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From Seven Gables Real Estate
A spark of
business insight
from Mike Hickman
The Ten Percent Advantage
Professional drivers know. Races are won in the curves,
not on the straightaway.
‘The Turn’
Truth is that anyone can push the pedal to the metal and
There are only two speeds
get up to 200 mph on an arrow-straight road. It takes finesse,
Win or Lose intuition, skill and an intimate knowledge of your machine to gain
the upper hand in the curves.
And that’s where we are right now: the curves. This is
where we earn our keep. I’m convinced that how we navigate
these obstacles in the next few months will provide the ground
work for the coming years.
We must be bold. Invest and engage. Invest in our data
base of knowledge and engage our consumers. Maintain constant communication. Aggressively pursue viral
marketing. Ignore the nay-saying headlines. All they do is muddy the waters and confuse.
In fact, we can use the points of confusion created by the media to our advantage. Buyers and sellers
need—deserve—a trusted advisor in real estate. We become more valuable by wading through the confusion and
understanding where the market is headed. Through the 7G Wire communiqué and 7G Wired, we in management
provide insight and information every week. But, you’ve gotta be using it.
Here’s a scenario: two Realtors® show up for a presentation to a potential seller. Identical suits. Identical
smiles. Identical Droids. The first reels off the tried-and-true spiel and answers questions and objections with
canned responses.
The other agent displays an intimate familiarity with the property and its surrounding neighborhood, as
well as an expertise about sales activity in the area and genuine passion for his/her profession.
Commissions and listing fees are identical for the two agents. So to the seller, it’s not a matter of price.
It’s down to value. What agent number two brings to the table cannot be explained purely in terms of dollars and
cents. Knowledge. It’s what sets us apart.
If we can be just ten percent ahead of our competition, we will be 100 percent better. And it’s in the snaking
curves that we have the best opportunity to gain that ten percent advantage.
The only way to get out of a curve safely is to accelerate. We may have backed off the gas when entering
the curve, but now it’s time to accelerate our way out. Other companies who
don’t do this will be way behind. We’ll be halfway down the straightway while
they’re still struggling with the curve.
And that’s exactly where we want to see them: in our rear view mirror.
R E A L E S T A T E
--Mike
sevengables.com Your home, your lifestyle...It’s our purpose. 800.955.7356