You point out another challenge trying to deliver on a high level of customer service model, leveraging technology. A few years ago I built a Virtual Closing Room using Google Apps. The technology was pretty sweet, and best of all would not cost participants one thing. The challenge was finding and training the “other” services involved in the home sale process; the mortgage company, the attorney, the title insurance company, the inspector, the appraiser. It was like trying to herd cats.

I envision one day being able to do a complete turnkey transaction where the clients experience is the same all the way through. If I were in a larger market with a larger firm I would tempted to bring all these things in house if possible. Where not possible I would require anyone working with my firm on a closing to be trained in the process and technology.

It happens to be an important passion of ours, that’s why we built our own companies with lots of love and with great supporting partners so we can make sure the experience (for both clients and agents) is a great one. We wouldn’t use our brand name on it if we didn’t, too much at stake. Happens to be an important reason we attract great agents that want a great client experience, and I believe our capture rates are a report card.

Now, that does not mean every brokerage should aspire to do it. May take some scale and your passion may be somewhere else.

Keep up your passion Marc, we love seeing, hearing and reading it.

You asked – Would your agents and brokerage support a “full service” approach to consumers?

I had not thought about these services until I read your comment.

For this post, I simply considered the agents I’d hire. Then I wrote this post http://bit.ly/aKmQXA and tackeld a bunch of things I would do to lure these agents to my brokerage.

But as I think about it now, here’s how I would approach it.

I’m more about doing one thing great than 10 things average. This is why I am in love with Jay’s response. Passion drives his brand, nothing else. Honestly, there is a lifetime of things he can do to present that passion to the marketplace and never have to worry about anything else.

If I had to boil my brokerage brand down to one word, like Jay, it would be sophistication. As David pointed out, I lean in that direction. I like sophisticated engineering in my cars, as I do in the spirits I enjoy after dinner. I am obviously wooed by sophisticated individuals to represent my company. So all my energy would be focused first on nailing a sophisticated set of services within my real estate brokerage.

Therefore, the way I would handle title, mortgage, and remain true to my brand would be one two ways:

1. Find partners who can deliver these services with the same air of sophistication
or if they do not exist
2. Create division within my brokerage that does.

I realize the revenue advantages of providing these divisions but I also recognize the greater advantages maintaining a complete brand experience for my clients. So the decision on what I would do would be made by where the most complete and seamless delivery of sophistication would come from.

I would sooner waive the ancillary fees of a selling a loan or insurance policy internally if I found a partner I could refer who can do it better and with more sophistication that I would.

Having said all that, I am pretty confident that I’d be hard pressed to find partners who would deliver like I would so yes, I would over time, build separate companies that deliver these services or simply buy these partners and take part ownership in their operations.

Does that help?

- In future hiring. If you can boil passion down to something concrete and induce it into your interview process for recruiting, you will increase you ability to locate it and be even more selective with what agents you bring on.

- In marketing. Passion is marketable. An interior decorator can design a room to evoke passion. A clothing designer can create a look that screams passion. A brokerage can a local business that evokes passion as well. There are so many things you and 18 super passionate people can do to light up your marketplace. And none of those thing are corny. My mind is already spinning with passionate ideas.

- In your core brand ethos. From today on, let passion rule every decision. In other words, when faced with a dilema of any kind, whether it regards open a new location and where or whether you should invest in a new application, ask this question – “how will that app or that new storefront convey the passion we have for our community, customer services, life and real estate?” If an answer presents itself, then do it. Without wavering.

One last thing – I would go back and look at all my assets and ask myself if they, in their current form, distill to my agents and the marketplace the passion you have. If not, make the list and throughout the year attend to each so that by 2011, Thompson Realty, from every touchpoint, looks, feels, smells, sounds, like one big wet kiss on the world.

And Jay, I can say, as an observer, mostly by reading your blog, that this passion thing you have is real. This is your brand thing and there is a lot that can be done with it so don’t think for a second this is corny or that you need any more than this.

Having one common core ideal and nailing is far better than having 10 disjointed words that sound good, but are never lived out or realized.

Thanks for providing this to us!

There definitely are inherent traits we look for in an agent. But it’s hard to vocalize exactly what those traits are. It’s much like Supreme Court Justice Stewart Potter said in 1964 about pornography – “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it” (paraphrased).

Ultimately, it’s passion. Primarily passion for customer service, for “doing the right thing”. I want agents who endeavor to deliver the ultimate in service to their clients. I want agents who aren’t afraid to tell a client, “Now is NOT the time to sell your home (or to buy a home)”.

I want agents with a passion for client service and a passion for real estate and a passion for life.

Sounds corny, but that’s really about it.

Barrett Powell here. I was a presenter and worked on the ReBarCamp RDU a few months ago you attended. Jay would be lucky to have you.

Susie has leveraged Social Media as good or better than any other agent and has carved a very nice niche for herself.

If you were just a little closer to Raleigh…would love to work with you.