I am proud and excited to announce the rollout of The Red Dot on May 1, 2018.
This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while now, and actively planning for a few weeks. So it’s a bit of the old butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.
The Red Dot is my new monthly report, which will go out on the first of each month covering a single key issue from the previous month. It is a premium subscription-only report, which you can subscribe to right here. (Also, eagle-eyed readers will note a new menu item above.)
The Why
I made a video and wrote a bunch of words in the Red Dot page, so please go check it out.
But the short version is that I wanted a way to be able to do some in-depth analysis and actually suggest strategies, solutions, answers for people outside of my very select list of clients.
See, I do conflict checks when taking on a client. I can’t give advice to one client that ends up screwing over another; I just don’t know how to do that. I also keep my client’s’ confidences, including even who they are, because that information is their business, not mine.
But time and again, things happen, I get some information or an insight, and I want to be able to share not just what I think about that issue, but actual actionable advice. I want to be able to help.
And I have to say that most of the industry leaders I have met and know are incredibly good people with good intentions who want the very best for their people, for their customers, and for the industry as a whole. But they’re constantly pulled in a hundred different directions, and I think it’s very difficult for them to know what’s really important and what can wait for another day.
My goal with The Red Dot is to be able to offer some level of advice, backed by real research and analysis, without going into a full-blown consulting engagement. (Of course, if someone wants to hire me to do just that, well, drop me a line. Assuming no conflicts, we can talk.)
What is it?
The full description is on The Red Dot page. Please go take a look.
Suffice to say that it is a premium, subscription-only monthly report that goes into some real depth and detail on a key topic. It’s beyond a typical Notorious ROB post, which I think is saying something, since many of you (half-heartedly) complain about the length.
The real difference, and why I need to go into that depth, is that I will actually offer Action Items for MLS, brokerage, and technology company leaders to do right now for that key issue we just covered.
For example, the first issue scheduled for May is about photography and copyrights. You might know all about it, if you’re a copyright attorney specializing in the area. Or you might think you know all about it, because you just put in new photo policies at your MLS. But I really doubt you know what you actually need to know about the issue, because the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just reversed the lower court’s dismissal of Stross v. Redfin.
The implications are staggering. And companies and organizations have to start taking steps right now to deal with them.
With a blogpost, the best I can do is, “Contact your attorney.” With Red Dot, I will of course tell you that, but also be able to offer actual advice, actual things to work on right now, for the MLS/Association, for the brokerage, and for technology companies.
That’s the kind of topic I want to tackle, and the kind of advice I want to provide without the time-consuming and intensive process of going on an engagement with a specific client.
What’s the Cost?
The cost is $250 per month for the Primary Subscriber, and $150 per month for any Secondary Subscribers from the same company/organization.
You get additional benefits from being a subscriber, one of which is a $250 discount on one-hour conference calls over phone or video — which basically pays for the report. Wall Street can’t get enough of those hour long expert phone calls, so I know there’s value in being able to really discuss the ins and outs of a particular issue.
Again, more details are on The Red Dot page.
You Want Me to Pay for a Blogpost? You’re Crazy
No, I don’t expect you or anybody else to pay for a blogpost. That’s not what this is.
The Red Dot is not like a blogpost, not even one of mine. It’s more like a report I write for clients on assignment. It’s in-depth, it’s detailed, and it offers solutions and answers not just questions.
It’s real work. Not just fun, but real research, real analysis, real thinking, and real work. I’m happy to do all of that, but like so many people in real estate understand, it’s not the price, but the value.
I hope some of you see the value in The Red Dot. I really do.
Honestly, it’s not for everybody. It’s intended for those in leadership positions with responsibility over strategy and corporate direction. MLS executives, Association leadership, brokerage owners and managers, and technology entrepreneurs. Some agents will benefit, especially if they’re forward-looking, but most probably won’t.
But if you’re in leadership, I think you’ll find enormous value in The Red Dot. It’ll help you cut through the noise, the distraction, and focus on the one thing that will really impact your company or organization.
Hope you’ll check it out.
I know this was a sales pitch — sorry about that, but it’s just such a close outgrowth of Notorious and I knew many of you would find great value in something like The Red Dot. So I wanted to announce it here first.
Again, go to The Red Dot page to get a lot more information and to subscribe so you don’t miss the inaugural May issue!
Thanks everybody!
-rsh
