Don't Catch the Status Quo, Invent the Status Quo

Glenn's article "Don't Catch the Status Quo"  is from the heart.

Quite a conversation going on this post - but I need to remind the participants that you're doing it on the Times Community which is public. If your intention, particularly yours Billy, was to do that, so be it. But I think, given what you're talking about, that it's better taken "in house". So, for the sake of continuing the conversation here on the Exchange, I'm copying the comments that have been added below:

From Billy Watkins:

Glenn when I started reading your post I became very excited. My excitement is due to having a very similar story. A little more than seven years ago I started on developing what I believe was a revolutionary real estate business model. The model, born from the same initiative that I felt was lacking in our industry was a model to make every brokerage more profitable and to save every home owner more money.

The brokerage I signed up with changed ownership shortly after coming on board. At that time I hoped the new owner would take the firm in a new direction. Remember this was 2002-2003 and even though the dot com bubble had burst, real estate was still abuzz about what the internet was doing to the industry. Well, as you can imagine my hopes were dashed in almost every effort to help bring this brokerage into the 21 century. The funny part is it was actually a Century21 franchise. We had at the time a website that was barely functional with no funds earmarked to finish it in a manner that would generate quality leads. I was frustrated to say the least. I begged and pleaded with my Broker to let me try all that I thought I knew to bring in new business. What I got was "You can do what you want, but it's not how real estate works" Okay, I could understand that comment. Here I was, barely two years licensed and I'm trying to tell this guy with almost twenty years in the business on me. I know. Give me a break!

But in 2004 it got to me. In Minnesota we got the growth in housing when it came to units going up, but the run up in prices came later than it did for other areas. We also started to see the slow down sooner then those other areas as well. What I decided to do at that time was to become a Broker. In Minnesota you have to have two years as a license salesperson before sitting for your license as a Broker. By January 2005 I had my Broker's license and Watkins Realty was born.

I immediately went to work on the business model. It was my belief I had just found the magic bullet that would revolutionize the industry and take it by storm. This program was fool proof. Anyone that was expose to it would recognize it for the genius design, it's novel approach and how it would save the industry. Well it didn't happen quite like I had planned. Let me tell you I did plan it. I sat down and did flow charts, historic research and applied for a patent. And guess what happened? Nothing! I mean people outside the industry thought it was an interesting idea. But, the people I needed to believe in it criticized every aspect of it with out fail and that included my out Broker who once again said "You're just not getting it, real estate will always be done the way it has always been done."

Some what dejected, but not discouraged I made up in my mind that what I had developed had value to the market. To me it was just a matter of time before everyone realize that it would be necessary to change the current model and when that happened I would be standing by with it's replacement.

Well, to make a long story short I'm still waiting, but we are there. We are at the point were most of us in the industry know that the traditional real estate model as we know it is obsolete. These is why we are all ACRE certified. Just like Glenn I know you want to know what model I developed that would revolutionize our industry. And I promise I'm going to give it to you. But not here and not before I ask everyone of you to make me a promise.

Like I said earlier "WE ARE THERE!" Look around you. The industry that we are in is the industry most crucial to our economy. We cannot move forward as a country until we fix the real estate issue. At the core of this real estate issue is the home owner who has little to rely on when it comes to spending. Incomes are flat if not down, 401(k)s are down, taxes are going up just like everything else and home values--we all know what's happening there.

So as I start to reveal to you what my program is all about I want you to promise me to not look at it as protecting our fees, commissions or whatever cash flow we create. This program is about helping the economy, about help the industry as a whole and first and for most about putting money back into the pockets of our potential clients. I know this is long post, but I needed to get it out there.

Thank you to everyone spending the time to read it.

From Ron McIntire:

OK, Billy. I must admit, having just launched the first ACRE Consulting model brokerage in my marketplace, you've got me curious.

From Glenn Freezman:

Billy, OK, I promise. I promise that if you never hit GO, then it is just another idea, the world has plenty of them.

From Billy Watkins:

Thanks Ron.

I promise I will let all of ACRE know what it is very soon. It is very important to have Brokers like yourself involved. What I'm willing to do is allow all ACRE members who are Brokers to have a copy of the business plan. So stay tuned. I putting a few finishing touches on the training manual.