CalendarAs we approach the end of another exciting year in real estate, now is a great time to sit back and reflect on the best ways to help prepare your members and organization for success next year.

We have talked many times over the years about the importance of staying in touch with what is happening in the industry today. Here’s what can happen when an organization is out of touch: They can delay decisions because they seem difficult or controversial causing the organization to fall behind or lose its competitive advantage. Instead of responding to the waves of change, organizations can be torn apart by the jaws of defeat.

MLSs and Boards that do not stay close to trends can enforce outdated rules and regulations that hinder member success. They can make decisions in isolation of the needs of homebuyers and sellers, weakening the relationship of their members with the buying public.

Worst of all, a Board of Directors that does not stay in touch may not even know it is out of touch if it does not reach out beyond its local community to see where the real estate industry is going.

When conducting strategic plans we hear from brokers and board members that their organization is out of touch with today’s reality.

So how do you get your board in touch? Here are some of our suggestions and ways we can help.

Attend an Industry Conference

Many of these events can be very valuable for the content that is presented and the networking and peer to peer learning. The NAR Annual conference, CMLS conference and the AEI conference are great opportunities for MLSs and Associations to get in touch.

WAVes of Change™ Educational Series

WAV Group offers another method for staying in touch with trends and learning from progressive MLSs and Associations around North America. We call it the WAVes of Change™ Series. This exciting new online program allows every one of your Board members and department heads to keep in touch on the ever-changing trends in our business WITHOUT leaving home.

This quarterly live webinar will include exclusive, early looks at WAV Group research as well as the ability to learn from industry experts about technology trends, consumer insights and broker and agent issues.

Consumer Research Panel

WAV Group has been working with Associations for some time on engaging the consumers in their markets, most notably Houston Association of REALTORS®. Through our research, we have seen companies achieve great leaps of growth and success in key areas of their business.

The information gathered through engaging consumers can be used to shape your product roadmap as well as prioritize the types of programs you offer to your members. The programs prioritized help agents and brokers better serve the needs of consumers, helping make the services more valuable and ultimately, your organization more valuable as well.

By connecting directly with consumers about what legislative issues are important to them, your advocacy team can confidently present their case with real data showing how important real estate issues are to area residents.

Associations and MLSs sometimes struggle with ways to create solid connections with their brokers.  By supplying consumer research insights that the broker is not equipped to gather on their own, Associations and MLSs can provide valuable information that can help every broker better prepare their agents for success

Help better prepare members for success. Most importantly, the research can be used to help position every member of your organization for success.

If you would like to learn more about ways to position your organization and members for success in the coming year, feel free to email us at Marilyn@wavgroup.com or call us at 805 748-9118 and we’ll be happy to tell you more about it.

Our team will be attending NAR Annual in November and welcome the opportunity to get together in person. Email jenna@wavgroup.com or meggie@wavgroup.com to set a meeting with Marilyn or Victor.