Oooh Look – Shiny!

The trend in real estate – strike that, in every industry – is to advocate the “latest and greatest” in gadgets, social media, and technology. Social media and tech experts will hop on a stage at a convention and rattle off a dozen new apps or social websites that you should “look into.” What they’re not saying is “I have ZERO evidence on the efficacy of this; it could be a monumental waste of your time.” Quite simply, I think it’s silly.

Don’t get me wrong – I think that keeping up-to-date with technology is essential for any smart businessperson. It’s when people jump on something only because it is new that I have a problem. Why? Well, there are many good reasons:

• Agents don’t have a lot of time to spare. Particularly in today’s tough market, you need to be focusing on gaining listings and making sales.

• These things often “burn out” practically before they’ve begun. Early adopters may have wasted time and money on something without the potential for long-term usability.

• If you wait a bit longer before jumping on the bandwagon, chances are that many of the kinks will be worked out and other users can provide advice on how to succeed with the new technology based on firsthand experience.

• Obsessing over what’s new may draw attention away from the essentials: an effective website; smart strategy for data syndication; efficiency tools like digital signatures, transaction management, CRM, etc.

Confession
Look, I’m guilty of this too. I myself fall into the trap of “ooh look – it’s shiny and new!” One of the ways those of us in the media keep our jobs is by telling you something you don’t already know – and that’s not easy with so many tech savvy agents these days.

Alright, enough mea culpa. Moving forward, I’m renewing my emphasis on providing content that has obvious potential to help you grow your business, save time, save money, or otherwise add value. I encourage my peers to do the same.