RELATED TOOLS RELATED ITEMS Net Journal Archives

Last week I was invited to attend a leading real estate conference to speak about our business model. The conference was limited to the top 200 or so real estate brokers and professionals in the industry. This was quite an honor for our company, but it was also a new challenge, and a potentially treacherous one. We needed to make a good impression with this group, since we were going to be working with representatives of their companies on many deals in the future. One misstep here could lead to a serious industry backlash that would slow down our expansion and growth.

To understand the stakes, you have to understand who these people are. I was asked to speak about zipRealty.com to the Billionare's Club. This is a very select group of people whose real estate offices sold over $1 billion in real estate during 1999. On average, these folks had over 15 years experience in the industry and had shaped the way many people in America bought and sold their homes. The last thing they ever wanted was a new Internet company entering their marketplace and competing head-to-head with their offices across the country.

Needless to say, I felt like the small tuna swimming into the sharks' tank. The big question was: How would this group react to meeting the virtual version of real estate in person?

My presentation started off a little slow due to a touch of nervousness. But as it went on, I could sense that I was hitting the right tone (consumer focus, supportive of the industry, emphasis on working together not against each other) and ended up finishing strong. The question-and-answer session was lively, and after it was over I felt good because nobody stormed out of the room or threw anything at me.

The reception that evening was similar. Everybody there knew each other and knew of me, but I had few relationships with anyone outside California. Luckily, a few friendly souls from around the country came up to talk with me. On the whole, they said they were impressed by the presentation and felt our company was just the breath of fresh air the industry needed to move forward and better serve its customers. Whew -- breathe out.

During the next day, I had to speak on another panel and attend a luncheon and cocktail party. The results were the same with over a dozen people approaching me eager to talk more about our concept and to build a relationship between their company and ours. In fact, two people who were big sports fans like myself gave me standing invitations to attend baseball games in their cities next time I was in town.

So from my point of view, it was two very good days. It became apparent to these stalwarts that our company was a lot more similar to theirs than they had expected. They could see we were a legitimate entity attempting to build a viable, profitable business, and that we were facing many of the same challenges they faced.

I left feeling that this was one of the most important meetings we had attended, because we had defused what could have been a nasty rivalry, established credibility within the industry, and started forming valuable relationships that would benefit our company in the future. With that check in the box, I headed home, ending two weeks on the road. Now it's time to refocus on delivering great service to our customers. After all, I have met our competition -- and they are formidable.