March 2018, Issue 1


WAV Group Newsletter
By Victor Lund

As a leading consulting firm, WAV Group operates deeply inside the complex technology stacks of MLSs, Brokerages, Franchises, REALTOR® Associations, and technology firms. From this experience, we recognize the pain that these groups face because of the lack of connection between the systems and applications that agents and consumers need. Upstream aims to deliver a better data management foundation for the data that brokers are entrusted for safe handling.
By Marilyn Wilson

It seems like every week we’re hearing about a new announcement from a large brokerage or franchise telling us they are spending millions on technology and re-positioning their brand story around their technology suite.

While I LOVE to see brokers investing in technology that will help their agents be more professional, prepared and responsive, I feel like we might be missing the big picture in our industry.
By Kevin Hawkins

Too often public relations activities rely on the “spray and pray” method these days. It’s just too easy.

First, there’s the availability of cheap digital newswire services to blast out a news release for a few hundred dollars or less. If you want to get some quick online news cover and links to post to social media, it’s just a few clicks away.
By David Gumpper

In 2013, WAV Group performed the most comprehensive research on responsiveness to consumer leads on broker websites. At the time, more than 50% of consumer inquiries were not responded to at all! For those that did respond, the quality of the response was very low and the time to respond was about 15 hours. The research highlighted an enormous disconnect between the efforts of brokers to drive consumer engagement through marketing and the problem with conversion.
By Victor Lund

I will always vividly remember riding to a meeting with a large broker in Marin County, California back in 2002ish. We were discussing the brutal competition among brokers in Marin County. At the time, Keller Williams did not have much of a presence in San Francisco or Marin. I wondered why Keller Williams had failed to grow as they have in other markets. Moreover, Century 21 was conspicuously missing from the market altogether.
By Marilyn Wilson

You’re sitting in your boardroom thinking through a tough decision that needs to be made. Many of the board members are passionate, engaged real estate professionals who have lived in the local area for their entire careers.