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The ONE thing that ALL good content has in common. . .

May 31, 2011 By 9 Comments

There is one thing that ALL good content has in common–  it was actually created.  The only really bad content is the content that we never create. . .

I created this video as my contribution to a discussion that was started on twitter last Wednesday regarding the creation of “good content.” Rob Hahn wrote a very good blog post about it, and you can read the comments there for more discussion.

You’ve got ideas for content. I know you do. No matter how small they may seem right now, chances are that you have the idea that will completely surprise you and has the potential to transform your business. Funny thing is, you’ll never know unless you bring that idea to life.

Now, go KILL THE RESISTANCE and start creating content. You’ll never know how “good” it is if you don’t.

Special thanks to Darin Persinger. I say that because he was the one who made the initial comment on stage at Agent Reboot that spawned this whole discussion, and he also inspired the cave painting example.

Filed Under: Helpful Hints, Industry Issues, The Resistance, Video Posts Tagged With: , , ,

The Day I Killed The Resistance

May 18, 2011 By 4 Comments

In my last post, I introduced you to The Resistance.  I also promised you that I would share a personal story from my High School experience in which I learned to kill The Resistance, and how it benefited me, and how it can benefit you to. . .

How a 13 year-old boy Killed The Resistance

When I was 13 years-old, during my Freshman year of High School, I decided to run indoor track.  I wanted to do something that would get me in better shape for baseball season in the Spring.  Indoor track was what all the other athletes did, so I figured I would give it a shot.

On the first day of track practice, about 100 or so students gathered at the indoor track, and the coaching staff was introduced.  I played it cool, because I really had no idea what to expect.  After introducing all of the other coaches, the head track coach, Coach Hardy, simply said, “okay, now every go meet with your coaches for your team practices.”

With that, everyone dispersed all at once.  The sprinters went one way, the pole-vaulters went another, and the high and triple-jumpers another.  I stood there.  I had no idea where to go, because I had never run track before.

Coach Hardy was the type of man that, when you looked at him, you would never guess he could be a leader of athletes.  He had a rather awkward build, and the type of walk that made you think he could trip or tip over at any moment.  He always wore a grey sweatsuit that was about a decade too old, and two sizes to small.  Despite what appeared to be a complete lack of qualification to coach a track team, he was a very decorated track coach, having trained numerous State Champions, and many athletes who would go on to lead professional careers in various sports.  Above all, he was a kind man.

Coach Hardy saw me standing alone and obviously confused.  ”Rothamel,” he said (it was a military school, so everyone was called by their last name).  ”What are you doing?”

“I don’t know coach,” was the only thing I could think of.  ”I don’t have a team.”

“Well, I can find a place for you,” he said.  He took a step or two back, looked me up and down, and said very matter-of-factly, “you are tall and lanky, so you’re going to be on the distance team.  They are meeting outside, so hurry up.”

A little-bit dumbfounded, but not really having any other options, I turned and ran outside to catch up with my newfound team of distance runners.

When I got outside, I saw the distance team gathered at the bottom of the steps into the gymnasium.  It was a group of a ten or so guys.  They were standing in a loose semicircle around the distance coach, Coach Moyer.  When I walked up, they were all engaged in rather casual conversation.  It was obvious to me that they all knew each other pretty well, and had been together before.

It  was also obvious to me that, contrary to the appearance of Coach Hardy, these guys had the look of distance runners.  They all had that long lanky look that Coach Hardy had used to describe me, but which now seemed completely inappropriate when compared with the physical appearance of these guys.  It was rather chilly on that fall day, so most of them had on running tights, little skull caps, light gloves, or some combination of the three.

At this point, I’m beginning to get a little intimidated.  The Resistance is beginning to rear its hideous head.  I’m standing there thinking, “you are in way over your skis.  There is no way you can do this.  Look at these guys.  They probably woke up and ran from their homes.  They probably don’t even use motorized transportation.  You’ve never even owned a pair of running shoes.”

For a moment, I was able to quiet The Resistance so that I could hear Coach Moyer.  ”Okay guys.  I know this is the first practice of the year, and even though many of you already ran cross country, we’re gonna just take it easy for this first practice.”

Relief.

“okay,” I thought, “maybe this won’t be so bad.  Coach said we are going to take it easy.  I can do easy.”

Coach Moyer continued, “like I said, we’ll just do an easy run just to get you guys going.  So let’s just do a 3-mile run out here on the road.  That should be good enough for everyone.”

I almost fainted.

Three miles.  THREE MILES!  At this point in my life, I had never run more than one mile at a time.  Frankly, I’m not sure I had even done that three times.  Now, on the “easy” first day, I’m going to have to run three miles?  IS HE KIDDING?!

He wasn’t kidding.  We all started walking together out of the parking lot and up to the road.  The other guys on the team were smiling, laughing, and joking with each other.  I, on the other hand, was terrified.

The Resistance was now in full force.  Every fiber of my being was screaming at me.  Every thought I had was one of anxiety.  I was going over scenarios of how I would quit.  I was trying to think of excuses.

For some reason, though, I just kept walking towards the road.  I don’t exactly know why.  I do know that it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of my fellow classmates by quitting.  It also had a little bit to do with the fact that both of my parents were track athletes in High School, and I was praying that maybe, just maybe, a little bit of that rubbed off on me.

Whatever the reasons were, I kept walking toward that road and the beginning of the first 3-mile run of my life.

When we got to the road, everyone stood there in a sort of half-starting pose, just waiting to go.  Coach Moyer looked at his watch, and pressed one of the little buttons, BEEP.  ”Okay, go!” he said.

Everyone took off; even me.

Now, I should mention that this particular group of distance runners included two runners who would go on to run in multiple State Championships in both track and cross country, one runner who would later almost qualify for the US Olympic team, and one runner from Africa who later ran in two Olympics.  I did not know this at the time.  Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

I don’t know what the pace of the other runners was, but it was definitely faster than mine.  After a few hundred yards of trying to keep up with them, I decided that trying to run at their pace would probably end with a ride in an ambulance, so I decided to just run at my own pace.

I also decided that, no matter what happened, I MUST finish those three miles.

The road we were running on was a rarely traveled country road.  It was about 1.5 miles from the school to the end of the road, so it was convenient for three-mile runs.  I was about one mile or so into the run when everyone else on the team passed me, going back in the opposite direction.

The Resistance was in full force, once again.  ”What the heck are you doing?  Why are you even trying this?  Look how easy it is for them.  You might pass out at any moment.  Just stop.  Is it really worth it?  Just give up.”

I was able to shut up The Resistance and keep going.  I made it to the end of the road.  I thought I was about to die, but I made it.  At this point, it didn’t even matter if I wanted to give up; because I was all alone, 1.5 miles from my school, in the middle of nowhere.  If I wanted to go home, I had to get back to the school.  I was in agonizing pain, but I just figured that I would keep running, keep my feet moving, and if I needed to walk, I would walk a little bit, but I MUST finish.

I don’t know how long I had been running, but it was long enough that it started to get dark.  As I was about a quarter of a mile from the school, I saw a car coming in the opposite direction.  It was the only car I had seen the entire time I had been running.

The car slowed down, and the driver rolled down his window.  It was Coach Moyer.  ”Rothamel, I just wanted to check on you.  Everyone else has been back for a while, and it is getting dark.  I just wanted to make sure nothing happened.”

Damn.  That’s embarrassing.  I had taken so long that the coach came looking for me.  Not one of my lifetime highlights to be sure.

That was when The Resistance was strongest.  ”Look, there it is, a life boat.  End this.  Get in the car.  Let Coach drive you back.  Give it up.  You tried.  Let go.”

It would have been easy to give in.  It would have been easy to say, “hey coach, can I get a ride back?”  He wasn’t going to ask me, but the look on his face said it all.  The look on his face said, “dude, you are in trouble here, let me take you back, I don’t know if you can make it on your own.”

When I looked into his face is the first moment I can remember killing The Resistance.  It is the first moment I can remember actually saying to myself, “NO.  YOU WILL NOT STOP ME.  I WANT TO DO THIS.  I NEED TO DO THIS. SCREW YOU.  I’M GONNA DO THIS.”

I simply said to Coach Moyer through my very heavy, tired breaths, “I’m okay coach.  I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” was all he said as he rolled up the window, and drove off.  After he turned around and came back by me, slowed down again, rolled down the window and said, “I’ll see you back at the school.”

You’re damn right you will.

I did make it back to the school, and it might have been almost dark when I did, but I finished those three miles.  It was grueling.  At times, I thought it would kill me.

There was no fanfare when I returned.  No one to cheer, no confetti, nothing.  I was left only with the satisfaction of knowing that I had done it.  I looked The Resistance in the eye, and I cut off its head.

The Real Victory

The real value in killing The Resistance that day wasn’t confined to that one day.  Killing The Resistance that day was just the training for future battles.  During that indoor track season, The Resistance and I did battle almost every day.  What I learned from that first victory was that victory was possible.  I learned that I could kill The Resistance. I learned that The Resistance has no power beyond the power that I give it.

Learning that you can kill The Resistance is a powerful lesson.  It is one that we have all learned at some point, but that we also too soon forget.  That one season of running indoor track did more to help me than just about anything I did in my four years of High School.  Learning that I could do battle with The Resistance and emerge victorious was powerful.

You Are A Killer

We have all killed The Resistance at one point or another in our lives.  I wanted to share this story with you because it has always stuck with me, and I have drawn upon it from time to time when The Resistance shows up in other aspects of my life.

I want you to take a moment and remember a time in your life when you killed The Resistance.  I want you to remember how hard it was, how you might have felt on the edge of defeat.  Most importantly, I want you to remember how it felt to taste victory.

Now, hold on to that feeling, because in my next post, I’m going to share with you how we can use the techniques required to kill the Resistance, and the momentum we build from our victories, to do some important things in our business, both for ourselves individually, and the industry collectively.

photo by adropp via flickr CC

Filed Under: Industry Issues, The Resistance

An Introduction to The Resistance

May 16, 2011 By 15 Comments

Allow me to begin by way of recommendation.  Specifically, I am going to recommend that after you read this post, you download, “Do The Work,” a book by Steven Pressfield.  The book is FREE on the Amazon Kindle. If you don’t have a Kindle, then I am going to suggest that you download the Kindle app for whatever device you prefer, and then go back and download the book.  Oh, did I mention that’s it’s FREE?  Download it here.

The book will probably take you no longer than one hour to read cover to cover.  It will be worth it, I promise.  Plus, it will give you a lot more insight than what I will share in this initial post, and you’ll also know what the heck I’m referring to in future posts.  So, after you read this, go download the book; but only after. :-)

 

Somewhere during my schooling, I think it was in middle school, I learned about Newton’s Laws of Motion.  As I have grown older (and maybe, just maybe, a little wiser), I have come to realize that the Laws of Motion apply not only to the physical objects in our world, but also to ourselves as creative beings.

One of these laws, in particular, has come to mind recently, and especially as I was reading “Do the Work.”  It is Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion.  It states:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

According to Newton, if I want to move an object, I must apply a force to it that is greater than the force that resists.

This law also has tremendous implications, however, for all of us who are trying to do something new, different, creative, or otherwise worthwhile in our lives, no matter what it is.  If we apply Newton’s 3rd Law to our creative endeavors, whatever they might be, we end up with something like this:

For every action we take to move ourselves forward, there is an equal and opposite reaction trying to stop us.

In his book, Pressfield calls this force of opposition, “The Resistance.”  Just as with Newton’s laws, if I want to move myself forward, I must apply a force greater than The Resistance.

I know what you might be thinking: “gee, thanks for the 8th Grade Physics lesson, there, Daniel; but how does this apply to me as a real estate professional?”

I’m glad you asked.

The Resistance in Real Estate

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a great idea to do something, but that thing never quite got done.  If you aren’t raising your hand, you’re a liar.

We’ve all had it happen.  I still have it happen to me all the time.

The reason that this happens is that we don’t overcome The Resistance; and in this business, The Resistance can come from all sides.  It can come from our fellow agents, it can come from our managers or brokers, it can come from our clients, and worst of all– it usually comes from the person you see in the mirror every day.

If we, individually and collectively, are going to advance as professionals and change our industry for the better, we must learn how to not only overcome, but KILL The Resistance.  We must learn to recognize it in all its sinister forms, and learn all of the evil ways The Resistance seeks to destroy our best efforts.  We must be able to recognize it, acknowledge it, and kill it.

We must be able to look The Resistance in its eyes and chop off its head.

Unfortunately, The Resistance is a little bit like “Night of the Living Dead.”  You can cut off its head once, but another situation will arise where you will face The Resistance again.  That is precisely why we must get so good at killing it.  It never entirely goes away, but the more practice we have at killing it, the less likely we are to fall victim.

Now what?

I’ve given you a basic introduction to The Resistance, and I’ve told you that we must, as individuals and collectively, learn how to kill The Resistance.  Some of you might be ready to grab your machetes right now and start lopping off heads, but more of you are probably thinking that I’ve lost my mind.

That’s fine.  I love both of you.

I’m just going to ask you to do one thing, before you sharpen your blade or write me off completely:  go download “Do the Work.” Seriously.  Spend an hour and read it all the way through.  Then, check back here on Tuesday, and I’ll have another post in which I’ll share a rather embarrassing confrontation that I had with The Resistance when I was a Freshman in High School.  I’ll show you how that victory over The Resistance, as embarrassing as it was, taught me more than I could have learned by reading dozens of books or blog posts.  Then I’ll share with you why killing The Resistance is one of the most important things we must do as real estate professionals if we plan to remain relevant in the future.

For now, I think you have some reading to do. . .

 

photo by Librarian In Black via flickr CC

 

Filed Under: Helpful Hints, Industry Issues, The Resistance

Stop looking for examples of success

May 10, 2011 By 5 Comments

stop looking for examples of successI talk to a lot of real estate professionals all around the country about technology. This means that I get a lot of questions. One question that I hear over an over again is, “well, do you have any examples of ‘thing X’ actually working for someone?”

I think this question misses the point entirely, and is a syptom of one of the biggest challenges that faces the long-term health of the real estate industry– the obsession with prior success.

I used to think that real estate professionals were obsessed with sales figures. I was wrong. We’re not actually obsessed with sales figures, per se; we’re obsessed with prior success.

For the most part, our industry lacks any real innovation. The vast majority of what we call “innovation” is really just the re-purposing of something we saw someone else do. Not only that, but we tend to re-purpose something only if it was somehow successful before, only if it produced tangible results.

This is why we are also preoccupied with “ROI.” I have come to loathe those three letters.

To me, the question “what is the ROI on something like that?” is usually just an attempt to make an excuse to maintain the status quo and not try anything new.

In my experience, it usually works like this:

Person A: “Here is an interesting idea that really changes the way we do business, and might yield great benefit for consumers and our industry.”

Person B: “Are there any examples of other brokerages or agents doing this and having any success?”

Person A: “Not that I’m aware of.”

Person B: Rolls eyes. “Well, what is the potential ROI on doing this?”

Person A: “I don’t know. Like I said, I not aware of anyone else who is doing this.”

Person B: “Well, then obviously it won’t work.” Shakes head in disgust.

I have witnessed this conversation take place more than once, either in this form or something that closely resembles it.

What do we do about it?

Since I would be remiss if I pointed out a problem without offering a solution, I am going to tell you how we should forget about looking for examples by, you guessed it, giving you some examples. :-)

  • Columbus didn’t wait for someone to sail West around the world to make sure it could be done.
  • No one had to walk on the moon for the government to launch the Apollo program.
  • Everyone in America didn’t have a computer on their desk when Bill Gates started Microsoft.
  • Mark Zuckerberg didn’t ask for examples of successful social networks when he started coding Facebook from his dorm room.

Someone, somewhere in this country has an idea that will transform the real estate industry. To that person, I say:

  • Don’t wait for an example to follow. If you really want one, I’ve just given you 4. Go with those.
  • Forget about looking for examples in our industry.
  • Don’t let the fact that no one in our industry has joined a “Diamond Club” as a result of executing this idea stop you from making it happen.
  • Don’t listen to all of the naysayers who would really rather things just stay the way they are.

Stop looking for an example of success.

Be the example.

Filed Under: Helpful Hints, Industry Issues, technology Tagged With: , , ,

On endings and beginnings. . .

April 11, 2011 By 57 Comments

Well, here is the announcement that I (and many of you), have been waiting for. . .

What does this mean for me?

I’m excited. I honestly am. While today marks the end of one era for me, it also signals the beginning of some really exciting things. For the last few weeks, I’ve been in limbo. During that time, I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. I particularly excited to be taking you on this journey with me. It should be fun.

Purpose Discovered

I want to tell you a little bit about where I’ve been. A story that I don’t think I’ve told many people, or that I haven’t told fully to anyone. . .

When I started RealEstateZebra.com, it had a lot to do with where I was in my life. 2006 was a tough year for me. In 2005, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I spent much of 2004 and 2005 being quite ill. In fact, when Kari and I were married in 2004, I was at one of my lowest weights, and a flare-up basically stole our entire honeymoon. In 2006, we made the decision to have my colon removed. It was a tough decision, but it was the only way I would be cured.

So, I went to the Mayo Clinic with Kari and my Mom in March of 2006 for the first of two surgeries. It was the most difficult experience I have ever had to endure. It was also the moment of one of my biggest mistakes.

If you look back at the archives of this site, you will notice that they don’t begin until May of 2006. That wasn’t because there were no blog posts prior to that time, because there were. I just erased them. That was a major mistake.

I did it because I didn’t want people to know what was going on. I did it because I didn’t want to share with people what I was going through. I didn’t think anyone would care. I didn’t think it was worth it. It is a mistake that I regret very much to this very day. In fact, it is really the only regret I can remember in my entire life.

If I had it to do over again, I would have blogged as much as I could have. I would have blogged from the hospital, if I could have. I definitely would have blogged during the two months I spent gingerly moving between my bed and my couch as I recovered.

I know that sharing that experience would have helped me. I know that it would have helped my family. I know that it would have helped a lot of other people.

After the surgery and recovery, blogging was just what I needed. It was something to keep me occupied. It was something to keep me going. I needed my blog every day just as much as my blog needed me.

That was was the place I was in when I had the second of the two surgeries in July of 2006. In fact, you can read what I wrote the day before we returned to the Mayo Clinic. Once again, I didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I had made the mistake once, then I managed to make it again.

After I came back home and started blogging again, recovering from the surgery gave me a chance to think about where I was and what I was doing. I decided that the surgery and recovery marked a major change in my life. I decided that I needed to somehow express this change. Since I wasn’t blogging about the surgery experience itself, the only thing I could change was what I was already expressing.

It was out of this desire for change that I started RealEstateZebra.com. Sure, the whole zebra motif was a great idea that my wife had to blend my officiating and real estate, but the reality was that it was really much deeper than that. It was about change.

When I started that site, I swore two things to myself: I swore that I would do whatever I could to use my voice to make a positive change in the real estate industry; and I swore that I would be more open and honest. I wasn’t going to make the mistake of not sharing something that could be meaningful to others, just because it might be uncomfortable to me.

Sure, I might not have said those things in exactly that way when I wrote my first post explaining the change, but when I read that post today, I can definitely feel it between the lines.

Back then, a difficult event in my life helped me discover blogging and gave me purpose that I didn’t have before. I was given exactly what I needed, even though I had no idea I was looking for it.

Purpose Renewed

Fast forward five years, hundreds of blog posts and hundreds of new relationships, and I’m feeling exactly the same way I did back then, only different.

A very difficult time in my life has shown me that keeping the two promises that I made five years ago were completely worth it. This very difficult time has confirmed not the worst opinions I have about human nature, but rather the best. It has shown me that people are, at their core, filled with love. People are looking for ways and places to pour out that love, and given the opportunity, will share their love freely and extensively. Sure, there are occasional exceptions, but those exceptions are only temporary and can always be overcome. In the end, love wins.

Just like I was five years ago, I am striking out in a new direction. Or, more accurately, I am continuing in the same direction, but with greater vigor and confidence.

I firmly believe that God knows what is best, and that He is in control, and that He loves me.

Because of this unending love, He sometimes has to redirect us so that we may follow the path He has laid out for us. Many times, following the path means that we must first be humbled. Following the path means that we sometimes must have our noses rubbed in its dirt.

I also believe that he uses people in our lives as guides to keep us on the path. We have only to listen to them and we can hear His voice, giving us the directions. I believe that He did exactly that for me 5 years ago, and He is doing it again for me now.

That is why I have a renewed confidence in my purpose and the path. I can see it more clearly now than ever before. I can’t see all the way to the end, but I know He is walking it with me, which gives me great comfort and confidence.

That comfort and confidence is the main reason why I have chosen to move here to DanielRothamel.com, and why I have chosen “drothamel” as my username on the various social networks. It is more than just my name, it is more than just a brand, it is the brand that God gave me.

Sure, things may look different now. The site has changed, my usernames have changed, but the path remains the same.

I want to take you on the journey with me. I hope you’ll come along.

Filed Under: Love, News, Video Posts

In which I explain my decision to retire the stripes

March 8, 2011 By 27 Comments

I know that many of you have been wondering about an update on the lawsuit situation. Well, here is the latest from my side of things. . .

Below is a letter that I have sent to the attorney for the Lones Group. Please give it a read.

After you’ve read it, check out the video I posted below that for my explanation of why I’ve made the decision to offer to settle the lawsuit. . .

My offer of settlement

One thing I didn’t mention in the video, that I meant to, is that my Mom is doing very well. She received good news from the doctor today– they removed all of the tissue with enough margin, and only one of her lymph nodes was cancerous. She has a very good prognosis, and her recover is going very well so far. She wanted me to thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Filed Under: Video Posts

You wanted to #savethezebra, and you have

March 1, 2011 By 32 Comments

My original plan was to write a bunch of stuff here, but I think I said most everything I wanted to in the video, and I know that whatever I write won’t be exactly the way I want it. So, for now, I’ll just say the thing that seems most appropriate– THANK YOU.

Filed Under: Love, Video Posts

My Agent Reboot 2011 tour begins in Seattle

February 10, 2011 By 18 Comments

Inman News Agent Reboot is visiting 24 Cities across America and Canada in 2011

Agent Reboot 2010 was a ton of fun.

It began in San Francisco, and then I spent my September and October on a whirlwind Agent Reboot tour through the Midwest and East coast.  I got to meet a lot of very smart and very dedicated real estate professionals.  I got to share a lot, and a got to learn even more.

It was so much fun, I’m doing it all over again, only bigger and better this time. . .

Agent Reboot 2011 is going to visit twice as many cities as last year’s edition, and be packed with even more great content.  Nicole Nicolay and I kicked off the tour together in New York about a month ago, during Inman Real Estate Connect New York.  We had fun and there was plenty of learning and sharing, as always.

Now, Agent Reboot 2011 is set to move around the country.  We’ve got great presenters like Chris Smith and Darin Persinger who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise with agents and brokers all across America (and Canada, too!)

My tour will begin in Seattle on March 9th.  So if you are in the Seattle area and looking to become a better real estate professional, Agent Reboot is for you.  Check out the registration page and sign up.

If your not in the Seattle area, have no fear.  The tour is going to make enough stops around the country that I’m sure one of them will be close to you.  Check out all the cities on the schedule, and pick the one close by (or just the one you’d like to make a tax-deductible vacation to).

As for me, you can find me in Seattle, Dallas, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Atlanta, San Francisco, Toronto, Columbus, Philadelphia, Boston, Orlando, and DC.

Get ready, Agent Reboot is coming to a city near you in 2011!

Filed Under: Agent Reboot

My review of the new e-PRO course, and why I chose to become an instructor

November 12, 2010 By 6 Comments

The e-PRO course is now new and improved!

You might have heard that the very popular e-PRO REALTOR certification course was recently completely redesigned.

The e-PRO course has been around for quite some time, and has had many iterations, but it suffices to say that the course content had long outlived its relevancy. The National Association of REALTORS partnered with the Social Media Marketing Institute to completely overhaul and update the course content.

I was contacted by SMMI about possibly becoming a certified e-PRO instructor, and it sounded like an interesting opportunity to me. This past week, just before the NAR Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans, I went through the e-PRO “Train the Trainer” course so that I can begin teaching the new e-PRO course when it launches in 2011.

I will fully admit that I had a degree of skepticism when SMMI asked me to consider being an instructor. While I am an ardent supporter of continuing education for REALTORS, my experience with REALTOR courses has been mixed, at best.

My skepticism actually had a lot to do with my decision to partcipate in the program. The way I see it, if you think something could be better, and you think you can help, you should do something to bring about the improvement.

The other factor was that I know most of the people who are involved with SMMI, and I trust their ability to come up with content that would be valuable for REALTORS.

I am pleased to say that they did not let me down.

Why I like the e-PRO course

First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way– the new e-PRO course is not perfect by any means. It is not completely comprehensive, and it isn’t going to make you any sort of “expert” or “guru” when it comes to technology and social media. If you expect that out of any two-day continuing education course, you are going to be disappointed.  SMMI and NAR fully recognize this, which is why they have committed to updating the course every 6 months and providing updates free to e-PROs.

In its current form, the e-PRO course is two days. Day 1 is a full-day, in-person classroom session. Day 2 is an online course that reinforces and expands on what is learned in the classroom.

I like this approach for two reasons:

The first reason is that learning is always more valuable when it can be done in person, in a classroom setting with other students. Learning is enhanced when you can have someone there to answer questions, and the whole class is improved by hearing the questions of others and the interaction that is required of the exercises.  Doing this on Day 1 provides a strong foundation for Day 2.

The second reason is that having Day 2 online means that students can also complete the course when they have time, rather than having to commit two full days to being in class, which can be tough.

So what’s in the e-PRO course?

As much as I like the format of the course, I like the content even more. In fairness, I have only been through Part 1, and merely been exposed to some of the content in Part 2. I haven’t actually gone through Part 2 yet, as it isn’t fully available right now.

The thing that really stands out to me about the Part 1 classroom material is that it is designed to give students a very solid foundation in technology and social media. It concentrates on the concepts needed to understand these emerging technologies, rather than focusing on the tools, themselves (this is in line with my recent post about more “how?” and less “what?”).

Sure, the course goes over Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, and all the other tools you would expect to hear about in a modern technology class for REALTORS. The thing that the course does very well, however, is it gives students the framework for understanding how these tools can be applied and why they work the way they do, and then reinforces the lessons with practical, real-life examples from REALTORS around the country.

What I expect from e-PRO

I’m guessing that the new and improved e-PRO course is going to very popular with REALTORS who are interested in sharpening their skills and expanding their understanding of technology and social media. I’m hoping that I’ll have plenty of opportunities to teach this material to folks who really are interested in the hows and whys of technology so that they can use it to improve their businesses and their lives.

The new e-PRO is set to launch in January of 2011. Over the next weeks and months, you can expect to hear more from me about the course and my involvement. If you have questions about e-PRO, or where you can take a class, let me know!

Filed Under: Education, News, Social Media, technology Tagged With: , , , ,

Let’s put the tool talk on hold. . .

November 10, 2010 By 11 Comments

It took much more than paint and brushes. .

When it comes to technology, it seems that the only thing that everyone wants to talk about are the “tools.” We hear all the time how all of these technologies, be they social media or otherwise, are just “tools.” Heck, I know that I have even said this, myself, on occaision.

I can understand the desire to learn about new tools. On some level, we all like shiny new things. Today’s technology has the ability to deliver shiny new things to us on an almost daily basis.

I think this desire to learn about the tools has created a void, however. As the talk about the new tools grows, the talk about the concepts and techniques that are critical to successfully using the tools is diminishing. We are becoming so distracted by our desire to hear about new tools that we are forgetting to ask how to use them.

This is a problem.

“How?” Matters

This desire to learn about new tools can easily be understood as a desire to answer the question “what?” In fact, that is often how questions about new tech tools begin, e.g. “what apps are available for CRM?” or “what is the best twitter app?” or “what is the best mobile real estate search app?”

The thing is, “what?” is a relatively easy question to answer. Heck, google search is built on the human desire to answer the question “what?” So the answer to some of the questions above is literally only a few keystrokes away. . .

The question that really matters, the question that has the ability to make or break your success with any of these tools, is “how?”

Without understanding how to use any of the tools, simply knowing that they exist is rather meaningless. Think of it this way– I know all about the tools of painting. I can go any local art supply store and buy the finest brushes, the highest quality paints, and the best canvas in the world on which to put them. None of it, however, will help me paint beautiful artwork. The reason why is becuase I don’t know how to paint. I don’t know the first thing about perspective, using light, applying shadow, composure, etc. All of these things are critical to properly using the tools.

I brought this example up to friend of mine, Bill Lublin. I said, “I can buy the best brushes and paint in the world, but I couldn’t paint the Sistine Chapel.” Bill quipped, “well, I could, but it would just be painted white.”

What Bill was expressing, in the very witty way that Bill often does, is that not having the answer to “how?” prevents us from using the tools in a way that enables us to realize our full potential.

To bring it back to the topic of real estate and technology, we should be asking less “what is the best twitter app?” and more, “how can I best use twitter to help my clients and my business?”

Where do we go from here?

I am asked, from time to time, why I don’t talk or write a whole lot about tech tools. For me, the answer has always been simple– I’m not nearly as interested in learning “what?” as I am in learning “how?” Similarly, I would much rather strive to help you discover the “how?” that is necessary to put all of these tools together in a way that is meaningful and rewarding.

Going forward, you can expect to hear a lot more from me about the “how?” Join me as I look for ways to lay a strong foundation for using all of these great tools that we have.

I’d also like to know what kinds of “how?” questions you are trying to answer, and I’m interested in hearing your own answers. So. . .

How are you using technology tools successfully?
How are you finding answers to your “how?”

Filed Under: Helpful Hints, Social Media, technology Tagged With: , , , , ,
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