Hat Tip to abeskray for the comment “Hats off to Nate Silver for being a journalist and not an entertainer!”
That got me thinking about how it isn’t just the news stations that too easily switch from reporting and analysis into full on entertainment mode (sometimes without realizing it). We all do it to some extent. Every time we start arguing a point that doesn’t go to the bottom line. Every time we sell something other than what the client really needs. Every time we stop listening and just start talking.
It’s an important point to keep in mind. In real estate we are not selling a product and sometimes the service and value is hard to articulate. That creates a scenario where people feel that it is acceptable to simply say anything to win. They lose connection with the truth of what they are doing and head straight for the sales sizzle.
The backlash prior to the election was for the same thing. Nate Silver was essentially calling out those that were hyping one side of a story that didn’t have the same level of truth behind it. He took emotion out of it and didn’t even talk much. Just put his models out into the market place of ideas and allowed them to stand for themselves. I’d say he got a pretty good result from that.
The same should be true for any of us. If we’re not competing on ideas and fact then what are we really doing? Duke Long said it best a couple of days ago:
On the phone this week with a 33 year veteran of corporate real estate and the conversation went to relationships. His opinion and mine are that they are worthless. Why is that you ask? Simple.
The site the data and the bottom line are THE important factors. NOT the Broker or Brand!
Does anything else need to be said?