ReWork – The New Reality

The basic idea Freid and Hansson bring up here is that the barriers to entry for starting a business are lower than ever before.

Today anyone can be in business. Tools that can be out of reach are now easily accessible. Technology that cost thousands is now just a few bucks or even free. One person can do the job of two or three or, in some cases, an entire department. Stuff that was impossible just a few years ago is simple today.

While a little bit too simple, the basic premise is bang-on. It’s easy to get things going, with tons of free or very-low cost tools you can use. What’s complex is finding the right tools and being flexible and adaptable to junk a tools if it’s not working and get set up on the right path.

• I use free GMail and MailChimp rather than a multi-thousand dollar installation of Microsoft Exchange and paying for Microsoft Outlook.
• I use BaseCamp by 37 Signals at $20/month instead of much more expensive, “industry leading” TopProducer.
• I leveraged my own expertise in SEO and online marketing to make a big investment in a website that will pay long-term dividends by working with the core of what people want.
• I spend a maximum of 5% of each commission testing ‘traditional’ media, but a minimum of another 5% testing online and new/targeted media.

But the real core of how I’m approaching the business differently than other new agents or how some of the major trainers advocate getting started is simpler than all that.

Talk to your clients and customers.

Every tool must foster communication. Every advertisement needs to bring value to the recipient of the message. Each action needs to be thought through to bring value to the process of buying and selling real estate, and if it’s not helping people communicate and learn, you need to stop doing it. Simpler tools and business systems help you see the things distracting you from the core of your business – talking with people.