3 Lessons from a Sunken Ship [infographic]

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3 Lessons From A Sunken Ship

Mention a certain name, date, phrase or word and right away, everybody knows. JFK. September 11th. "Beware the Ides of March." Titanic. (See how that works?) It's that last reference (to the Titanic) that I want to talk about and offer three quick lessons from.

Of course, it was the ship that wouldn't/couldn't be sunk. Right? Titanic was built by the best engineers utilizing the best technology of their day. But even the best can blow it. (Lesson #1: Just when you think you won't make a mistake, that's when you will.)

Titanic set out on her maiden voyage on April 10th, 1912. There were 2,227 people aboard when the ship left England for New York City. But there was a problem. There were only enough lifeboats for just over half of the passengers. Oops. (Lesson #2: Just when you cut corners, that's when you'll wish you hadn't.)

The captain on Titanic was Edward J. Smith who committed a number of miscues that ultimately contributed to the sinking. Among them were the following: relying on his own eyes to spot potential danger, trying to set a speed record crossing the Atlantic and not slowing down in a dangerous situation. All were factors that led to the collision with an iceberg. (Lesson #3: Just when you set aside common sense, that's when disaster will strike.)

And so just to sum up the 3 lessons from the Titanic in a positive/call to action spin:

1. Be humble. ("Pride comes before a fall" is true for everybody.)
2. Prepare for emergencies completely. (Have enough lifeboats.)
3. Use your head. (Don't "check" your common sense in at the door.)

They're not just good lessons for ships.

(Above picture in the public domain: HERE. More information: HERE.)

In Your Face About Open Houses - Part 2

(Click HERE to read "In Your Face About Open Houses - Part 1.) It’s Saturday (or maybe Sunday?) afternoon. You’re picking up your business cards and flyers. You’re turning off lights and locking the door. You’re grabbing your directional signs. There. You’re finally driving home from another open house. And the thought in your mind (maybe) is: “Why do I keep doing these when nobody comes (for the most part)?” And it’s a legitimate question that real estate professionals ask. Especially in a market where money’s tight and time is precious, you want to maximize the things that work and leave behind the things that don’t. Right? And what might you do to attract more traffic to your open house the next time? Here are a couple of ideas:

1. Invite the neighbors. Go door-to-door and invite those who live in the surrounding neighborhood to the open house. This will give you an opportunity to gain more contacts and get the word out. Have some refreshments available. Include a raffle for a dinner or movie tickets. Most of all, be prepared to explain the reasoning behind why the home is listed at the price that it is. Be ready also to share insight on other homes in the neighborhood. Neighbors will be interested in hearing what you have to say. Portray yourself as the expert. After all, you are (or should be). Always focus on the positive (at least there were a few lifeboats on the Titanic). Sure, the market is challenging, but property is selling if it’s priced right.

2. Make a video. Make a video of your house. It’s easily done with Windows Movie Maker that’s installed on most Windows operating systems. It doesn’t have to be long. You can even use stills. Add some audio, burn it to a CD and then hand it out to anyone and everyone you can think of. (CD-Rs are really not that expensive.) And maybe they can’t come to the open house, but that’s okay. They’ll see it in the video. You can even upload it to YouTube and embed it on your website or blog. If there’s enough of an outcry, I can teach a class on how to do this.

The bottom line is you want your open house to be a success. Maybe it’s time to think outside the box and do something new to make it happen.