New Style or Old?
Monday, June 1st, 2009
I recently read a blog discussion about new-fashioned “style” methods of real estate vs old fashioned “substance”. For example, should one do the cool new stylish thing – Twitter, Facebook, texting or the old reliable door-knock to prospect for short sales?
In a time when many people (including realtors like yours truly) are facing the largest financial challenge of their lives, I think it’s more important to be effective, than just efficient. So I would suggest that agents do the thing that makes the most effective use of their time. Door-knocking, for example, is probably the single most inefficient method of prospecting that has ever been invented, but probably the most effective. I can still remember getting five listings one afternoon as a result of handing out bags of corn on the cob to my farm area the day before. It’s highly inefficient to buy a bunch of corn, bag it, and then knock on doors and hand it to people. But what a rewarding smile you can get. And what an effective impact it can make.
If your market has heated up recently, you may find that personally delivering a contract may be less efficient than email or fax, but believe me, begging in person is so much more effective.
Technology is great at being efficient, but as others have pointed out, most realtors nowadays will find a marriage between the two works best. And sometimes you just have to stop and ask yourself, “Wait, am I being effective right now or just efficient.”
