Please Compete With Me!
Wed, Apr 3, 2013
“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.” -- Walt Disney
“Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
There’s a bit of a fight in my market between the Competition Bureau and the Real Estate Board. “The Competition Bureau is picking a fresh fight with the real estate industry, this time over how crucial market data is being kept away from consumers by the country’s largest real estate board. The federal watchdog has launched a lawsuit against the Toronto Real Estate Board, arguing that it prevents brokers from sharing information with their customers over the Internet. The challenge is the latest salvo in the bureau's battle with the nation’s real estate agents, who have come under increasing scrutiny as their commission-based payouts have grown along with the price of homes.” [Globe & Mail] This got me thinking about the whole issue of competition in our industry and I have to laugh a bit about it. When I visit the U.S. Bureau of Competition site, it states that one of its mandates is to “promote competition in industries where consumer impact is high, such as health care, real estate, oil & gas, technology, and consumer goods.” [http://www.ftc.gov/bc/index.shtml] Well, this certainly doesn’t reflect the way things were in my own business. Let me tell you what I mean. When you think of competitive products, you probably think of classic stand-offs such as Coke and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Burger King, Reebok and Nike. In other words, two strong franchises who battle each other for share of market knowing that even one percentage point one way or the other is worth billions of dollars. Well, perhaps a share point in your market isn’t worth billions, but you’re certainly no stranger to competition, and neither was I. Winning a listing vs. your competitors makes a big difference in your life, right? And how many listing and buyer presentations do you go on these days where you’re not up against at least one other agent? The Competition Bureau may say they foster competition, but it certainly didn’t seem that way when I tried to differentiate myself from the agents I competed against. You see, I enjoyed the distinction of not only being the #1 agent in my office, my franchise, the country -- but I was also the #1 agent across all franchises within my real estate board for over 20 years and, as you know, top 10 for Re/Max Worldwide for 15 years. Boy did I have a story to tell! But when I tried to run an ad that celebrated and promoted that … i.e. by showing my share of market in a bar chart with my 5 closest competitors listed with their market share (which was considerably less than mine), the proverbial “you know what” hit the fan. In fact, any time my language veered even remotely close to saying that I was better than other agents in my marketplace, even though I had hard statistics to back that up, I got my hand firmly slapped. Not a problem though in the long run as it just forced me to be more creative. In fact, I would say that the shackles those in charge placed on me helped me evolve my system, and the truth is I found I didn’t need to overtly go head to head with any other specific agent because the guerilla tactics I developed were so effective that I never had trouble attracting clients. More than that, my follow up and presentation systems easily set me apart from other agents in my marketplace, and all of these elements are at your disposal depending on which level of my real estate coaching you join. You know, coming out of every single one of my SuperConferences I get comments from agents who attended about what an incredible community of sharing I provide. All the agents who attend, while theoretically in competition with each other, are happy to learn and share together. Why do you think that is? It’s because what I teach agents gives them the power to operate from a position of plenty … a position where their cup is always full. They learn that there’s no need to fear competition because there’s so much business to go around (regardless of market ups and downs). Competition is a good thing. It keeps me sharp, and if you look at it in the right way, it should do the same for you. When an agent in your marketplace beats you out for a listing, instead of angering you or making you depressed, it should drive you to find out “why” and then to do something about it. The best place it should drive you is somewhere you can learn how to do what you do much better than you’ve ever done it before. Come to one of my upcoming SuperConferences listed below and you will immediately find yourself a part of a fraternity of agents who are after the same thing you are … and they’ll all help you get there. You’ll learn from me of course, but you’ll also learn from agents from every marketplace and walk of life. These are agents who have committed to learning how to take their businesses to dream height, and they’ll all tell you that committing to real estate coaching has changed their lives. Plain and simple, a great real estate coach can help you make it happen. It’s an experience you have to embrace to fully understand, but once you do decide to make this a priority, you’ll understand why this pivotal event literally changes the course of so many agents’ lives. I love competition and I love cooperation. Both have been responsible for catapulting me to where I am, and when you decide you’re really ready to let go of where you are and move to the next level, I’m here waiting to guide you. P.S. You can test drive my ideas and systems absolutely free by signing up for Free Weekly Training which includes live weekly webinars, a monthly newsletter and priority invitations to free half day training events. This Free Weekly training will expose you to inexpensive and highly effective methods of lead generation (with no cold calling) -- what I call “Reverse Prospecting”, where qualified prospects actually hunt you down rather than the other way around, and then how to follow these leads through to maximum GCI via proprietary lead conversion and prospect presentation systems. This is the easiest way for you to find out with no risk or obligation what my system is all about and how it can help you profitably grow your real estate business and vastly improve your quality of life. JOIN MY FREE WEEKLY TRAINING PROGRAM HERE