Early in his career, Steve Jobs compared the computer to a bicycle for the mind. He felt that people would use computers to do everything in their lives that people aren’t good at. At the time, most thought he was crazy. They were partially right. But as he also said later in life, it’s the crazy ones who are brave enough to change the world. Brave enough to be different. Brave enough to “think different”. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
In 2018, our focus in the Business Technology Forum is to help real estate agents leverage technology to do more. More of what it is you want. More time with your family. More revenue. More handshakes. More.
My passion for business technology comes from being of service to real estate professionals. To me, technology exists to be leveraged. It exists to connect. Real estate agents know that connecting with other human beings is at the core of what great agents do. I was recently speaking with a group of agents who are struggling to grow their business and they were talking about lead gen tools that cost hundreds, even thousands, of dollars a month. There is nothing wrong with lead gen, there are many agents doing it effectively and closing plenty of transactions. But, in my opinion, over the last 10 years the industry has been too focused on lead gen instead of people gen. Agents like to point their finger at companies like Zillow, but this obsession with lead gen rather than people gen has left the door wide open for a better consumer experience that Zillow provided. Zillow gets over 170 million unique site visitors a month. The battle is over, the war is won. Now what? How do we leverage technology within our spheres to create more handshakes, forge more connections and prevent further disruption?
According to NAR, close to 90 percent of buyers and sellers want a trusted real estate agent in the process. That is a good stat for agents. However, those same buyers and sellers surveyed are only 61 percent satisfied with the process. That is a bad stat for agents, loan officers, title agents, etc. Where does technology allow us to improve the process for consumers? That 61 percent number is the statistic that allows over $3.5 billion dollars in 2017 to be invested in disrupting the traditional real estate process. If I could print that last line in huge, bold, red letters I would. Sixty-one percent won’t cut it. We have to do better.
Technology is a vehicle for the mind. It’s a tool and an asset to make lives easier. At times overwhelming, we often suffer from tech overload. Folks are constantly trying to sell us the next new thing. Many times, these new things are no better than methods we’ve used for years. Our role in BizTech is to give agents clarity. We sift through the noise to present tools that enable agents to do more. To do better. To find a higher purpose. I hope you’ll join the forum this year to find new and exciting ways to leverage technology in your business.
To learn more about the Columbus REALTORS® Business Technology Forum, e-mail me at:[email protected].
Contact the staff liaison, Colin Finan, at:[email protected].
Check out Business Technology Forum on Facebook at:facebook.com/groups/biztechrealtors/.
