What they’re saying, no matter how true it might ring to you, is scripted. (Why does it ring true to you? Because they’re parroting back to you the things you’ve written and read over the last two years.) They’re not talking to your clients, they’re trying to snare your broker for their consulting practice.
Video isn’t interesting just because it’s not text. Bad remakes of commercials so bad they were parodied years ago on a bad TV show are not good content for your weblog. It’s a good scam on their part, but why are you promoting their business?
Technorati Tags: blogging, real estate, real estate marketing
Kris Berg says:
I don’t take nearly the offense to the video. Yes, it is our message and yes, it is scripted and yes, they are selling something. So are we.
I happen to be a big fan of Marc’s writing, and I suppose that is primarily because I agree with most everything he says regarding our business and the way we conduct it.
Am I missing the point?
January 4, 2008 — 10:33 am
Greg Swann says:
> I don’t take nearly the offense to the video.
Nor do I.
> I happen to be a big fan of Marc’s writing, and I suppose that is primarily because I agree with most everything he says regarding our business and the way we conduct it.
By contrast, I have only seen him on the 1000Watt weblog, where he always seems to me to be shining it on and phoning it in. Brian Boero, at least, seems to put some effort into his posts, but Davison comes off as an empty suit — more like an empty polo shirt.
> Am I missing the point?
The point is, why are real estate webloggers thoughtlessly posting this video? If you want to communicate these sentiments to your clients in your own words, I think this is a fine idea — although there are much better ideas that Davison hasn’t yet learned well enough to pilfer. But why would anyone post a (bad) commercial for Davison’s business? In what way does that advance the (echo-chambered?) blogger’s objectives?
I love this quote, and I think it’s worthwhile for each of us to stick it inside our eyelids, so as never to lose sight of it:
January 4, 2008 — 12:01 pm
Kris Berg says:
I was unaware that it was being posted by others. I guess I need to get out more, or at least get back to my feedreader. I can’t argue that this is something I would have put on my site; it is not.
While I think you are wrong about Davison, I think you are correct that this video resonating through the RE.net is yet another example of thoughtless, knee-jerk posting, or the herd mentality as you like to say.
January 4, 2008 — 12:12 pm
Dave Weiss says:
There is nothing controversial or offensive about the video.
Does it seem a little scripted and inauthentic? Sure it does. In a communication rich and media-centric world, we have to filter through limitless numbers of messages every day. Our BS meters get finely tuned, allowing us to pick out those messages that ring true and touch a nerve, and we discard the rest.
The moment when I got the feeling the people in the video were reading from a script and were not genuine (perhaps this is not the case, but that was my perception), I discounted the entire video, and unfortunately, I look at the entire blog and the authors’ messages through a different lens now.
Is the message and concept of “I am not a lead” a good one? I think so.
But the piece that is missing from the idea is that agents must find clients (many call them leads), build rapport with them (some call this incubation), and help them to purchase, sell, lease, or rent their property. That is how we make a living.
Of course people don’t want to be treated as a ubiquitous “lead” or be “incubated”. Perhaps if we just rename the process to “relationship building” instead of “lead generation and incubation”, everyone can happily go about their business of making their businesses thrive.
January 5, 2008 — 10:42 am
Kris Berg says:
Well said, Dave.
January 5, 2008 — 10:56 am
Greg Tracy says:
There is nothing wrong with calling a potential client a “lead”- it is simply a term to suggest that the person is, in fact, a potential client.
But the message of the video is good. Treat people as people, not as a means-to-an-end (paycheck).
It’s always good to be reminded of such things, even for those of us who have made a rather comfortable spot for ourselves on our soapboxes (like me).
February 15, 2008 — 4:19 pm