Zillow, Realtors® and the Death of the IT Worker
With all of the recent buzz about Zillow and its potential impact on the real estate industry, I got to thinking just how similar the whole situation is to the IT industry and the roller coaster ride it has been on for the past few years.
For the longest time, the IT department was the main point of production for almost all of the information within a company. Databases, networks, sales reports, accounting, websites… all of it required the help of IT to produce and distribute throughout the business. After all, without IT there was no information. And without information, there was no business. Being the only ones with the necessary skills to do such a thing, the act of producing was of great value to the receivers of that information.
Everything was rosy until information started becoming easier to come by and create. Fast forward a few years and almost anyone with a pulse and a computer can produce and distribute more information than anyone needs.
All of a sudden, the IT department lost its favored status and found itself playing the role of hi-tech plumber, just making sure that everything worked as it should. IT quickly became a cost of doing business. As you know, costs like this are minimized in any company. So it was with IT. And the outsourcing and downsizing began…
In order for IT to regain its value to business, its role must evolve from simply implementing and maintaining technology to being completely responsible for its “customer’s” experience and effectiveness.
With the introduction of Zillow this month, the real estate industry is facing a fairly similar situation.
The barriers to the information that was once only the domain of real estate professionals have been knocked down and the information is now flowing freely to those who want it. Never mind whether or not the information from Zillow is accurate or not. In time it will be. Until then, the general public probably isn’t equipped to know the difference.
Not without your expertise that is…
Just like the IT worker who is struggling for relevancy in the corporate world, Zillow has raised the bar for the real estate industry.
With the creation of Zillow comes a big opportunity for those real estate professionals that are willing to embrace change and shift their value proposition from delivering information to ENSURING ITS IMPACT and usefulness. Providing that kind of value will be irresistible to your clients.
In the end, Zillow and all of the competitors that its creation spawns really aren’t threatening at all, as long as you pay attention to all of the clues that are being put at your feet.
Make your move now! Figure out how you can offer value that is different, special and unique to you.
Let Zillow do its thing. Spend your time figuring out just what your thing is.
