Michael Russer

Ignoring what the public (i.e. our potential customers) is saying, and then stridently defending our industry's "professionalism" is not a viable long-term business strategy. This problem is clearly not the sales associates who should never have been allowed to practice this profession in the first place. It is the head-in-the-sand management (at all levels) that continue to think that real estate sales is about seeing how many of their people "can make it" rather than putting in the time, energy and money to make sure they do. Here is quote from a broker (and former) owner who recently filed bankruptcy and responded to one of my blog posts on the lack of leadership in this industry: "As the former broker of a real estate co., now in bankruptcy, I have to say Amen to this post. The agent accountability is a major deficiency and I would add that most agents don’t accept 'training', just as some athletes don’t accept 'coaching' but the true professionals accept training/coaching & seek it out. Unfortunately management seems to get blinded by their profit motive and the thinking that the agent may know somebody that may do a deal so keep them around; no one coaches agents out of the business. Not everyone is cut-out for sales. In their defense, many owners, while successful in the business, may not have the time or skills to be a good manager, so the agents are left to their own devices. For the self-starter there is a tremendous amount tools such as this blog to assist in becoming successful." Enough handringing already. Look in the mirror, see the problem and then muster the courage to do something about it. Michael Russer - aka Mr. Internet(R) CEO, RUSSER Communications www.OnlineDominance.com www.mrinternetnews.com

Real estate sales is the only industry I know of where the vast majority of participants try to be everything to everyone --and then wonder why they have trouble differentiating themselves from their competitors. Less than 2% of active full-time Realtors specialize in a particular niche or target market. The ones that do (and have fully qualified their niche) seem to be always busy, no matter how "slow" their current local market happens to be. Consumers will naturally pick the resource that they feel will serve them the best. Think about this the next time you need surgery done. One of the most expensive mistakes a salesperson can make is to not think about it. Michael Russer - aka Mr. Internet CEO, RUSSER Communications www.OnlineDominance.com www.mrinternetnews.com

There are plenty of companies in other industries with salaried employees who are still incompetent. And tightening up licensening will only filter out the poor test takers. As Pogo would say: "We have seen the enemy and they are us." In the 15 years I've spent speaking to real estate sales associates and brokers all over the world, one thing has become crystal clear --failure of the current model to enforce standards and professionalism comes from the top down. Despite protests to the contrary, most brokerages are just body shops with little or no accountability & behavioral standards, especially when it comes to business practices. We attract who we are, it is really that simple. I have seen real estate business models that are highly successful turning sales associates into W-2 employees who are paid only by commission. Liz Moore & Associates in Virginia (www.LizMoore.com) is a perfect example of this. The level of professionalism and passion for the business throughout her company is amazing compared with the typical bunch of whiners found in most others. Another company that imposes high standards using the traditional independent contractor model is @Properties in Chicago (www.atProperties.com). Once again, the difference in sales associate attitude and passion for their business (yes, even in today's market) is immediately apparent. Frankley I find all this hand-wringing amusing. It starts where the buck stops --at the top. Most management (at all levels, including at the corporate franchise level) seem to be stuck talking about and doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. Unfortunately, the current market cycle just makes them more strident in their sisyphean efforts and therefor blind to the very simple solution. When we start insisting on and enforcing high standards of behavior and complete accountability this issue goes away. Every company deserves the sales associates they have. If you don't like the way they operate or who they are, YOU must change first. Michael Russer - aka Mr. Internet CEO, RUSSER Communications www.OnlineDominance.com www.mrinternetnews.com