Get on board the Cluetrain.

Back in 1999, Rick Levine, Chris Locke, Doc Searles, and David Weinberger, all Silicon Valley veterans published what has became a roadmap for eCommerce development. Their document was appropriately named The Cluetrain Manifesto. A single paragraph summarizes the essential position taken by the writers:

"A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies."

The Cluetrain Manifesto is a set of 95 theses organized and put forward as a manifesto, or call to action, for all businesses operating within what is suggested to be a newly-connected marketplace. The 95 theses contained within the manifesto aim to examine the impact of the internet on both consumers and businesses serving consumers.

Of the 95 theses, my personal favorite is #89: “If you don’t quite see the light, some outfit will come along that’s more attentive, more interesting, more fun to play with." How true in today's market in which information and knowledge is valued more than brand, relationships, or cost of service. According to NAR research 81% of buyers begin their search for a house on the internet. Thanks to this internet research buyers know more about the subject property than do the real estate agents seeking to serve them. It's as if the authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto were addressing themselves directly and individually to the real estate business. Today, consumers can find suitable houses, research the home's history, calculate the home's value, gather neighborhood data, and in an increasing number of cases negotiate the purchase price online. Are you equipped to deal with this phenomenon? Is your prospecting and market outreach designed to meet and interact with this intelligent consumer on their turf? Are you able to communicate relevant facts and data in a timely manner thereby positioning yourself as the best and smartest source for counselling and advice? If not, you need to get on board the Cluetrain! Mike