NAR – Seth Godin Says Change Your Ways
Whenever a trade association raises the barricades and tries to lobby their way into maintaining the status quo, they are doing their members a disservice. Instead of spending time and insight and effort reinventing what they do and organizing for a better future, the members are lulled into a sense of security that somehow, somehow, the future will be just like today.
The key takeaway isn’t that the lobbying doesn’t work (though it usually doesn’t). The problem is that the lobbying takes your attention away from the changes you can actually control and implement. Simple example: why doesn’t the NYSRA have a staff of unofficial inspectors who help their members get an A when the real inspector comes around? Why didn’t the RIAA help the record industry figure out how to transform into an industry that would embrace and leverage file sharing?
The National Association of Realtors and the MLS’s across the country are guilty of these tactics. Even Realtor.com is seen by most Realtor’s as a way to pull money out of their wallet, not as a driving tool to help them be more successful.
Protecting the status quo in static times is not always bad. However, in dynamic times such as these the organization turns into a detriment to the industry. The attempt to be protectionist and maintain what we have ends up bringing everyone down.
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Spending money on advertising that it is a great time to buy a house when the market is melting does not help real estate agents in the eyes of the public.
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Paying economists to only give positive news does not help Realtors improve their public standing. It only raises skepticism of the whole industry.
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MLS’s that put barriers to sharing information to protect their interests instead of opening it up to empower their agents helps only the Trulia’s and Zillow’s.
A trade organization that is truly out to help it’s members would be running conferences like RETechSouth that would be exploring the cutting edge, not fighting to maintain a status quo that is slipping away.
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Comment by Tony Arko on 1 March 2009:
Our association met with the CEO of NAR, Dale Stinton, a week ago and asked him questions regarding technology and improving things like lockboxes, the NAR website, etc. In not so many words he said that the overwhelming majority of REALTORS do not want technology and innovation. They are afraid of change and want things to be kept simple. Therefore NAR would continue to keep things simple (read dumbed-down) for their members. Don’t look for any advances coming out of that monopoly any time soon.
Comment by Tom Royce on 1 March 2009:
Tony
It is understandable that the NAR will work for the lowest common denominator. Trying to appease the majority creates a logjam and innovation. You do not think Trulia thanks it’s maker every day for the luddite thinking at NAR?
But the organization tasked with making real estate agents best in breed and brags about it is actively working to make them obsolete and ineffective. The madness is that by following the herd they are paving the way for their demise.
However, if they followed the pack that is out there innovating, they could be bringing amazing value to their members.
Comment by Atlanta homes on 1 March 2009:
Tony I appreciate you bringing attention to this. I have personally caught flak from prospective clients and existing clients about those stupid “It’s a great time to buy commercials”. As far as the NAR was concerned it was a great time to lie! Why would our industry heads try to sell that snake oil to the public as our industry was burning down right before our eyes. Many markets have still not hit the bottom and the NAR and their economists know that. We REALTOR’s should be gaining stature in this down market as trusted advisors and navigators, but instead we are being looked at as crooks and liars.
Comment by Matt Fagioli on 2 March 2009:
Hey Tom,
Thanks for the REtechSouth link love
See you real soon.
Comment by Albany Homes on 3 March 2009:
This is why I love Seth Godin. He points out that the NAR’s leadership just doesn’t get it. Encourage innovation and use the down time to get better at every aspect of your business.
It’s not always about spending money either. Some of the most effective innovations I’ve made in my business this year have not cost me a red cent!
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