The world is changing quickly and the real estate industry is changing right along with it. The average age of a Realtor® continues to inch upwards as more and more agents are trying to stay in the business for a few more years hoping to catch one more “good market” while the number of young people getting their real estate licenses and joining one of the largest trade organizations has started to weaken. In a challenging market like today’s it just doesn’t have as much of the “get rich quick” appeal the market seemed to have in the early 2000’s as the industry membership grew towards 2,000,000 people.
So how can the industry protect itself as the membership numbers continue to dwindle and the line of potential new agents is getting shorter and shorter? There is no “magic pill” when it comes to identifying the best new agents. Some of the industry bests might not even have attended a day of class on a college campus while others don’t have any of the “classic sales skills” most people would look for in a Top Producer. There are thousands of quality agents who just find a way to build relationships, solve problems and have fun in this crazy world of real estate and do it day in and day out, creating a loyal clientele of happy clients who return to them and refer them people between transactions.
Imagine if you could create the “ultimate agent”? This specimen would be the prototypical “agent of tomorrow.” It would be like blending characters from Glengarry Glenross with the Six Million Dollar Man. “We can rebuild him. We have the technology.”
Welcome to the Laboratory
In order to begin thinking about the “agent of tomorrow” we would have to create some ground rules for the scientists and geneticists that would be charged with developing the “recipe” of this powerful being.
- The sex of the agent wouldn’t matter. Whether the new example could be male or female because we’re less concerned about the exterior packaging as we are about the qualities, values and “soul” this creature would have.
- This “agent of tomorrow” would be built to succeed in any market. The ingredients would work in big cities or small rural towns, on the coasts or in the heartland of the country.
- This new agent would be created with the today’s consumer in mind yet constantly learning and understanding how the audience our agent will serve is evolving and how their expatiations are changing.
- And just to make sure we didn’t draw unneeded attention or anger from anyone outside of our industry, no animals could be harmed in the process.
Levels of Construction to Consider
As we start to figure out a draft model for this new agent, we had several areas to consider:
- The Skeletal System – We will need to begin with the thought that whatever we end up with, providing a foundation & a strong support system for this individual is critical.
- The Muscular System – Designed to help with agent’s movement & strength, we should plan for a mobile agent who is always on the go.
- The Central Nervous System –Area of the creation process that directs all behaviors and maintains a healthy balance of logic & emotion that is so important in today’s real estate transaction. Because our agent will directly interface with the consumer of tomorrow (and we cannot control the creation of that organism) this is a critical layer of the process.
- The Circulatory System – Delivering needed nutrients to the body such as attitude, pride and discipline is imperative so our “agent of tomorrow” can be a self sustaining creature.
- The Digestive System – Will helps convert intake (i.e. our knowledge and experience) into growth and maintenance, allowing for continued advancement and success.
- The Exo-Skeleton – Visible to the general public, this layer will help establish our outward appearance and is the basis for the all important “first impression.”
We’ve got our work cut out for us and it won’t be easy. If you’re ready to start creating the “Agent of Tomorrow,” grab your lab coat, scrub in and join us in the lab.
Subsequent sections will follow
Part III – Early Development is Critical to Success
Part IV – The Foot Bone is Connected to the Leg Bone
Part V – Looking Good – Are You Ready for Your Close-up?
