A Facebook post this week really got me going. A friend that I respect and admire (smart, successful businesswoman) asked her Facebook world: “What should I buy – an iPhone® or a BlackBerry®? In less than five minutes, there were hundreds of posts of why she simply MUST get an iPhone – and - just as many posts saying that she would be crazy not to get the new BlackBerry.
In the Real Estate profession, a cell phone is probably the one tool that you simply cannot live without. Ah, but which one?
But the real question is not about phones – the real question is how does one even ASK SUCH A QUESTION to the outside world?
I have a Lab. The gentle, intelligent and family-friendly Labrador Retriever from Canada continues to be the most popular breed in the United States. I love my dog, Bella. But this same Facebook friend has a picture of an English Bulldog “Rocco” on her FB page. If I asked this person “what kind of dog should I get?” what do you think she would say? How would she know?
If I asked a Real Estate professional “what kind of home should I buy?” how could they possibly answer with my best interest at heart? What if I asked “should I buy a Tudor style, or a Ranch or maybe even a condo in the city (what floor – how high up)?” Are these questions the Facebook world should (or could) possibly be answering for me? Are these not questions that should only be answered by me (and only me) - the person who knows me the best?
“I’m a PC!” “I’m a MAC!” We have all seen these commercials. Apple is trying to say that if you are a nerd, and if you wear a suit, you should buy a PC. But if you are “cool” and if you wear jeans and T-shirts, then a MAC is the right choice for you!
Then came the Madison Avenue counterpunching "I'm a PC" commercials showing everyone from cab drivers to Nobel Prize winners using a PC and NOT using a MAC. Their point: the entire world uses a PC - and only a small percentage of the world uses MAC, so there! I say that these ads are a sad Microsoft acknowledgment about how smaller rival Apple simply out-marketed the software giant. I say that the "I'm a PC" concept will just embolden Apple to make even more aggressive swipes at Microsoft via their creative ads. Does Apple make a better phone, or a better computer, or a better tablet PC? Or – does Apple simply have a better advertising agency?
The world is competing for our business in every area of our lives, every single day. Where should I go to college? What kind of car should I buy? Where should I go on vacation? Who should I vote for? The list of questions, waiting for expert advice - is endless. Do we really want to be told what to do, and be told what to think and why?
I have been selling cellular phones since 1983, when the NYNEX Mobile® system first went live in New York. I have deep opinions about iPhones®, iPads®, BlackBerry® and everything else wireless. I was going to tell my friend EXACTLY what she needed to buy - to best service her specific mobility needs as a Real Estate Professional. But my advice was going to get lost in a sea of conflicting expert advice from everyone in North America (she has a big Facebook following).
The most important and best decision of my entire life was to marry my wife, Dianne. I did not ask anyone for their opinion, advice, nor did I ask anyone what qualities would make up a perfect wife. And, with the divorce rate at around 50% how would my advisors possibly know anything of any value anyway?
The limbic system is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides of the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. It includes the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and several other nearby areas. It appears to be primarily responsible for our emotional life, and has a lot to do with the formation of memories.
Need advice? Go with your gut. Trust your limbic system.
You know what they say about opinions and a$$holes and how everyone has one. Are you really looking for advice? Or - are you just looking for someone to tell you that you made the right decision?
My wife reminds me (daily) that I made the right decision. I wonder if she feels the same way? (…I am afraid to ask…).
Now, who’s up for a lively discussion on religion and politics? I am sure that we can all agree on that, right?
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