but my agents don’t have smart phones

brad — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:10:00 +0000

the other week i posted a blurb on my facebook fan page on qr codes, two dimensional bar codes that deliver information such as web sites, web-hosted pdfs and contact information to the user when the codes are scanned from a hand-held device. these codes got their name because they are “quick response” content delivery tools. they’re starting to take hold in the business world, even though they’ve been talked about for many years (and used for years in Asia). if you want to read a great blog on the topic, visit lesley weber lambert’s post entitled “top 10 ways to use qr codes in your real estate marketing” on agent genius. you can read that blog here.

these codes could be huge in our business, as more web content is viewed using mobile devices. while less than 25% of cell service customers have smart phones and other mobile devices make up an even smaller percentage, the mobile web won’t stay in its nascent stage very long. in fact, current estimates place the number of web pages viewed on mobile devices higher than those viewed on desktops.

scratching my head

within days of posting that blurb i had the good fortune of meeting with the folks at toor.me, a company that generates qr codes as part of its virtual tour offering to real estate agents. their director of business development, nick smoot, shared with me a story of a presentation he had done for a mid-size brokerage. nick had finished his presentation to the broker of the firm, showing the owner how consumers are using their smart phones to access information on listed properties. at the end of the presentation, the broker told nick that he was impressed by the service. “but my agents don’t have smart phones” were the next words out of the owner’s mouth.

for the last time, it’s not about you

if i would’ve been there i would’ve sprayed coffee through my nose at that remark. nick was very diplomatic in his reply, but the fact that the broker even said it is evidence of how the vast majority of this industry still thinks – it’s about us.

newsflash. it’s never been about us. this provider-centric mentally has hung on far too long in our industry and needs to have a stake driven through its heart. it’s about the consumer. the highest life form on the planet. let’s get over ourselves and start focusing on what the consumer wants, how they buy and what they use in their decision making process. cuz if we don’t, someone else is going to step in front of us and help the consumer.

but then, that’s my opinion. maybe i’m just nuts.

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blogging from my iphone

brad — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:29:49 +0000

i tweet from my iphone, so why not blog from it too?

the concept borders on insanity i know, especially considering the iphone’s touch screen keyboard is designed for fingers the width of a pencil. hell, it took me six tries to type “designed” right now.

and i’d be crazy to think i could write anything of value posting this way. so why do it?