Supplemental Technology

All of the agents that we spoke with incorporated technology into their business in innovative, creative ways, but with one notable caveat – the technology never replaced or compensated for their core professional qualities.

The effect, Knapp explains, is a process that is more supplementary than anything else. Though he uses technology extensively from a scheduling standpoint (the “Reminders” app on his phone being particularly useful), Knapp will never use technology to replace the personal aspects of his business.

“Don’t look for technology to take away the block and tackle things you need to do,” he says. “Use technology to supplement those block and tackle things. If you think you’re going to send your client a video on how to finance their home, then you’re going to eventually lose clients, because ultimately, you need to talk to them about what mortgage broker to use, and why you want use them, and how that will affect their financing; sending them a video on it is not a way to differentiate yourself as an agent.”

“Social media is great,” Knapp continues, “and you have to make sure you’re on the Internet, because you need an Internet presence to exist in business today – however, if you make that your focus, then you’re probably spending too much time on that and not enough time talking with your clients. It’s more important for them to hear your voice and for you to reach out and shake their hand, than it is for you to reach them with any time of online/Internet marketing.”

Polazzo follows a similar motto with his technological innovations. Since the beginning of 2013, Polazzo has managed a completely paperless business (a transition that was, ironically enough, spurred on by a PC crash), and the instant turnarounds that paperless allows – immediate signatures for contracts, for instance – have given him a distinct advantage in today’s market of low-inventory and multiple offers. Those innovations, though, were in the service of his existing business model.

“It’s about efficiency,” he says. “Efficiency means, ‘How can I do something faster? How can I do it easier? And how can I make it less painful for people, more smooth and more enjoyable?’ Selling and buying real estate is a stressful endeavor for most people, and one of the things that I strive to do is to make it fun and enjoyable, because otherwise, what’s the point?”

Polazzo did, though, have a warning for his older agents: “The younger agents do have a distinct advantage, because they don’t have any of these legacy systems that they’ve been developing over the years that they’re trying to transition out of. They’re just coming into it; this is [how the market works], and this is what they do. Some of the older agents, we’ve got to dive into this. You have to be careful, because you don’t want to be too much on the bleeding edge – in beta-land – but you need to be on the cutting edge, so that you’re not a dinosaur and losing time because you’re faxing.”

And that essential quality of a thriving real estate practice – constant evolution – is vital for Blass, as well.

“I’m always looking for new ways to advertise – new ways to advertise myself, new ways to advertise my listings. I’m always keeping my eyes open to see what new opportunities might be out there that I can try, ones that someone else hasn’t,” she says. “It’s really important [to stay active]. No one is going to sit back and wait for somebody to call you. You’ve got to be right out in front of them, so they will call you.