President's Perspective

Where are we going?

Chris Reese
President

No successful organization operates without a plan. And CBR is no different. The programs and services offered by your board are part of a comprehensive long range plan which identifies our goals and provides direction on how we'll get there. Every 5 years or so, we make a concerted effort to review our goals and revise our strategies as needed.

We went through an intense brainstorming and planning program back in 2001 under President Barbara Lach. So this year, it was time again for the renewal and rejuvenation of our future goals.

In late February, we hired a consultant to help us with this task - Ann Bailey, President of Pranix, Inc, an expert in the Real Estate & MLS fields. I had heard Ann speak last year at a national meeting on issues facing MLS's across the country. There was no doubt in my mind that this lady knows our industry and the challenges we face.

Ann's plan was simple...

1. Meet with several focus groups representing our membership & find out first hand what our members want
    and expect from our Board.
2. Meet with the staff, officers, directors, and committee chairs to discuss the results from those focus groups
    & strategize on what we as a Board need to achieve.
3. Meet with staff and create a plan of action to attain those goals.

Results from the focus groups & goals set
Ann had phone interviews and also met in person with groups consisting of brokers (from all size companies), active agents and top producers. Not surprisingly, the groups were of the same opinion on many issues. I will list some examples of the expectations from our members, and the resulting goals below:

Our members are confident of the fact our Board represents their interests as an industry and fights for private property rights in the political arena. Our CORPAC donations are strong and the voice of our 7200+ membership is one that politicians respect. This protection has become a critical role of CBR and one that our membership expects.

GOAL: To be the dominant political force in Central Ohio to insure that laws and regulations are conducive to the success of our members and private property rights.

Our members expect the Board to also protect the integrity and security of the MLS. They were asked about the new fine system and protection of our search data that is being implemented. Most everyone in the groups were appreciative and agreed that this needed to be done. Suggestions were made to stay focused on the larger issues and stay away from the `nit picky' items. As a result, we're trying to find a way to auto-populate fields such as map coordinates, etc.

GOAL: To facilitate cooperation and compensation with our members through a common database of accurate listing data and to protect the MLS content from misuse to the extent feasible by adapting technologies and systems that will enforce sound policies.

Professionalism and the importance of the role a REALTOR® plays in the transaction were also issues that members want to see addressed. Many said "raise the dues" and give us more media exposure on the value of a REALTOR®. By the way, did you see the article in the Real Estate Weekly about how important it is to work with a REALTOR® and the study that was done by NAR showing that listing with a REALTOR® brought an average of 16% more dollars to the seller than selling the house themselves?!!!

GOAL: To inform the public of the VALUE of a REALTOR®.
GOAL: To have all members operate with high ethical standards and professionalism.

Communicating to and educating the membership. What are the changes in MLS? What are the committees working on? What new education and technology classes are being offered? What are the current political issues we're facing? What technology tools would make our business easier? Should we develop on-line classes through CBR? We must constantly seek and find ways to extend communication to our members.

GOAL: To better educate our members of the value of our organization and it's services; and
GOAL: To provide an avenue for our members to gain knowledge and skill for every aspect of their business.

And, yes, on that third day, a plan was implemented to attain these goals. You will see more classes, communication, MLS features, community outreach programs, articles promoting the value of a REALTOR®, and so on. You all would be very proud of how hard our entire leadership team worked for the betterment of our future.

The last goal was to create a leadership development initiative that will bring new leaders to our organization. . . Our Board needs input and inspiration from every one of its members. This is your future and your career. Become involved and keep CBR one of the best boards in the country!