Title is super sexy.  It’s profitable, veiled in mystery, and clad in a lead jacket of regulation that protects it from change. Which explains why Opendoor bought OSN National Title this week.   Outwardly, Opendoor CEO Eric Wu framed the deal in customer experience terms: “Consumers are confused about the status of the close and timeline, … Continued

I don’t have to look at the airline snack menu anymore, I just order. That makes me feel good. I have favorite flight attendants.  Advil and Visine are my drugs of choice.  The airline mile is stronger than the U.S. dollar in my mental marketplace.  It has been a pressurized summer.  Consequently, I haven’t written … Continued

Your marketing might be boring if… Your competitor uses the same tagline (or headline) or some version of it. Your marketing might be boring if… You need a dictionary to decipher your product descriptions. Your marketing might be boring if… The word “leverage” appears in your copy. Your marketing might be boring if… It’s easily … Continued

You are the most important entity in the real estate business. Hands down. The commissions you earn flow outward to sustain a vast array of companies and people.  Without you, the real estate ecosystem as we know it would not exist.  You guide buyers and sellers through minefields. It will take centuries still for artificial … Continued

Start with why. Finish with how. Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” created a gravitational pull to a branding ideal. It generated rich banter across our industry and beyond. For those unfamiliar, the author’s premise is simple: rather than position your product or service around what you do, such as… We provide an on-demand, cloud-based sales, … Continued

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes called it the State of Nature. The human condition before government. Before we as individuals concede our right to do whatever we want, whenever we want, in order to make life secure and sane. This deal we make is commonly referred to as a social contract. It’s the underpinning of our … Continued

WASH ME This phrase, finger-drawn on dusty cars, comes to mind each time I take a call from a brokerage company seeking help with their brand. But unlike the car — where a quick application of suds, water and Armor All does the trick —  restoring the shine to a company requires strategy, creativity and … Continued

The “Homeservices” business model has been the wind beneath the real estate brokerage industry’s wings for years now. That many real estate companies rely upon mortgage origination, title insurance or homeowners’ insurance as their profit centers is now a commonly understood reality.  And the model is remarkably durable. Homeservices of America was built on it; … Continued

Marc and I were driving north on I-5 back to Portland from a day out of the office when we saw this: On first pass, I dismissed it as a basic attempt at branding. A car wrap? Goes right along with all the terrible headshots, cheesy slogans, bus benches and ads on supermarket carts. But … Continued