Gnarly and Radical…
For Halloween this year I was going to dress up as a realtor from the 80’s but realized I just looked too creepy.
So here’s how this whole 80’s realtor thing came together. I was growing a mustache (my first one ever by the way) for ‘Movember’. (I had to start weeks ahead of time to grow enough facial hair to actually have an official ‘mustache’). While I was waiting for an eye doctor’s appointment I noticed they had a ‘free giveaway’ box where I stumbled across the most ridiculous pair of men’s glasses from the 80’s. Once I put them on and saw myself in the mirror, I knew I had to make a real estate throw back video for Halloween. One of my kids had an old toy 80’s cell phone they would play with at home that always made me laugh AND I had a neighbor that had a ‘gnarly’ 1989 Mercedes car that he drove around our neighborhood all the time. Once I walked out of that eye appointment with my new ‘totally awesome’ glasses, everything came together quickly. When we went out to get video footage, we found the perfect 80’s house and the rest is history.
Besides being a goofy real estate commercial for Halloween, it was a fun experience to look back at other 80’s commercials for inspiration. As a child born in the 80’s it was amusing looking back at the pop-culture and music.
Another unusual opportunity also happened at this time. I won a local real estate award and was asked to speak as a panelist in front of hundreds of real estate professionals that work in the Twin Cities. The other panelist were going to talk about technology, lead generation, and predictable sales stories about themselves. I decided to do something different and… a little crazy. I showed up as the ‘Radical 80’s realtor.’
What was the secret to being a successful real estate agent? I shared that in my opinion, as amazing as technology has developed (and will develop in the future), it’s purpose is to enhance the sales process NOT replace the experience. Real estate is a very complex and expensive investment that involves thousands of variables that can quickly change. Being a local expert who is liked, known, and trusted by their clients is the secret TODAY and was the secret for success even back in the 80’s (when some agents used briefcases and wore fanny packs). Back in the 80’s fax machines, pagers, and Zack Morris cell phones were ‘tools of the trade,’ but they never replaced the actual relationship and experience an agent has with their clients. The real-time ability to evaluate, step by step, and independently advise someone on one of the largest financial decisions that directly affect a person and their family is an important job. Many business owners can get distracted by whatever they think is the next ‘silver bullet,’ chasing technology, thinking they won’t have to really work if they can just buy or develop the right technology. The reality is that to succeed in anything, it takes focus, hard work, persistence, caring deeply about people, and having fun. This principle isn’t just important for success in a career, its vitally important for ‘living a great life.’
At the end of the day, I’m not really sure what the real takeaways from making the ’80’s Realtor’ video were other than learning that, I should never grow another mustache, 80’s fashion was very weird, and fanny packs are absolutely ridiculous.
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