In the 1960’s Converse owned 95% of the sneaker market. The Chuck Taylor, its crown jewel, was the official shoe of the NBA.
Back then, a sneaker was once just a foot covering. A simple rubber sole. No arch. Canvas material that decomposed after six months. PF Flyers, the Chuck Taylor alternative, promised you could run faster and jump higher in them. I bought a pair. I didn’t run any faster or jump any higher. It was just an empty promise.
And that was all a sneaker was.
Then came Nike. Reebok. Addidas. Puma. Diesel. They took the sneaker to places unfathomable by the old market giants. They incorporated technology into their construction. Sophistication into their style. Market knowledge into developing its utility. And elegance into developing their message. Today, these sneaker companies are lifestyle brands.
Looking through my newspaper’s real estate section this past weekend, I likened what I saw to the Converse of old. Page after page of worn rubber souls, washed out canvas tops, and frayed laces.
I’m sorry, but it’s getting to the point of being pathetic. One home, valued at over a million dollars, features a super-sized picture of the agent and a tiny photo of the corner of a backyard deck. A flower pot was the focal point. Beyond the flower pot was a field.
This actually angered me. I was angry for the seller, angry for the broker and angry for this industry that allows the bar for everything to be set so incredibly low. The entire real estate section in my paper, is utterly, maddeningly, sadly, useless.
My take away is this: If you work in this industry as an agent and if you are doing the same thing you did ten years ago — the same ads, the same themes, the same disregard for technology, for utility, for
style, for branding — you are the Chuck Taylor’s waiting to be clobbered by something new.
I have two pair of Chuck Taylors in the closet. Purple and Black. The black pair is from 1976, the purple from ‘77. I won’t throw them away because there is something to be said for respecting the past. But I’ll never wear them again. They hurt, they’re uncomfortable and they look funny.
- Davison
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What a great analogy!
I share your frustration, patiently waiting for things to change. Of course, no amount of wishing will turn a 60’s Converse sneaker into a modern day Nike but it seems to me that there is a new breed of professional starting to gain significant market share, silently and out of the sight of those who have been around forever. In five years time, these agents will be doing all of the business and a lot of “old sneakers” will be put away. Most agents might not get it but I think most consumers do and they're finally starting to demand more.
There is a new breed. Some of that new breed is the older guard who are moving and changing with the times. They are the ones that I admire most. Others are the new guard. Younger, less experienced but definitely blazing new trails.
Amen brother! It angers me too.
Aren't PF Flyers the shoes that Benny Rodriguez buys in the move "The Sandlot"? If so, those shoes are legend.
Brian Wilson, Zolve.com
Legend perhaps. But sadly, given my height as a child, that jump higher, run faster thing held a great deal of promise for me that went unfulfilled.
Angry at whom? Hopefully by the time that ad came out the agent would already have agents with well qualified buyers writing offers to the sellers. I really don't believe it is about bigger photos, slicker ads or animated web-sites. A good agent will have the property priced correctly which should come close to generating multiple offer situations. The good agents who have been around a long time deliver great service and usually work by referral. They are rarely out "fishing" for clients. I was one of the 1st agents in Northern California to utilize a personal computer in my business. That does not necessarily make me a better agent or a more successful agent. Does your attorney or physician have their picture on their business card? Or wear a gold coat? Or try to come up with a catchy phrase? Or ask you what you would be willing to pay them that day?
The real estate industry needs better standards of training, mandatory continuing education with testing, on-going management guidance through transactions, review by outside auditors and so much more. Real estate has become much more about branding and packaging rather than safety and service to the client.
If you are an attorney looking for work just look to your nearest "mega agent" and start reviewing their escrow files. Or check out those "newby" agent files. No training is required to become a real estate agent. None. You do have to pass an exam which has nothing to do with actually working as an agent. Sad state of affairs. I hope the new agents will start demanding better training, better education, better supervision and higher standards for the industry.
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To jump high you have to lift weights, consume a clean diet and jump just about everyday. This is how you become a athlete.
Just read through this article and wanted to say thank you personally. Precise and concise!