Today Apple announced their new iPad (a third category of mobile device with the other two being phones and laptops). I my initial reaction was that this could be a really interesting advancement for sales people of all kinds but especially the Realtor.

They have already created an updated version of Keynote for the iPad but you could also use digital reports such as those from Cloud CMA in customer presentations (listing or sales). But what if we took it a step further… What if you handed the device to your client and while you drove they could be exploring the next property, comparable sales, or even school district data on their own terms. Would that improve the customer experience? Would that speed up the decision making process?

Another likely scenario would allow for the review and execution of documents in the field in a digital format. An elegant device that is easy to read and use might be appreciated (especially with aging baby-boomers who might need digital magnification of the fine print).

The implementations of MLS information, workflow improvements, and connectivity solutions for mobile devices has not yet met my expectations. Maybe with a new category of mobile device that will start to change. Time will tell.

Back in 2007, at the TED conference, Kevin Kelly spoke about the how the “web” was only 5,000 days old (the internet itself is older – yes, there is a difference). He looked at where it had come and where it is going.

My view is that the creation of the internet (pre-web) was the linking of computers; the linking of pages (Web 1.0) was very static circa 1993 yet many are still building stale static websites; the linking of data and ideas (Web 2.0) is currently a work-in-progress; the next decade will see progress in linking people, lifestyles, and communities (Web 3.0) possibly with predictive technology or human aggregation serving as a catalyst for grouping behaviors.

Watch this 19 minute video and let me know what you think…

Kevin Kelly: Predicting the next 5,000 days of the web

The Web 2.0 world has released a surge of content and challenged the status quo. Yet an increase in quantity doesn’t automatically equate with quality. Just because the barriers to entry have been lowered for journalism, graphic design, copy writing, photography, and songwriting it does not mean that we now have better news, better design, better writing, better photography, and better songs. On the contrary, generally it’s worse!

Crowd sourcing is all the rage right now for tech companies. An army of free workers providing lots of content seems like an attractive business model. On the flip side, there are plenty of case studies of bloated content companies, like newspapers and record labels, that are having difficulty adapting. Does this mean that commercial enterprises should not be paying for the content that produces their revenue? Do newmedia companies have the magic formula for making money for nothing?

Path forward I believe that viable companies will take a hybrid approach. There will be much more content but the stuff that is valuable will not be free. They will have to pay for it in some way. Writers will be paid for their contributions. Songwriters will receive royalties for their music. The pricing and revenue sharing models will be adjusted because long-term paying for quality will result in a better customer experience.

Jason Calacanis, the CEO of Mahalo.com, reported today that they paid 100 writers $40,000 in October. He understands that quality content and an engaging customer experience will make them successful long-term. With so much bad content out there it is nice to see that some people still value the good stuff enough to pay for it.

It is much easier these days to have your voice be syndicated and reach a wide audience. However, how many people that you like and respect would you consider to be approachable? How approachable are you?

Great leaders recognize that it is important to be approachable. Seth Godin, author of Tribes, said that he reads all non-anonymous e-mail (even if he doesn’t always reply). Harold Taber, former President of Coca-Cola Los Angeles, said that he spent time almost every day interacting with people at all levels of the organization (from executives to shipping clerks). US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has open dialogs on Twitter.

Has your own sense of importance prevented you from being available to the people in your community? I have found myself guilty of this by not always following up on all of my e-mails or phone calls. Yet, I’m learning that if I want to be able to approach the people that I respect then I should have the same courtesy for those who respect me too.

Next time you have 17 min to spare, I found this talk really interesting. Thanks for telling me about it Jared.

I describe my company as a newmedia real estate company. We are BOTH a tech company and a real estate company. It is easy for me to classify my business like this because we spend a majority of our time on the tech side trying to reinvent the real estate business. Yet, I believe that more and more businesses should, rather MUST, consider themselves as a tech company if they are going to remain relevant in the next 50 years.

When you view yourself as a tech company then you make the investments in systems, processes, and R&D to stay ahead of the curve. You create the trends instead of trying to follow them. You’re excited by innovation not frustrated by distractions that you don’t understand.

Last week, I was having a conversation with the CEO of a SoCal printing company that has been in business for the last 30 years. They are very successful and have 40 full-time employees. They actually benefit from old-tech with computers, printing systems, and the latest desktop publishing software. In our conversation I encouraged him to think of their business as a tech business.

For many in the printing industry tech is both good and bad. They love the improvements in their production process but hate having business go the way of the internet (i.e. websites and blogs instead of brochures and newsletters). Their whole industry has a choice, they can either become tech companies with advanced printing capabilities or they can lose to those people in the industry who do.

Everyone will agree that printing is now a commodity. So it’s not the printing that gives a company it’s competitive advantage. It’s not branding either. It’s tech. It’s the intellectual property that makes one company different than everyone else. It’s no longer to be ok to just be a good printer. That’s expected. Now you need to be a good innovator AND a good printer.

This way of thinking should extend to everyone and every type of organization. Any type of business, non-profit, governmental agency, or individual should add tech to their title. They should obtain the creative thinking skills and invest both time and money in these areas. I want to see the local bureaucrat embrace technology and find ways to innovate and add value to the community. I want to see the non-profits investing in R&D to permanently solve problems instead of just trying to clean up the mess after they happen. I want to see individuals saying they have these tech skills that they are applying every type of thing that they do.

Tech is no longer reserved for Silicon Valley. Tech companies should exist in all industries, in all cities, in all aspects of life. You don’t need to change industries to become a tech company. In fact, if you change your business to be the most tech savvy business in your industry you’ll be setting a new standard, inventing a new way of doing things, and creating a new set of expectations from the customer.

Social media, outsourcing, and other new tactics have been described within the real estate industry as proof of a major change in the business. People talk about them as the magic bullets for an industry that is in crisis.

Most people will agree that the real estate industry in 2009 is in crisis. However, I don’t believe that it is because of short-sales, foreclosures, or the mess in the financial industry. It is my thesis that the real estate industry is in a crisis of identity. Realtors don’t know what role they are supposed to play in this new world so they search for answers to explain why things are not working like they did ten years ago.

A recent study by the California Association of Realtors said that people are using the internet to research properties for 8-12 weeks BEFORE they contacted a Realtor. This new behavior lends itself to some of the methods used in social media and outsourcing but it doesn’t answer the question of why.

I believe that Realtors are no longer the gatekeepers of information and that we can either fight against this shift or adapt to it and benefit from it. To adapt to a changing industry, Realtors will be expected to become local leaders and aggregators of useful information. A greater percentage of the work will fall into these two areas with the individual transactions becoming a much smaller aspect of the business.

Now that we live in a flat world (see: The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century) you’ll start to see more organizations (entrepreneurial, non-profit, government, etc) that no longer act like “small businesses” but rather “quasi-small businesses”.  They use the leverage, manpower, and distribution systems of  large multinational organizations and media channels to accomplish their goals.

They may have some attributes that resemble a small business like a corporate office with “4 dogs and 12 employees”. They will have some, but not all of the features of, what we traditionally know as a small business.

Small business is traditionally defined as 500 direct employees or less. Yet, with collaboration between people utilizing various legal entities to protect their assets (including intellectual property) it is becoming the norm to have small business silos that operate cooperatively without engaging in a corporate merger or acquisition. Leaders are moving with ease between multiple organizations utilizing the power of their worldwide networks to accomplish their tasks without the need to obtain a passport or work visa.

It no longer requires a corporate structure, a board of directors, or a shareholders meeting to get things accomplished in this flat world. Yet when they are used it is not a surprise to find out that the board of directors meeting was actually just a foursome on the golf course or a conference call between people who have never met in person.

Quasi-Small Businesses, business mashups, and the hiring of the “majors” is occurring every day. It is being done by smaller and smaller organizations as the barriers to entry are getting less and less. The power brokers are the ones who represent talent and creativity. It’s the innovators, the out-of-the-box thinkers who will be successful in this new world. These are the people who don’t observe and design in the same breath; who don’t accept “business as usual”; who think big and get other people excited about their visions.

Find people like that and become like them. You no longer need to work for the large multinational to accomplish your career goals. Let the large multinationals work for you!

Jeff Monfils (a Realtor® from North Carolina) said to me yesterday…

“Success is not reached through making more money or advancing your career or even by public recognition, but rather whether or not OTHERS benefit from what your hands have done.”

Well said.

It is clear to me that the next big trend is to use the internet as a way to leverage community and re-establish accountability. It’s both a beautiful and scary time because the traditional definitions of community have changed. The problem is that most people online are involved only in quasi-community and they seldom build real relationships with the people in their lives.

We are more accessible due to technology but often less real. Living on he west coast I have found myself falling into this trap. I’ve been focused on what is important to me and sometimes forget to stop and have a conversation with someone without an agenda. Willing to listen. Open to new ideas. Able to change. Engaged in the moment.

In a world where people have been taught not to trust each other… where it’s just as easy to create a fake world that is built on lies so you can take and never give back… you can obtain a distinctive brand and corporate good will from talking the hard road. By admitting when you’re wrong or when you don’t know enough. By saying, I’m sorry and actually meaning it.

We forget that corporations and movements are made up of people. In a world where employees are doing the wrong thing in the name of ‘corporate policies’ it is important to ask, why? If you were held personally responsible for your actions would you still act in the same way?

It used to be much harder to obtain limited-liability protection. Today, it just requires filing a few forms, paying some fees, and maybe using an attorney. Maybe that should change. Maybe we should revoke corporate charters if they don’t act in the public good. Maybe we shouldn’t bail out corporations who took big risks, but because they are so large, have no accountability.

When people used to look their customers in the face, and knew their names, it was much harder to take advantage of them. If you did, they would tell their friends in the community and your available customer base would decrease. We should do that again.Technology can be used as a tool to make our world more transparent, and therefore, a better place to live.

I am blessed to work along side a few of the many people who are helping to redevelop community. People like:

• Kurt Daradics at FreedomSpeaks.com :: Their goal is to facilitate transparency in our government by empowering the community to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
• Paul Mobley (NYC) of American Farmer :: By documenting the hard working Americans who keep our country feed and reconnecting urban society with powerful images and stories of real people.
• Dane Sanders of Fast Track Photographer :: Who is leading a group of photographers, not by showing them the latest tricks with the camera, but rather by helping them identify their true potential as people with resources such as the pDNA.

All three of these people have one thing in common. When they identified a way that they could make a positive impact, then they cast aside the fear, and took action. None of these stories was accomplished by them alone. If they had not been supported along the way and encouraged to continue you would never know their story. They found great people to partner with and created excitement about their vision, not themselves.

I’m taking action in community redevelopment. Are you?

At various times I have used the wrong strategy. (Honestly, it has happened more than I care to admit). I had no one to blame as it was a strategy that I came up with all on my own.

Stop trying to be clever and original. Instead look for the best strategy for accomplishing your goal and copy it. Except in the cases where this is a violation of intellectual property rights it is the best way to quickly identify the right strategy for right now. Build in feedback mechanisms to identify trends. Then watch for the unexpected success or unexpected failure. That is the market saying the strategy is right or wrong!

Basically: Follow the leader and listen.

Derek Sivers, the head of CD Baby, said, “It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want me to sign an nda to tell me the simplest idea). To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.”

The book Getting Real gives a wonderful description of the value of an idea. Unless you execute on that idea the value of your idea is basically worthless!

Just like real estate, the way a property is developed determines it’s value, and those that can see the highest-and-best use usually win.

Value, and thereby profit, comes from the multiplier effect between the IDEAS and ACTION. Basically, if you’re not taking action then your idea is worthless!

What if you were given the opportunity to have lunch with Seth Godin or Donald Trump but you could only pick one. Who would you dine with? Would the choice change if you were paid $5,000 to sit down with Donald but it would cost you $5,000 with Seth?

If given that choice I would chose Seth gladly paying the $5,000.

Why would I make that illogical choice when I could have been PAID $5,000 to have lunch with Donald Trump? Because it’s not about them it’s about me.

I would chose Seth Godin because he has had a bigger impact on me and my business. In my opinion, he is also more humble and approachable. I believe that I can become like Seth but it would be very hard to replicate the same business playbook as Donald Trump. I can start a website that makes money by connecting people. I can’t, and don’t want to, build a 50 story skyscraper in the OC and call it Mobley Tower. I think that best way to make your first billion today is different than when Trump did it. Maybe that belief comes from the fact that I’ve done experiments with Seth’s teachings but I don’t have a lab that would work for doing trial and error in major real estate development projects (once again all about me). I can have a feature page on Squidoo but becoming the next “The Apprentice” isn’t high on my priority list.

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a bash Trump and praise Godin post. They have written two of my favorite books (All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World & Trump: The Art of the Deal). The both are successful entrepreneurs and I’d like to meet them both in person some day. I’ve learned a lot from both of them and I will continue to in the future. The same decision might be different for you and that’s o.k. because when it’s your choice it’s all about you.

I’m in the process of setting up an internship program with the Crowell School of Business. This is the same school that I did my undergrad and MBA. It turns out that one of the people who is point-of-contact was my old ‘Intro To Marketing’ professor. I got a D in his class and when I started my MBA I was on academic probation due to that one grade.

Honestly, I really enjoyed his class. Les Harmon is a great teacher. His classes were engaging and I don’t think I missed a single lecture. His presence at the school caused more people to chose marketing as their emphasis than any other field. (I still chose management).

If the class was so great, why did I get a D? I arrogantly thought that if I knew the material then that would be enough. I even went so far as to sit down in his office and say, “I can summarize the entire course in one sentence.” After listening to what I had to say he said something like, “You’re right but I still have to give you a D because you didn’t complete enough of the daily assignments.”

While it doesn’t show up on the transcript… that was one of the best lessons I learned in college. You can’t just know what to do… you have to actually do the hard work on a daily basis. I think that is the problem with a lot of really talented creative people who are not successful. They think that their talents will be enough so they don’t bother to do the daily things that would make someone even less skilled a success.

This was actually a wonderful reminder to me as I start the next phase of my startup company. All the plans in the world are not going to work unless we do the daily tasks that are necessary for success and let honesty and hard work be our constant companions.

A lifelong friend taught me a lesson this week. There is a lot of power when you start talking about your dreams as if they already exist. If you say something might happen then very few people believe that it will come to pass. You might not even believe it to be true. Yet, when you say, “This is going to happen and we’re excited about it” a funny thing happens… People believe you. Then when other people believe it’s much easier to push the doubts away and catch the vision yourself. I’ve seen first hand how something that was just an idea gets momentium, people join the team, and before you know it the idea is a thing or an event or a business.

One word of caution, this can also work against you if you apply the same practice to something that doesn’t have value. Granted it could be harder to excite people with the story but the principle can be used for bad as much as good.

Language and the stories that you chose to share have more power than you think. Chose them well.

Ten years ago the reach of a small business expanded from a local sphere of influence to a global one. Initially that was great and the advantages resulted in more competitive prices, greater diversity of product offerings, and an expectation of instant results.

One thing that was lacking was trust. Companies like Amazon and eBay have been successful because they built it back into their business models with customer feedback.

The next trend that I see is a reinvestment in what is local. Online and in stores people like to feel connected to place and community.

The challenge is taking the skills and advantages that were learned by opening up the boarders and applying those standards to local enterprises. Even a small business that has a brick-and-mortar business needs a website. Do they need full eCommerce functionality? Maybe not, but they might need an online menu or store hours. People expect that now.

What will people expect tomorrow? I think it will be a hybrid of both that I like to call hyper-local.

I’m trying to accomplish this with my hyper-local real estate brands like Homes Near Campus or Columbus Square. I’ve found it difficult finding quality, consistent, and relevant content that is valued by the community. It requires an investment that doesn’t always have a clear ROI but one that I believe will pay for itself long-term. I fear that if we’re not leading the trend then it will be so much harder catching up.

How often do you review progress? For many things a weekly review is the most frequent that is needed. More than that and you don’t have an opportunity to get the enough data to make meaningful decisions. Too long and you might not be able to identify cause and effect.

Take the time to review and make meaningful goals. When you succeed, great! If you miss the mark then you have the ability to make quick adjustments.

This is something that has been passed down from family and friends over the years. It is very inspiring and worth a ponder, especially in a “difficult” economic period.

A winner takes big risks when he has much to gain.
A loser takes big risks when he has little to gain and much to lose.

A winner focuses.
A loser sprays.

A winner says, “Let’s find out!”
A loser says, “Nobody knows.”

A winner has a healthy appreciation of his abilities, and a keen awareness of his limitations.
A loser is oblivious of both his true abilities, and his true limitations.

When a winner makes a mistake he says, “I was wrong.”
When a loser makes a mistake he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”

A winner plays the people more than the cards.
A loser plays only the cards, and it might as well be solitary.

A winner knows that people will be kind when you give them the chance.
A loser feels that people will be unkind if you give the chance.

A winner isn’t nearly as afraid of losing as a loser who is secretly afraid of winning.

A winner works harder than a loser, and has more time.
A loser is always to busy to do what is necessary.

A winner takes a big problem and separates it into smaller parts so that it can be more easily manipulated.
A loser takes a lot of little problems and rolls them all together until they are unsolvable.

A winner goes through a problem.
A loser goes around the problem and never gets past it.

A winner makes commitments.
A loser makes promises.

A winner shows he is sorry by making up for it.
A loser says he is sorry but does the same thing the next time.

A winner judges himself by the standard of excellence in his field.
A loser judges himself by the standard of mediocrity in his field.

A winner knows what to fight for and what to compromise on.
A loser compromises on what shouldn’t be compromised, and fights for what isn’t worth while to fight about.

A winner learns from his mistakes.
A loser learns only not to make mistakes by not trying anything differently.

A winner says, “I am good but not as good as I ought to be.”
A loser says, “I am not as bad as a lot of other people.”

A winner tries to never to hurt people, and does so only rarely.
A loser never wants to hurt people, but does so all the time.

A winner listens.
A loser just waits until it is his turn to talk.

A winner would rather be respected than liked, although he would prefer both.
A loser would rather be liked than respected, and is willing to pay the price of mild contempt for it.

A winner is sensitive to the atmosphere around him.
A loser is sensitive only to his own feelings.

A winner feels strong enough to be gentle.
A loser is never gentle, he is either weak or a petty tyrant.

A winner respects those that are superior to him, and tries to learn something from them.
A loser resents those who are superior to him, and tries to find chinks in their armor.

A winner explains.
A loser explains away.

A winner feels responsible for more than his job.
A loser says I only work here.

A winner says, “There ought to be a better way to do it.”
A loser says, “That’s the way its always been done.”

A winner looks ahead, but not too far.
A loser looks back, but not far enough.

A winner paces himself.
A loser has only two speeds, hysterical and lethargic.

A winner uses a massing as means of enjoying.
A loser makes a massing an end in itself and therefore no matter how much the loser amasses, he never looks upon himself as a winner and he never is.

A winner knows that the verb ‘to be’ must precede the verb ‘to have.’
A loser thinks that enough of the verb ‘to have’ is what makes the verb ‘to be.’

What we give away we keep, for it is in the giving that we receive. What we keep to ourselves we loose, for in the keeping we cannot reproduce. When we die we take with us only that which we have given away.

Author: Unknown

Most people think that innovation and entrepreneurship is an isolated activity. One that is done by brilliant people in a garage somewhere and isolated from the world until they reveal their brilliance. Yet, That couldn’t be further from the truth. Innovation requires collaboration. It lives and or dies from the environment from which it’s born.

When was the last time that you had a good conversation with a like-minded person about your business or ideas? Do you have people who encourage to try even if you fail (and everyone fails)? Yesterday, I had a long conversion with one of my muses. Kurt reminded me of the importance of surrounding myself with people who have the desire and ability to listen. Sometimes by just talking about a problem a solution can be found. Or maybe they have experienced the same thing and you don’t need to feel alone or stressed out even if it is difficult.

If you don’t have a muse… you need one! If you already have one (or many) today is the best day to give them a call and chat. Nine times out of ten they get as much out of the interactions as you do (sometimes more).

I recently ordered some new business cards from OvernightPrints.com and was happy with the quality and price. A designer friend of mine recommended that I use them but only if I went with a matte finish and preset the Pantone/PMS colors in Illustrator (instead of expecting what was on the screen to match the printing). These were good tips and I was satisfied with the results.

One thing that he didn’t mention was to look for a coupon code before placing the order. I saved 20% off their already good prices by first going to RetailMeNot.com.

If you can’t afford high-end printing this is a good option to maintain quality and seriously save on the budget. Obvioulsy it helps if you have a good layout so spend the extra cash on hiring a designer and save on the printing.

Do you have a process for identifying unexpected success? Are you surprised when your business is generating sales in markets different than you had intended? Many web-based business have done a good job of implementing analytics that allow them to modify their approach and maximize profitability. Unfortunately, in other businesses the same feedback mechanisms don’t always exist. If they do, arrogance may prevent us from capitalizing on them.

• What do you need to learn about your customers that would shock you?
• Are you successful in niches that are not your primary target market?
• Do you have services that are highly profitable that you stumbled into by accident?

Often the way you view your company will prevent you from taking advantage of the largest opportunities. For example, what if a manufacturer of packaging equipment refused to resell plastic wrap even though their customers were asking for it. The belief that they’re in the equipment business instead of the packaging business might cause them to lose out in millions of dollars in profit.

What if the way that you’ve defined your market is different than you intended? Shifting gears and investing effort to this new market may be just the strategic shift that your company needs.

Keep an eye out for the unexpected success. The market knows what it wants…. we just have to be humble enough to listen.