Altera Performance Group » Differentiation

What You Can Learn From The Dave Matthews Band

Jay OHare — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:05:11 +0000

In case you haven’t heard, DMB (Dave Matthews Band) has a new album out. While the album is being pushed with an incredible amount of promotion it wasn’t always that way. In the pre-internet days of 1993 & 1994 DMB was just getting off the ground and gaining a lot of traction in places where theoretically they shouldn’t have. They’d show up to a new town to play a college gig and not only would it sell out but everyone knew the words; even to songs that weren’t on their one & only album. What was gong on?

Tapes. It turns out that fans were recording the live shows and passing them around the college dorms (remember pre-internet). Inevitably some would get sent to friends at distant colleges and so the music spread. What got all this started was the band manager who not only allowed taping of live shows, he encouraged it. The way he put it, “I stopped thinking like a record exec and started thinking like a fan.” Pure awesomeness. That one simple act of thinking like a fan led to a marketing breakthrough that otherwise never would have happened.

“I stopped thinking like a record exec and started thinking like a fan.”

We’ve seen similar approaches that have lead to success in other industries:
Crocs - By not thinking like a shoe company they invented a huge hit.
Apple – By not thinking like a phone company they created the iPhone and revolutionized the industry.
Dr. Jay Parkinson - By not thinking like a traditional doctor, he’s taking primary care to a whole new level.
On & on…

So what if you stopped thinking like a real estate pro and started thinking like a the people in the market you are trying to reach? What of you took the DMB approach?

Less about you, more about me. Less out-dated headshots, more well crafted information that helps me make a decision. Less BS market reports and more stuff that I want to read. Less spam, more permission. Less focus on commission more focus on value. Less money in print and more money creating amazing online content.

With so much of real estate spewing the same crap just because their competitor is spewing the same crap there is real opportunity to connect with the right people and grow your business by thinking like them instead of thinking like a realtor.

Then and Now

Jay OHare — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:35:07 +0000

Almost 2 years ago we took screenshots of Steamboat real estate websites for a study we were doing. Almost 2 years later (an eternity in online terms) NOTHING has changed. These companies/managing brokers don’t get it. They made their web purchase and set it on autopilot. Same head-shots, same pitch, same tired photos, same 1999 website and the same fundamentally wrong approach to real estate marketing.

Over 85% of home searches START online and these companies clearly don’t care. What an opportunity for those who do.

Click on an image to enlarge.

(If you are reading this in a news reader or email click here to see the large photos)

Steamboat Real Estate

Colorado Group

Old Town Realty

Pam Vanatta

Ken Gold

Buyer’s Agent

Buyer’s Resource

Re-Max

Lisa Olson

Sotheby’s

Video of the Week – Getting People To Talk

Jay OHare — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:37:46 +0000

Of all the hype I’ve seen on this topic this ad is the best. You’ll see what I mean after you watch it.

You may need to watch it twice:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Getting people to talk & share your message (as is happening here) is a marketing home-run in today’s world. Approaching a topic from an unconventional and entertaining point of view can be a risk but can also be a key to getting your message noticed.

Reality

Jay OHare — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:01:05 +0000

Click to zoom

From a project we’re working on. You are not alone.

Selling Steamboat – eBook

Jay OHare — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:32:26 +0000

We just released the latest version of our eBook Alterations entitled “Selling Steamboat – 10 ways to think differently about selling real estate in Steamboat.”

It’s free so download it, read it, copy it and give it to a friend in need!

Alterations – Selling Steamboat

My Haircut is Not Fungible

Jay OHare — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:16:34 +0000

I have choices when it comes to getting my hair cut. I could go to Mountain Cuts for an inexpensive “blow & go” cut by a recent cosmetology grad. It may be a fine service for some but I prefer a little more experience and a higher quality hair cut so I go to Savanna at The Comb Goddess. I pay more and I get more. I pay more and I experience lower risk that it’s going to be screwed up & I’ll look like a fool. Both are hair cuts but they are not the same. They’re not fungible. (Fungible means that there is no difference in value between two or more items. For example, a $20 bill is fungible with any other $20 bill and it’s fungible with roughly $200 Mexican pesos.)
You can’t swap either haircut for the other and have the same result (the guy in the picture doesn’t get this). Savanna delivers additional value and I pay a higher price.

Most if not all of what you do to market a property is not fungible.

How about your real estate marketing? Most if not all of what you do to market a property is not fungible. Point & Shoot digicams won’t capture the same essence of a property as an experienced photographer with a digital SLR. You can’t simply trade one for the other and have the same value.

Writing ad copy 30 minutes before the deadline is not the same as a well crafted message done by a professional copywriter.

Venturing into the online realm with the cheapest web company you can find won’t be the same as investing time, energy and money with an experienced e-business outfit.

Just as we, the consumers, can tell the difference between a bad “bowl cut” and a killer style, we can tell the difference between elegant marketing that tells a compelling story and cookie-cutter-hack-job marketing. They are not the same. They’re not fungible – they don’t have the same value. In a crowded, competitive market, paying more attention to the quality of your marketing and less about the price can make a huge difference. We notice.

Why Do Some Brokers Do Well in Bad Times?

Jay OHare — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:30:51 +0000

Because they’re consistent in investing and improving their business in both good times & bad times.

I hear the same objections over & over regarding investing in their business. In good times many brokers say “Why should I spend any money to market myself or my properties? Business is so good, these properties just sell themselves.” Then they go play golf.

In bad times they say “Business is too slow right now. I can’t afford to spend and invest in my business. I’m going to cut way back till things get better.” Then they wait.

But the brokers who are successful in bad times are the ones who take a consistent approach to investing and improving their business in good times & bad. This works because it lengthens the good times and shortens the bad. As they continue to improve & invest in their business they put themselves in a position where they have more opportunities and more lucrative transactions. So when the market begins to turn south their opportunity pool is much deeper than otherwise, thus extending their good business.

They not only make more money but they also take deals off the table that could have been there for you.

When times are bad the same brokers continue to invest & improve their business Their down market is shorter than others. Why? For two reasons. First when many other brokers scale back their efforts those who maintain a strong presence have a greater chance of being noticed. Second, for the most part, the market pendulum will swing back the other way and when it does, those who have continued to invest & improve will catch the upturn much earlier than others. They not only make more money but they also take deals off the table that could have been there for you.

Cam Boyd recently hired a full time marketing person – in a down market. By doing this he’s positioned himself to catch opportunities much earlier and free his time & focus to find & properly market those opportunities.

There will be no green light for a better market and by the time you read about it, a ton of money will have already been made.

Video of the Week – Curious

Jay OHare — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:25:36 +0000

Interesting perspective from Seth Godin. I’d comment more on this video but I think it’s one of those things that either you get or you don’t.

(Can’t see the video, click here.)

Powder Days

Jay OHare — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:21:01 +0000

The good stuff isn’t on the main trails. It’s hidden away in tough places to get to. On a powder day we seek the edges. We try to stay away from where everyone else is. We avoid the tourist areas. As locals we understand and appreciate this.
I think this same thought process applies in real estate/business. The good stuff isn’t found by blindly following the crowd. It’s not on the “Main Trail.” Try following a maverick into the “business woods” sometime. You’ll be surprised what you find.

Video of the Week – How to Design a Newspaper Ad

Jay OHare — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:48:15 +0000

The Microsoft iPod (2min 54sec)

If you want to make your ads stand out often simpler is better. We see so many Real Estate ads that are cramped, hard to read, and miss the mark in conveying a message. Next time you’re creating an ad, keep this video in mind. In today’s txt-message world, less is more.

Apple makes some of the most sophisticated devices on the planet and yet their marketing approach is so simple, elegant and effective. That is until Microsoft gets in the mix

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)