your sphere is through video.
 

Forget Lights. Camera Action. 

2024 will be the year of Lights. Phone. Education. 💡

Now more than ever, you have a chance to be the go-to resource for consumers looking to buy or sell.

[C]oaching:

I’ve discussed the importance of vacations and days off in the past. However, given the recent climate of the real estate industry, there is no time more important than now. It’s easy to get caught up in the nonsense. The endless Facebook posts and forums, the constant clickbait headlines…they take a toll. 😟😟

My wife and I left on Sunday for spring break with the kids and our 8-month-old puppy to stay in a camper for a week, and I couldn’t have needed anything more. 💆‍♂️ This may not sound like an ideal vacation to you, but the beer is cold, and the memories being made are far more important than today’s update on NAR. 😴 Other than a few minutes scrolling some group chats with my homies and writing Tech with Ty before the rest of the family is awake, I have refrained from spending this vacation on my phone… I certainly have not missed the endless time suck of social media.
 

As my wife and I were preparing for our trip, I had to drop off my truck to get the oil changed. For the first time in… I can’t remember, we had lunch together—just the two of us—and it was fabulous. It was just an hour out of another jam-packed day.

The problem is those jam-packed days turn into weeks, then months, then years. 😔
 

Whatever fits your fancy, plan your next trip, take the time for lunch with a loved one, turn off your phone, and enjoy it!

[H]ow To:

Being a Realtor is a funny thing. You have no set hours, you have no designated vacation time off, and unless you are on a team, you are alone. 😔

Since you are so accessible, there really are no boundaries. If you have been in this business for more than three months, I’m sure you’ve had a client that has tested these boundaries and even surpassed them. You don’t want to seem inaccessible but at the same time, you want them to know that certain behaviors are unacceptable. How do you ensure you don’t end up in these situations? ❌

Be Transparent

Define Your Availability⏱️: Specify your working hours and days of availability. Whether it's Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., or specific hours on Saturdays, establish a consistent schedule and adhere to it.

Communication Channels: Communicate your preferred modes of communication. If you prefer clients not to rely solely on text messages, express this preference clearly. Share the most effective ways to reach you, tailored to different situations (e.g., texting or calls for urgent matters, emails for detailed discussions), along with expected response times.

Ask What They Expect 🙋

In any client relationship, both parties have expectations and boundaries that shape the interaction. While it might seem odd for clients to present you with a formal list, it's essential to initiate the conversation.

Asking serves two valuable purposes:

It demonstrates genuine concern for your client's needs and preferences.

It facilitates the establishment of a mutually agreed-upon working arrangement.

For instance, if a client requests Sunday availability, engaging in dialogue allows you to express any constraints and suggest alternative solutions, fostering understanding and collaboration.

Stand Up for Yourself 🥹

Ultimately, you hold the responsibility for maintaining your boundaries, not your clients.

It's crucial to clearly communicate your expectations and requirements to your clients, but it's equally important to enforce them independently.

For example:

If weekends are off-limits for client communication, refrain from responding to texts and emails during that time.

If you've established a cut-off time at 6 p.m. and a client requests a meeting at 7 p.m., politely decline.

In cases of disrespect, offensiveness, threats, or inappropriate language, assertively communicate that such behavior is unacceptable to you.

If all else fails and you need a last resort, letting the client go is always an option.

-Ty Morton