On this edition of “Keeping It Real,” a recurring podcast series on Inman, Peter Lorimer gives you his top tips for staying relevant.
We are always headed somewhere; if you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backward. Sure, it’s nice and comfy to stick with what works. And it can be extremely uncomfortable to learn something new. But complacency and stagnancy inevitably leads to backsliding, irrelevance and demise.
My advice? Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Here are my four tips to staying relevant and maintaining a professional evolution.
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Know your craft
All of it. Stats, comps, neighborhoods. Marketing — learn how to edit video, shoot a camera, tell a story.
And be humble in your learning. Remember there’s always more to learn.
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Act, don’t react
This is your value-add. Make bold predictions. Your clients are counting on you to know more than them. And these days, that means you have to know more than how much the house down the street sold for or the square footage of a home.
You need to have a handle on the market atmosphere and what could be coming down the pipeline.
This also means paying attention to where everyone else is putting their attention. In other words, take control of your marketing and put your content in front of people.
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Write it all down
Write down where your deals came from. Track what is and isn’t working.
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Give it all away (without expectations)
Honestly, for me, it all comes down to this. Give away as much information as possible in the hopes that it might be useful for someone else. Give freely, and don’t think twice about what you might get in return. Keep your head out of the results.
Peter Lorimer is the CEO of Beverly Hills, California-based PLG Estates.
