Invent and Simplify

Say what you will about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, but he and that organization have changed the way we shop forever. And they changed the way companies sell their products. I have to admit that I am on a first-name basis with my Amazon drivers.

Back when companies started selling online, we could buy from the manufacturer or a retailer, but it was kind of a hassle. We had to pay to ship and I never liked putting my credit card number out there on various sites. I remember several years ago going from hardware store to hardware store looking for a very specific type of screw. What a waste of time and gas. Enter Amazon and eventually PayPal. They simplified the process so greatly that with about four clicks I can buy something at a competitive price and have it on my doorstep the next day. While my Prime membership fees cover the shipping costs, when I order something, it says ‘free shipping’ which makes me feel like it is actually free.

I recently read the 16 Leadership Principles from Amazon. This one stuck with me: “Invent and Simplify- Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by ‘not invented here.’ As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.”

We didn’t die from Zillow.

I think as an industry we have simplified over the years, but relocation, real estate, and the mortgage process are still clunky and can be ambiguous. Technology has helped in many areas but there is definitely room for improvement. It often comes back to control. The controlling sources of power don’t want to lose that power. Because power usually leads to money, or so we believe.

It was that way when Zillow first published broker’s listings online. Every broker freaked out… “how dare they take our information!?” Well, consumers now pretty much expect that listing information to be readily available with an easy search online. Brokers would have never given up the data willingly because of fear. Heck, brokers didn’t even want to put it online in the first place. There is no question that change is hard and scary.

Sometimes we have to let go.

In relocation, we still crave control. This is not a bad thing because we want to make sure everyone does what they are supposed to do to ensure a good experience for all involved. I will use the placement of agents’ outgoing referrals as an example. Since the beginning of time, one of the roles in a relocation department was to facilitate referrals for agents’ clients who are moving out of the area. Lots of people get a cut of the transaction on both sides of the referral.

Now we are starting to see trends where referral management systems and the brokers who use them allow agents to go in and choose their own agent to handle their client’s referral. Some relocation departments may not be completely comfortable with that. It may mean a loss of revenue to that department.

But if the agent wants to handle it themselves and the system allows for easy and secure placement, why not let them? As long as it keeps the referrals in the family of brokers, the money aspect can be managed behind the scenes via the system. That frees up an outgoing referral person to help focus on customer service and follow-up and generating new referral business. Some of the placement mechanics can be automated and people will still be an integral part of the process. If the referral goes sideways, the agent has to bear the responsibility as the one who chose the recipient. But if it is easy and the agents feel comfortable doing it, it is more likely to keep them from going outside of their network or brand, which is critical.

We need to think like the end user.

The advent of online reviews, crowd-sourcing information, and the quest for control and good prices by the consumer has shifted the way we engage, and seek out resources and information. Many of the significant changes in real estate and relocation have been because either the consumer demanded it or an outside entity came in and saw a way to improve the process and profit from it.

Amazon was criticized initially for ‘taking away’ sales from small businesses. Now many small businesses have figured out a way to sell their products and services in partnership with Amazon which may trim their profit margin slightly but give them exposure to millions more consumers that they could not have captured on their own. I also am a big supporter of small business enterprises and I know that not all of them make sense as an Amazon partner.

Innovation at its best.

I want to shout out to my friend and respected industry professional Bill Mulholland, the Owner of the new online platform called www.Agoyu.com. The website describes this service as “Finding the best mover and best mover pricing just got easier! Agoyu is the ONLY online platform that allows the consumer (you) to view and compare actual mover pricing/costs and customer service scores. View mover pricing, options, and services all real-time.” This is the use of artificial intelligence at its best.

Here is how Bill describes it in his own words. "Agoyu is a game-changer for the moving industry. Our AI-powered app eliminates the need for in-person or virtual estimates, saving customers time and hassle. With Agoyu, users simply record a video of their belongings and our advanced technology does the rest. Within minutes, they receive accurate pricing and service options from trusted moving companies for a move anywhere in the US or anywhere in the world. No more surprises or disputes about pricing and services for the customer or the mover. Agoyu brings the needed transparency and efficiency to the moving industry, that we have been talking about since I came into the industry in 2000. We're proud to offer a solution that truly simplifies the moving process for all!"

Do you think traditional movers are happy about this new service? Some are probably not thrilled, because it takes away a certain amount of control and the ambiguity that surrounds the moving industry’s pricing. But the moving process has been crying out for something exactly like this for years. Even though it is a regulated industry, there is still a lot of confusion about how pricing works. The participating movers will probably generate a lot more opportunities as large entities adopt Agoyu for their customers, transferees, and employees. It delivers much-needed transparency and customer control.

So with all of that being said, there is still no magic bullet to make a real estate transaction or the relocation process easier, better, and faster. But brokers and relocation professionals have to keep focused on what the consumer of our services want…not what we want. Or someone will come along and figure it out for us.

“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” ~ Howard Aiken, an American physicist and a pioneer in computing, is the original conceptual designer behind IBM's Harvard Mark I computer.