What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
In the summer of 1966, Jimmy Ruffin released a song on the Motown label called “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.”
Here is the signature chorus of that song:
What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that’s now departed?
I know I’ve got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe.
In the fall of 2010, I was in New Orleans at the National Association of Realtor’s “NARdiGras” conference.
He Said WHAT?
I attended a dinner, and a very famous, internationally known real estate trainer was speaking.
Paraphrasing, he said this:
Keep doing what you’re doing. The market is coming back. No technology is going to change real estate.
I’m not kidding, I nearly dropped my fork into my plate.
Giving the People What They Want!
What shocked me even more than the comments this gentleman made was the reaction from the room, which I would describe as real estate’s “old guard.” They were very happy to hear these sentiments. I could almost hear the thoughts in their heads as the applause rose:
That’s great! Now we NEVER have to learn all that tech stuff we’ve been putting off!
See, I KNEW that Social Media was just a fad!
The market is coming back, and pretty soon it will be “business as usual,” just like the good ‘ole days!
I am serious, a few people even said “hear, hear” out loud, as if to say “see, it’s all good, we have nothing to worry about!”
Coach on a Rant
In a related but separate incident, another very famous, old school real estate trainer wrote a coaching email (thanks to my good friend Chris Nichols – @utahREpro – for telling me about this) in which he said the following:
Last evening…I saw the movie called “Social Network”…and it confirmed in my mind 100% that any Real Estate agent that is using Facebook and/or any of the other social networks as a method of doing business in any volume…of substance…is not thinking clearly at all.
But wait…there’s more:
I also don’t have time…to spend hours a day looking at all the crap that’s being produced on these different sites that people spend their time on, nor do I care to be reading somebody’s blog nor do I care that somebody would twitter somebody else saying “I’m heading to the store for an hour or so.”
Not done yet:
If I was sitting in your office, would I see you spending any time, or should I say, wasting any time, in the social media area? Remember, we are in the BUSINESS of listing and selling Real Estate…it’s not a social business, it’s a sales business.
Wow. I guess I had it wrong all these years, focusing my time and attention on PEOPLE and CLIENT SERVICE. Guess I should have been focused on THE TRANSACTION and THE DOLLAR. (Sorry, I couldn’t not write that.)
Which leads to this: what about all these things I keep reading about people having success with Social Media?
So, Then I Guess All These People are Lying?
Stay the Course!
But I digress.
Let’s get back to the real the point of this post: If you are an “old school” real estate trainer, and you’ve consistently resisted the embracing of the tidal wave of changes being brought into the mainstream via the explosion of technology and Social Media currently rocking our culture, what OTHER ALTERNATIVE do you have besides what these two gentlemen did?
They basically HAD TO SAY exactly what they said.
All they can do is STAY THE COURSE and hope and pray that their old school, traditional methods will continue to produce results in a dynamic context which increasingly favors new methods and techniques.
Out with the Old and In with the New
Because, at this point, these “anti-tech/anti-Social Media” real estate trainers are stuck.
They cannot embrace technology and Social Media NOW, because they’re too far behind the curve.
And other educators/trainers/consultants have risen up – some of whom have been around for years, others of whom have come on the scene relatively recently – and are feeding the hungry masses of agents who are starving for knowledge on things like SEO and lead conversion and landing page optimization and Twitter and Facebook and blogging and video and Klout and so many other things.
People like Nicole Nicolay (@Nik_Nik) and Chad Johnson (@ChadAJohnson) of Agent Evolution and MyTechOpinion.com. And Darin Persinger (@DarinPersinger) of Productivity Junkies. And Chris Smith (@TechSavvyAgent) of TechSavvyAgent.com, who just flew past the 10,000 fan mark on their Facebook fan page. And Inman News (@InmanNews) and their successful Agent Reboot (@AgentReboot) tour, which will kick off its second season in January of 2011. And monster thought leaders, authors and bloggers like Stefan Swanepoel (@Swanepoel), and Marc Davison (@1000WattMarc), Brian Boero (@1000WattBrian) and Joel Burslem (@JBurslem) of 1000Watt Consulting.
What do all of the people in the previous paragraph have in common?
As far as I can tell – and I know most of these people personally at least a little – they have similar visions with respect to the future of real estate, which they see as largely driven and dominated by technology and Social Media.
What Becomes of the Old School Trainer?
Which is NOT how most of the “first wave” of famous real estate trainers see the future.
What becomes of the old school trainer?
We’re about to find out…
Comments feed
Great post Mike!
I guess I should stop blogging, since I just tell people “I’m heading to the store for an hour or so.”
WOW – some people….
Benjamin Bach´s last [type] ..Bid on a signed Crush It! & support Movember
Mike,
Poignant story about an old-school trainer I worked with years back:
The trainer was excellent at laying out the steps of real estate sales and how to listen to what the consumer was looking to achieve. Face to face, this former agent, now trainer is charismatic, extraordinarily focused and very good at helping those who seek him out. But technology was a huge hurdle for him to begin to overcome.
The last year I was with this trainer, I was the only one of his students to see any increase in business. I also happened to be the only student with a blog and was constantly striving to be the online real estate resource for my “tribe.” In the final analysis, the trainer determined that I had taken his “training” and not only made it my own, internalized it, but I had translated it into the online realm, and that was the reason I outperformed the rest of his class.
The disconnect for this trainer was the medium: the computer. To this day, we maintain contact and chat about what’s happening. These days, I get questions from him on just how to replicate his face to face skills across the internet.
I predict that the successful “old school” trainer that pulls an all encompassing “mea culpa” about the use of social media and technology and revises their training accordingly will gain massive credibility on both sides of this issue. But some trenches are too well dug…
Having been trained by an old-school trainer, and having tried to let them know that social and new media have more than anything else impacted my business in a good way, it is disheartening to find trainers continuing to turn a blind eye to ROI and other successes that social media engagement provides.
Also, a few names are missing from your list, I respectfully submit @Hawaiiagent, @RealLifeSheri, @MoinColumbusOhio and there are others, including me, who have seen real benefits (ROI) to our interactions with people online who are not just sales dollar signs but real people with real human needs for the right place to live and enjoy life.
Twitter: @ginakayRE
Here’s a little something to go along with your comments. Not sure I need Tom’s consulting but the first 3 minutes are right on. http://N7kO2vy5ofQyoutu.be/
corrected link http://youtu.be/N7kO2vy5ofQ
Michael,
As usual you have stated the obviously painful fact that for many old school trainers and managers “The Times They Are a Changin”.
As you know our brokerage is in the midst of a re-education process and it is obvious to me by the number of broker/agents filling our social media/networking classes and new media marketing classes that we are on the right track in our training department. They are eager to learn and all of the classes and workshops have a waiting list.
No one is disputing that there are basic fundamentals of the real estate business which are still applicable today; the biggest difference is the way in which we communicate, consume and accept information and that is what must be learned. Yes we sell real estate but unless you understand how to sell to all generations you won’t be selling for very long.
The graying segment of the broker/agent population is very capable of learning to adapt and grow by infusing new methods into what they already do that is successful. I can’t think of any better way to re-engage with your business than to learn new skills, challenge your mind, as well as learning streamlined processes to allow you to do more business with less overhead. What this group does have is the incredible knowledge and experience of years of real estate transactions past which is invaluable to the education of the next generation of homebuyers and sellers and broker/agents.
Will it work for people to continue business as usual? Yes probably for those with a well developed business but for how long? It is not just about the tools, it is about being where your people are so that you remain top of mind, demonstrate your expertise and attract new business. It would be pretty hard to do if you cannot be found online since we know we are approaching 96% adoption of people starting a real estate search online.
I am learning everyday from some of the very people you mentioned and love every minute of it but then…I like change and innovation.
Thanks for continuing to raise the bar.
Linda Aaron´s last [type] ..Red Velvet Touch
thanks for the shout out P1!
Isn’t it interesting that EXPERT, EXPERIENCE and EXPERIMENT all come from the same Latin root meaning to: test, tested; try; risk, danger, dangerous, hazardous?
So if these old school “EXPERTS” aren’t making mistakes, testing new ideas, failing, getting outside their comfort zone, they aren’t learning. And if they aren’t learning how did they really maintain the expert status?
By the way, a ferocious learner…Linda Aaron, right above me there with her comment. I’m watching first hand, the impact she is having on her brokerage.
Your “expert trainer” that wrote in the email,
“I also don’t have time…to spend hours a day looking at all the crap that’s being produced on these different sites that people spend their time on, nor do I care to be reading somebody’s blog nor do I care that somebody would twitter somebody else saying “I’m heading to the store for an hour or so.”
Interesting. Arrogant. Ego centric. Narcissistic. Self-centered. That is what that comment is. That expert is saying, “You Realtors, are not interesting enough like I am. I’m interesting and important and valuable but you are not.”
Cuz, I guarantee…that “expert trainer” has products, DVD’s, books, etc.
It reminds me Gary Vaynerchuk calling out Howard Stern http://goo.gl/re1Uc
Darin´s last [type] ..How Big Is Your Digital Footprint – Productivity Nugget 167
Ok, I admit I hadn’t read the entire Ferry email (yes, I uttered his name, I mean he signed the email)when I posted the video earlier so now I feel the need to comment further. I wonder if any of Mr. OneonOne’s actual “friends”, in real life I mean, know that he is a real estate coach/trainer? He apparently doesn’t mix business with pleasure so I wonder what they think he does? I have a couple of neighbors who have no known occupation as far as I can tell and I have to tell you I wouldn’t let them borrow a rake since I wouldn’t be sure what for and if I’d get it back. Haw many people have you sold a home, for or to, that you didn’t tell what you did for a living? I’m going with none. I wonder if Mr OneonOne still coaches his coachees to start by building a sphere of influence? Once they come up with the names I wonder if he suggests they walk over to each house so they can speak in person about the real estate business? I wonder if Mr. OneonOne were coaching when the telephone was invented if he would suggest that “I don’t have time, as a businessperson, and a husband, and a father to spend hours a day” listening “to all the crap that is being created” on the phone.??
This is about communication. Period. Real Estate is was and always will be a relationship business because people do not want to buy a home from the clerk at Dunkin Donuts. (No offence to Dunkin Donuts, I will always buy donuts from you).
I doesn’t matter how you build trust, it matters THAT you build trust.
Clearly the great RE Coach has not taken a step back to understand that if 500 million people spent everyday telling each other what they ate for breakfast, productivity in this country would already have come to a screeching halt. Saying this type of communication has no place in business today is like telling salesmen 30 years ago that Dale Carnegie(sp?) was all wet.
He says he is a father and I would like to add that I am one too, three times over, and guess what? I know more about what my kids are doing, who they are associating with, where their heads are BECAUSE of social media, not because I avoid it. It doesn’t mean I don’t talk to my kids, it means I understand that they like to communicate in more ways than one.
What ever happened to teaching people to 1. Listen 2. react 3. engage their customers and clients (and potential ones)
Use the tools in the tool box.
I bet he still takes his car to the mechanic to see if the carburetor needs blown out. It fuel injection now Mike, just swap out the computer chip and fly down the road.
I have to say that I love this stuff because it gives me another years worth of material for training my audience.
Fabulous post, Michael, as always. It really got me thinking about the conversations I have been having lately… they tend to go something like this:
“I know, I know… you are soooooo tired of hearing me talk about Social Networking. Now, bear with me… I encourage you to reframe/shift your thinking and listen to what I am saying as it relates to the value of connections – whether with your sphere or prospects…”
The reality is: there are two kinds of people out there. People who embrace change… and those who fight it. Change is hard for MANY (this definitely includes trainers). They like things to stay the same, they like their ruts or, as they call them, routines… they are working now, so why change? They like sharing and teaching what they KNOW WELL, so they feel impassioned to fight change. These people hold on with mighty, tightly clenched fists until they simply cannot hold on any longer and finally enter the door the visionaries have opened for them. WE are these visionaries – the embracers of change… those who open the door for themselves and jump, not knowing where we will land. We love to take the plunge, we crave the feeling of adrenaline that only learning something new provides, and live to inspire those behind us to jump with us. Think about our role during the transitions from the original $4000 “brick” cellular phone, beepers-alphanumeric pagers, email, internet, web 1.0, smartphones… Nearly everyone ends up onboard…eventually. Those that don’t, well they no longer wish to be relevant – whether they say it out loud or not… and they clear room for those who do – no matter how long it takes them to get there.
Happily, we all have our roles. I am blessed to be surrounded by Visionaries… and love the current core and upper-arm workout I am getting from pulling the second tier onto the moving train. It invigorates me… and reminds me that if these “old-school” trainers continued to stay relevant, then how would we ever get our opportunity to ignite CHANGE and inspire the new ways of thinking?
This is our time to shine… and I for one can’t wait!
Damnit.
I knew this was all just a fad. I’m going to go hang out at the tar pits and see if I can get some REAL advice.
-Jeff
Great post…I was in one of the sessions at NAR looking forward to hearing a nationally known speaker and how he believed lead generation should be done in today’s tech savvy environment. His comments were passive aggressive undermining an effort towards consumer centric service and he said that texting just didn’t appeal to him and just because others said it was an important communication medium doesn’t mean he had to embrace it. After 45 minutes of literally nothing of substance, I walked out. If it weren’t for Dale Chumbley, Shannon King, Nicole and Reggie Nicolay, Daniel Rothamel, Heather Elias and Chris Smith my $350 fee would have been a total waste of money!
I bet everyone of those “old school” folks has a smartphone in their pocket! If old school is OK, why did they leave the rotary phone behind them?
FYI. Take a look at your smart phone. Do you realize it has more computing power & memory than the was in the entire world thru 1975 or so? Maybe even later. Just something to think about.
Great post Michael! The ‘old school’ trainers will try and develop some new training course that revolves around social media, but they will be too far behind the curve. The Do Not Call list changed a lot of these trainers old cold calling programs, so then they had to come out with doing ‘warm calls. People they already knew in their sphere of influence or someone from their sphere influence introduced them too. I talked out of a seminar from one of these old school trainers after he completely discounted the value of social media and talked to everyone in a condescending way who didn’t think the way he did. I hope my fellow agents don’t keep up, more clients for me!
Wow. I started my company in a bedroom in 2005 right before the air came out of the bubble. I hadn’t sold a home in 5 years and that was 300 miles away at that. I now have a company of 30 agents that is in the top 5% of a very competitive market.
What this guru is saying is patently false and I am living proof.
People are googling everything these days, and when the “market comes back” those of us who are lean and mean will continue to leapfrog over the Luddites in spades.
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