Duke Long, last week, wrote a post on Self Serve Commercial Real Estate. It had everything you would want from a great narrative. Compelling plot points, a climax, and who can forget the cliffhanger at the end. Then came the sequel. And like most sequels, it didn’t quite have the same impact but it did a great job of driving the point home. The first ends on this most excellent question:
“Alex so the question I must ask is where in the hell does that leave me?”
The answer was left unaddressed but I believe offers the compelling difference between CRE champions and everyone else. Those that can answer have imagination and those that can’t….well, may not be around long.
One thing about this world is change. The old ways of winning the race don’t last as long as they used to. The CRE strategy has been around for awhile and change is coming down. Some see it and embrace it, some see it and fight it and then there are those who pretend not to see it at all. Things will shake out soon.
But imagination is the tool that you need to have to survive the coming change. Imagination will show you the options that others can’t dream up.
“Alex so the question I must ask is where in the hell does that leave me?”
Instead of asking this question, someone with imagination would have come up with three alternative solutions to the problem and been on the phone with them to at least go through what else could be done. At the very least come up with an imaginative negotiating platform. Someone else may have immediately helped with a financial model to show the break even proposition of various occupancy forecasts. If someone was really creative they would have proposed an innovative Property Management relationship to keep down costs while delivering unheard of services.
But instead the broker is left shaken from his encounter with a proactive former client. His relationship failed him because he wasn’t bringing imagination to the table.
Bravo!