I remember having a conversation with John Featherston, the long time CEO of RIS Media, at a NAR Mid Year conference about fifteen years ago. I was still a new employee of LanTrax and was trying to wrap my head around the world of Real Estate Brokerages and the software solutions that serve them. I can't quite remember how it came up, but John offered some advice on how to make it in this industry which I never forgot. He said in effect that if you stick around long enough and can gain a reputation as a solid vendor that focuses on it's clients you will have long term success. Well, fifteen years later, and an ever growing list of top brokers using our solutions, proves that his insight remains true and remains a guiding principal of what we strive for at LanTrax.
The real estate software vendor landscape is rife with companies who made a big splash, signed up a lot of clients, and then were either bought out, or went out of business. It was true fifteen years ago and remains true today. We've always kept our focus on adding customers one at a time, and giving them our all to make sure our solutions were implemented properly and set up to help them to grow. We've innovated and grown along with our clients. Companies like Howard Hanna, Long & Foster, William Raveis, and Watson Realty all chose us based on a combination of software innovation, experience, and trust.
New companies will emerge touting the best technology and promising to increase your productivity, profits, and success. But remember that at the end of the day, being able to pick up the phone, call someone when a problem arises and having the confidence the vendor on the other end understands the issue (because they have the experience) and the sense of urgency around solving your problems is the most important thing. The real estate business is built on trust. Trust the back office software vendor that has stood the test of time and considers servicing its clients, as the most important thing, not the company looking to make a splash and then exit for a big pay day.
