My Real Estate Marketing Disease–

by Eric Blackwell

The Real Estate Group, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake VA

Author website

One of the great things about my day occupation is that I get to associate with 120 of the finest REALTORS that are in Louisville. It is my job to help them advance their business plans using technology, and I love doing it. 120 business plans provides me with more than a few opportunities to laugh at myself and enjoy humor with others as we experience this wacky world of real estate.

So without further ado, I have compiled a few of my favorite personal Real Estate diseases (yes–I am building it over time) to help those who may be new to the industry understand the REAL disorders that come from a life of real estate sales.

Silver Bullet Syndrome-The innate feeling that if you can just copy what someone else does by getting someone else to replicate their work, then you can enjoy their success without putting the creativity into it. This disease originally stemmed from advertising and people copying other agents’ ad copy. The internet does not work that way. There IS NO silver bullet and many agents die in the desert looking for that mirage.
Familius Interuptus- That simultaneous feeling of joy and and dread that usually comes in the springtime with the success of your marketing campaigns with its corresponding increase in business, children’s end of school year activities, and the spouse (parenthetical note–yes the one who was upset because you DIDN’T have business a month ago) who does not understand why you cannot get to everything AND have “quality time” with them.
OMG Syndrome-The annual feeling of dread in the fall that the buyers have gone forever and will never return. This condition is made worse by the worrying spouse and national press announcing the official end of real estate industry as we know it. Symptoms range from mild irritability to outright paranoia and fits of rage. Somewhere in these fits you will utter (or think) the words “OMG–Why exactly did I get into this business in the first place???” Increased use of expletives is another sure sign.
Multiple Stream Dysfunction Symptoms include a gnawing empty feeling in the pit of your stomach when one of the streams of income you have so carefully laid unexpectadly dried up. Especially common with builders suddenly moving their business in “a new direction”. Another common form is a friend in the same social circles as you poaching on your sphere of influence.
Technophobia-Actually this disease is misnamed. It’s true name is Technitis. This malady affects ALL of us. It is not the fear of technology, but rather the frustration WITH technology not doing what you want, even though you have a CRYSTAL clear vision of what it is that you want. The itis comes from the inflamation in your brain as you curb the desire and urge to take a hammer to your computer and/or computer guy/technologist.

NOTE: Treating this disease can be life (or career) threatening. Trust me on that one. Your prescriptions BETTER be good and they BETTER make the symptom go away QUICK! (grin)

Spousal Dystrophy-This is the advanced case of a spouse not understanding the vagaries of the real estate business and all of the stress associated with it, The cure for this usually works out to be one of three things…becoming single again, “helping” the spouse see the light or the best way…have the spouse get licensed and joined the team. That way they see the symptoms first hand and you can conquer them together. My observation is that this happens a lot.
SEO Tunnel Vision-This is one that I have been personally afflicted with. A severe disease. what makes it so difficult to overcome is that it makes money short term. It is as addictive as gambling, but something your wife is OK with since you make more money with it. The only known cure is to focus on the QUALITY and conversion rate of your blogs / sites and in everything that you do.

If you ask what the EXACT symptoms are so that you can see how far you can go before being infected, too late–you’re a goner.

Newspaperitis- The chronic use of newspapers just because they worked several years ago and an agent has not developed a script or listing presentation teaching their clients how truly ineffective this method of marketing is. Symptoms of this include expenditures WELL into the five figure range on newspaper ads and the associated discomfort with the wallet lightening that accompanies it.
Coachus Myopius- The shortsighted notion that one coach alone has all of the answers to “get your business to the next level”. The symptom of this is someone spouting (Insert coach here )-isms all day as a solution to world hunger, malaria, political strife and yeah…the real estate market. The cure for this is the realization that good coaches teach correct principles and the secret is APPLYING the principles in a very disciplined and diligent way. FTR- I really do listen to the coaches and think that applying the basic tenets of what they teach is useful…

Oh by the way, I am NEVER to busy for your comments and additional diseases!