Hijacked

If you’ve found yourself feeling passed over because you didn’t make a real estate industry list – you’ve been hijacked.

If you’ve found yourself living in fear of being disrupted while, in reality, the engine of change is in plain view to be seen, considered and responded to – you’ve been hijacked.

If you’ve found yourself buying, saying or doing things because you’ve felt compelled to do them by “influencers” – you’ve been hijacked.

If you’ve lost your ability to form independent views based on your own business, your own market, your own needs – you’ve been hijacked.

If you’ve found yourself doing things that position you to the “industry” but offer no identifiable ROI to your business – you’ve been hijacked.

What I have found

Last week I spent time inside a real estate company on no one’s radar, no one’s list.

This company has many agents who sell multi-millions a year in a place where home prices float around $150,000. Most of these agents spend little time thinking about technology (they just use it), don’t play social games and never think about some made up monster that will spring up and destroy their business.

When I took the stage at this company’s event, it was clear no one in the room had heard of my company. More importantly, I could sense that it didn’t matter to them either. As it should be.

The founder of this real estate company – a person who will probably never make a list or be cast as “important” in our industry – is someone you will probably never meet. But in all my years in real estate, I’ve never met someone with such leadership energy. With such grounding. With such a singular focus on everything that matters: values.

The executive team was cast in this die. Their president is a clear, decisive thinker and proactive ball of energy. Their COO is wise beyond his years. Their marketing director is a force of nature.

These people don’t fear anything. They conquer.

They don’t change their model. They perfect it.

They don’t clamor for industry attention. They run a business, well.

They aren’t in it to build an image. They live and breathe to make their agents successful.

They aren’t overwhelmed by technology or struggle with vendors. They buy the best, buy only what they need, pay the price and move on.

As a result, they are profitable. Respected. Growing. In solidarity with their agents in purpose and values.

They are unplugged from the noise that hijacks too many people in our business.

Time to take back ownership of your mind

Opendoor will not put you out of business. It will be a strong competitor for those with a weak value proposition and a non-entity for those with a strong one.  

If Keller Williams wants to be a tech company, they will be a tech company. If they piss off vendors, vendors can take a hike. I don’t think Gary Keller gives a flying fuck. Nor should he. The dude built a billion-dollar business. He clearly knows some things I don’t.

Compass writes fat checks to land agents. That doesn’t mean you should. Agents seduced by that may be the ones you really wanted working elsewhere anyway.

That the brokerage model will implode during our lifetime is the lowest hanging, most overripe fruit for the opinionator to grasp and fling. Duck and move on.

Portals are not the enemy. They aren’t even your competitor. If you’re afflicted with portal-noia, you may have forgotten who your customer is and why they need you.

Your agents don’t need more tools and more tech to win listings or join your company. That race can’t be won and isn’t worth running in the first place.

“The industry” isn’t real. It is no more real than a dry cleaning industry. Or a coffee shop industry. Play tourist there from time to time, but don’t go native to this fantasyland.

The only industry is your industry. Your business. Your market. Your employees. Your agents. Your community. Your world. Play there. That’s the world in which you possess power, influence and leadership. Inside this reality is where you will find the time, space and freedom to thrive.

“The industry” as we have come to know it is an insatiable beast sucking your attention, your thoughts, your resources and your energy.

It hijackacks you.

Last week, I was returned to a place that reminded me of what is good, true and real about real estate.

I plan to stay there a while.