There is a glaring hole in the industry – bad, inaccurate and cumbersome market information. Residential real estate leads CRE in data availability largely because the end customer has a vested interest in getting and using the data themselves. Blame a strong for sale by owner market. In CRE the end user rarely needs the…
Follow the Story
The numbers have a story to tell you. Step back and look past the surface for the root causes and blinking light indicators. Sometimes a thing isn’t where it is supposed to be for the right reasons. Not being at market rates is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s an indicator you need to ask…
Facts and Decisions
Engineers are particularly susceptible to believing that facts will win the day. Seth Godin says it best: “A statement of fact is insufficient and often not even necessary to persuade someone of your point of view.” The story you put toward the world will be the deciding factor of success. I’ve known way too many…
Measurement and Change
I know that my grandmother’s apple pie recipe will never change. Some things are set in stone and they will always be the way they are. I don’t know what my job is going to be like next year. I don’t know what changes technology will continue to have on the office. It’s important to…
Users vs. You
It’s amazing how often we forget that we’re in a customer service business. Goal number one should always be service. In real estate the only way to keep winning business is by establishing relationships – but sometimes that means getting them the best option possible even at the sake of our own short term gains….
Lessons from an Icon
Steve Jobs has stepped down as CEO of Apple and it’s the end of an era in Silicon Valley. But this move will send waves through many, many industries. There are going to be lots of stories and lessons learned and myths coming out in the next few weeks about the impact Steve Jobs had…
Changing the Rules
Industries are most likely to change once everyone believes that the rules are fixed and everyone has to play the game exactly the same way. Once group-think sets in, the probability of sudden and dramatic change becomes greater. Real estate is in that state now. Most participants are playing it the same way – follow…
Gen Y and Technology
I’ve been trying to think of a good way to talk about Gen Y and the workforce/workplace and GigaOM has provided an excellent jumping in post about Gen Y and their relationship with IT. They have all the information around how Gen Y interacts with these groups but miss one critical point: Gen Y is…