We Get Around Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod created this Walk-Around of a $3 million, 3-level, 10,000 sq ft house in the Buckhead community in Atlanta.

by We Get Around Founder, CEO and Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod

I failed to make a sale this week – that should have been a slam dunk – with an Atlanta broker of a major, national luxury real estate brand. Tah Dah*

I wonder what I could have said or done differently at this meeting – that was teed up as a result of my presentation to 600+ at Atlanta Tech Village (video, examples and talking points).

We Get Around Founder, CEO and Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod presents to 600+ at Atlanta Tech Village.

I am not a sales person: just a geeky photographer that is passionate about We Get Around being the only photography service company to offer this way-cool Walk-Around visual storytelling solution. Our differentiator/competitive advantage has only been possible the last three months).

My wife says I need a thick-skin and to get over it. "They'll call you back when their competitor starts using your Walk-Arounds. Move on," she told me. What do you think? Please use our Contact Us page or leave your comment below.

For about 45 minutes the polite, cordial conversation with the broker went something like the following.

ME: Would a Walk-Around like this help you get more $1+ million listings? BROKER: No. It's all about our relationships.
ME: Do potential buyers of this $3 million, 10,000 sq. ft. home, 3-level home – have homes to sell too? BROKER Yes, They would ask their agent – not us – to use your service.
ME: Would this Walk-Around help generate potential buyer leads from unaffiliated buyers? BROKER: No. Agents are happy using Open Houses on the weekends to generate potential leads of unaffiliated buyers.
ME: Do unaffiliated buyers begin their search online? BROKER: They eventually show up at one of our open houses.
ME: Would this Walk-Around enable more agents to pre-tour this house for their clients? BROKER: No. Good agents will visit the house in person.
ME: Would this Walk-Around help expand the audience of out-of-town buyers. BROKER: No. When out-of-town buyers visit our agents, we will take them to this house.
ME: Do you have any agents that like to be among the first to differentiate their marketing plans – a competitive advantage – with new, cool tech? BROKER: No. Doesn't seem like I should put you in front of our agents because none of them are particularly tech savvy.
ME: Would the national brand pay for a test and learn experience with your office? BROKER: No
ME: If Open Houses are used by your agents to generate leads of unaffiliated buyers, would this Walk-Around help generate more buyer leads? BROKER: Our agents always do open houses. The We Get Around Pricing is too high for $1+ million homes.
ME: What about for $5+ million homes in Atlanta? BROKER: There are so few $5 million homes that potential buyers will visit all $5 million homes.
ME: You mentioned that not all homes listed sell. What if we only got paid when the house sells (and we charge a premium for assuming the risk)? BROKER: None of our agents would do that. They are use to paying much less for photography anyway.
ME: Then, what do you think we should charge? BROKER: It doesn't matter, your Walk-Arounds are too good. We need potential buyers to have some mystery about what the house looks like. We need the emotional attachment to the house when they walk into the house.
ME: Since you are happy with video, seems like our Walk-Arounds would be the next step for a potential buyers to fully experience the house? BROKER: We're happy with videos.
ME: Would this Walk-Around make it more efficient for potential home buyers, the home sell and the agent since potential home buyers will have already pre-toured the house to decide that they want to visit in person? BROKER: People will not become emotionally attached to the house by viewing this Walk-Around. We need potential buyers to tour the house so that they become emotionally attached to buying the house.
BROKER: Maybe for houses that are $500,000, Walk-Arounds might be appropriate, but again, your Pricing is too much. ME: Would you commit to weekly, consistent volume from your agents in exchange for a package? BROKER: No. It's entirely up to the agents.
ME: Do you like our Walk-Arounds? BROKER: Yes. This is way-cool. That's why I took this meeting.
ME: How might we work together? BROKER: It's doesn't feel like we need it: just that it is cool. I love that you can see a three-dimensional model [castle view]. We're a relationship business. Our agents get buyers and sellers because of their relationships.
ME: In addition to capturing this Walk-Around experience, our camera captures three-dimensional object file. (.obj) For $5+ million homes, do buyers have interior decorators that likely use design software? BROKER: Yes. ME: Would the interior decorators find it helpful if they could easily show the prospective buyer how they could re-style the house including moving walls? BROKER: If the house needs that much work, then we would rather shoot the best parts of the house with still photography. Walk-Arounds reveal too much.
BROKER: Seems like architects would love your solution? ME: Yes. What about you?
ME: For clients that list their $1+ million homes with you, would they prefer that only real prospects come through the house? BROKER: We decide whom is a good candidate to visit/buy a house.
ME: Do you pay for the ads in national magazine and newspapers? BROKER: No. Our agents pay for their listing in the advertising.
ME: Thank you for getting together. I appreciate your insight. BROKER: I love what you are doing. It's just not right for us. Good luck to you and your company. I enjoyed our visit. I'm glad that [redacted] introduced us.

*At a recent Atlanta ProductCamp Atlanta, I took a workshop with The Brink Improv Director of Business Services Kristy Oliver-West. In Kristy's workshop, we practiced owning/celebrating our failures in addition to our successes. "Circus acrobats celebrate their failure when they fall off the trapeze," she told our workshop group of three dozen "trapeze artists" ...

Kristy, I failed to make a sale this week. Tah Dah! Next week, I'll be back on the trapeze.