should an agent be the chief marketing mind? not necessarily, though he may need to be because we ain’t cheap

even if the role is outsourced, the agent should have enough of a grip on marketing to be able to hold the outsourced person accountable and be able to say “whatcha talkin bout, willis?”

going back to the bookkeeping (wait, did i just choose to go back to bookkeeping?!) i need to at least have an understanding of “how it all works,” what my goals are and be able to converse about it with the person responsible.

now, i think we’re all in agreement that marketing is quite possibly the most critical factor in the success of a realtor.

going back to Moffatt’s post that got this conversation going, it’s a shame that most folks don’t see marketing as such… often to their detriment and that of their client

Maybe i just have a ‘do-i-yourself’ inclination or am a control freak or both.

I will say, though, that marketing is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the profession because it is the creative part…i wouldn’t want to give that away.

Now bookkeeping, accounting and taxes…i’ll gladly outsource. ;->

Agree with the first two, but marketing is an entirely specialized discipline. If I take you literally, only those who can service their own car would be allowed to drive.

Here’s a question for you:

If you market for yourself and I outsource, with you doing 100 transactions and me doing 100 transactions — who did more deals?

You remind me of my ex-wife’s dad, who was disgusted I didn’t know how to change my own oil. Those who don’t change oil still drive, and agents without the ‘core competency’ of marketing still make two comma incomes.

There are literally legions of agents making silly good incomes without even a clue as to what solid marketing is — except for the fact they have a marketing dude on call.

Also, I’m envious of your marketing skills. I just don’t have the gene.

But as a realtor and a professional, i think you do have to bring some game. You should have some primary skills including communication, negotiation/sales, and marketing. If you don’t want to implement the marketing ideas, at least have them and outsource the implementation.

Sure, you can get away with getting all your marketing knowledge from other idea sources, however, i view marketing as a core competency. If you don’t have it you had better have another skill that more than makes up for it.

My $.02

Agents DO NOT have to know marketing. They have to know someone who does, then follow their advice.

The point was that agents were idiots because they were horrible marketers. There’s a team in SD whose gross sales dwarf Russell Shaw’s team. They market, but hire pros to do it.

You MUST market as a realtor even if your only marketing is to put the listing in the MLS. Now that is pretty lame, but actually what most realtors do. You have to “inform the market” somehow, someway. You don’t have to know anything about fuel injection to drive a car.

Mark, good job sticking to your guns on this one. Most realtors ARE marketing idiots and wouldn’t know a USP if it hit them upside the head. You can call them idiots because you are a marketing guy, it is harder to call your colleagues idiots.

And bawldguy, i’d submit that for the track home that is one of four floorplans, the USP is condition, lot, location in the neighborhood and PRICE. I’d start with those. Maybe there is a better view from the porch, too ;-> but price is definitely a part of the USP and more so in commodity homes.

Happy selling…I mean marketing.

just to highlight something i said that i should have explained a bit more to give you an even better perspective of usp development: ted ciuba “wrote a letter detailing how caves, similar to the one on his property, were used by the underground railroad”

notice the use of “similar to.” in no way in his letter did he ever claim that the cave on his property was used by the underground railroad… he created the perception of uniqueness through “guilt by association” by telling how similar caves were used.

Truly magnificent.