iBuyers: Lead Disruptors or Lead Generators?

As featured in REALTOR® Mag YPN Lounge.  

It was 2007 and I was laughed at by an "expert publicist/marketer" when I said I liked this new site called Facebook for business marketing. That "expert" said empathetically, "Facebook? That's for teenagers. Myspace is the place to be!"

"Myspace?", you wonder.   That's laughable now but in 2007, MySpace was the "cat's meow" of social media.

But I followed my gut. By the end of 2008 (my first year in real estate sales), my business had grown so much from Facebook that I had to build a team to keep up with the leads and that was in the middle of the "Great Recession".  And as we all know, Facebook has dominated social media for ten years.


Likewise, there is a new trend that "experts" are trying to steer us away from acknowledging.  I see the same thing happening now with iBuyers (tip: the "i" stands for instant not internet).  But what I have learned with business trends is you can either be an early adopter and make the tool fit your business needs or be a laggard, "late to the party" and really held captive to a system that was set up without you.

During a recent workshop I held of this same title, I asked the audience how does hearing the term "iBuyers" make you feel.  Here's what they said:

• Anxious
• Threaten (threat to my commission)
• Uncomfortable
• Unsure

If we "buck" against and fear this trend, we are most certainly to be excluded from this trend as it develops.  Remember, how Blackberry responded to the advent of iPhones?  They assumed the public would not pay for them or want the apps.  They missed the trend.  I believe we can and must embrace new trends that serve the public because ultimately that's what our roles as agents/intermediaries entail.  Hear me:

Our role remains relevant (as opposed to extinction) as we focus on serving the needs of our clients

Now (at the beginning of this trend) is the time for us to do it in a savvy way that keeps us involved (front and center) in the process.  Check out this video for more on this timely discussion of iBuyers and my 4 keys to remain relevant with the help of the iBuyer model (yes, this model can actually contribute to your business growth).

Sound off - I would love to hear from you!  Give me a shout on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or by visiting LearnWithDrLee.com.  

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