Don’t Let Tradition Cage Your Ambition

Greg Hague

Greg Hague
Founder & CEO, Maverick Strategy Coaching

 

Last week I attended an event with a fascinating collection of successful entrepreneurs from a diverse range of industries.

One of the guests was a stratospherically successful 34-year-old who grew up in an economically depressed copper mining town. Except for his teachers and pastor, everyone he knew worked in the mines or at a blue-collar job – few aspired to college and fewer made it to college.

Brendon was different than others from his town. He did not accept what others expected to be the “norm.” He would not be the “he” they thought he should be.

Fast forward to today. Brendon Burchard has become one of the top personal development trainers in the world. He has over 4 million Facebook “likes” and heads his own multi-million dollar company.

How did he do it? Brendon would not be restricted by what was typically taught or commonly thought in his profession. He redefined what was considered standard practice, expanded thought and shook off the flak from those who saw tradition as law (I LOVE this guy!)

I know the members of the group from the event I attended well. Like Brendon, most did not come from affluence, have the benefit of connections or an influential family. Yet each member has been wildly successful. Why? Like Brendon, they view tradition as the place to start, not where to stop.

How does this apply to your success in real estate? Look around. Have you noticed that most Realtors® you know list and sell homes pretty much the same way? A yard sign, MLS, online ads, print ads or open houses? The process has generally been the same since my dad started selling homes 50 years ago – a difference now is the option of online ads. This sameness of process, uniformity of thought and stand-in-line mentality is your competitors’ Achilles’ heel and your opportunity to stand out.

My advice? Question the traditions of our profession. Question what is commonly thought.

A report issued in July 2015 by the National Association of Realtors® indicated that the average Realtor® earns less than $48,000 a year looking at the past two consecutive years. If this standard works so well, the average Realtor® wouldn’t be earning this amount, year after year – the earning potential is much higher than that.

Do you want to stand out from your competitors, do a better job for your home sellers and dominate your listing market? Have the grit and courage to tamper with traditional practices, the way homes have been sold since my dad’s day.

Tossing up a sign, throwing a home into MLS within 48 hours, holding mind-numbing open houses and blaming the seller for pricing too high is not even close to the kind of modern marketing used by Apple and Tesla to sell their products at super-premium prices.

Think about the traditional home selling process. Start tinkering with the typical routine. Keep thinking “How can I attract more buyers in less time while putting those buyers in a ‘higher price’ frame of mind.” That’s what sellers want – and that has been the centerpiece of my personal real estate success.

Think about this: If Apple was in the real estate business, would it be marketing homes using a 50 year old method? And think about this: If Apple was in the real estate business, would this industry be disrupted in 12 crazy months?

My point? Why tempt Apple? Do it yourself. Fortunes have been made in business by disrupting tradition. Don’t let tradition cage your ambition and your business success.

Starting with one office and three agents, Greg Hague built a 122-office national real estate franchise, followed by an international real estate referral company and an “America’s Top 100” luxury home brokerage. He has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and over 300 publications worldwide. Greg has been endorsed by an array of international thought leaders, including Muhammad Ali as “The Muhammad Ali of Real Estate.” Greg is Founder/CEO of www.RealEstateMavericks.com, coaching real estate agents in “Maverick” success strategies.

 

 

 

 

 


50 Ways To Sell A Listing Seminar

FRIDAY, June 24, 2016  –  9:00 AM TO 12:30 PM

 

50 creative ways to get your home shown & sold. Hear what services top producing agents provide to the seller as well as the marketing used to promote and successfully sell their listing.

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Tuition: $40

Credit: 3 hrs. Agency Law