REALTOR.ORG/RAE ® THE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES SUMMER 2013 Your Value Define it. Communicate it. Deliver it. Why Some Regional MLSs Fail page 6 Make Your E-newsletter a Member Must-Read page 20 Why Public Transit Planning Matters to Members page 22 ® Plus: Defending the REALTOR Marks • Value Partnerships 00_BC_Su13_Cover.indd 1 7/23/13 9:19 PM ® SUMMER 2013 2013-2014 RAE Editorial Advisory Board Amanda Arwood Virginia Association of REALTORS® [email protected] Contents Eric Berman Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® [email protected] Julie Davis Features Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS® [email protected] Amy DuBose, RCE What’s Your Value? San Marcos Area Board of REALTORS®, Texas Associations strive to defi ne the value of [email protected] membership. By Carolyn Schwaar Page 12 Karen Dumond, RCE Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® [email protected] Debbie Hager Convey Value Maryland Association of REALTORS® How associations deliver the value message [email protected] to members. By Carolyn Schwaar Page 16 Bill Head MetroTex Association of REALTORS®, Texas [email protected] Joe Kras Shared Value Michigan Association of REALTORS® Double your value without increasing your [email protected] budget. By Alice Martin Page 18 Susan Ray Tallahassee Board of REALTORS®, Fla. p. 12 [email protected] Tia Robbin, RCE Northwest Montana Association of REALTORS® [email protected] Columns Natalia Russo Charlotte Regional REALTORS® AEC CHAIR 2 Association, N.C. [email protected] Four Cs of leadership. By Mark Allen, AEC Chair Joseph Smith BRIEFING 4 ® Bay East Association of REALTORS , Calif. ® [email protected] REALTOR association news, events, people, and programs. By Carolyn Schwaar Lynn Sullivan North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® TECHNOLOGY 20 [email protected] Make your e-newsletter a member must-read. By Hilary Marsh Jesse Sunday ® Sarasota Association of REALTORS® REALTOR PARTY 22 p. 5 [email protected] Associations join in public transit planning. By Joe Molinaro Lisa Walker Florida Association of REALTORS® LAW & POLICY 24 lisaw@fl oridarealtors.org Your part in defending the marks. By Katherine Johnson Julie Woodson North Carolina Association of REALTORS® SMALL BOARD 26 [email protected] Tap into NAR’s value. By Amy DuBose AE PROFILE 28 The RAE editorial board reviews each issue and provides critical feedback, proposes story ideas Annemarie Howard, CEO of the Charlotte Regional REALTOR® and industry contacts to interview, and stays in Association and the CarolinaMLS, on value. touch with fellow AEs nationwide to scout out new programs and products to share with the AE community. To join the editorial board, write an article, or contribute information, e-mail Carolyn Schwaar at [email protected]. p. 22 Cover image by Nick Rotondo, ©2013 SUMMER 2013 REALTOR® AE 1 I-01_Su13_TOC_IFCAd_IM.indd 1 7/23/13 10:47 AM I-01_Su13_TOC_IFCAd_IM.indd 2 7/23/13 10:47 AM AEC Chair Four Cs of Leadership hile at dinner with some very good friends • CHALLENGE Wrecently, our discussion evolved to the sub- By creating a clear and compelling vision, you will ject of leadership. Two of us shared with our younger give others a reason to contribute to the cause. It’s friends the principles of leadership we each use as your job as a leader to get your people excited about our guides in how we manage and lead others. It what their work will accomplish. When they have was amazing how similar our principles could be a sense of purpose that they’re challenged to fulfi ll, even though our individual leadership style is very you will rarely have problems motivating them to different. contribute. During my fi rst year or two at my Minneapolis Mark Allen, RCE, CIPS, CRS, Area Association of REALTORS® job, Jim Peters, • CONVICTION is CEO of the Minneapolis former CEO of the South Carolina Association of If you don’t believe in a vision that you are trying Area Association of REALTORS®. REALTORS®, shared some principles of leadership to advance, the people will sense that something Contact him at 952-988-3134 that I have forever held close. They have served me is missing and be very reluctant to follow. On the or [email protected]. well during days fi lled with sunshine and in days of other hand, when your people sense that you are raging storms. They are the four “Cs” of leadership: so confi dent of moving in a certain direction that character, competence, challenge and conviction. you’d make personal sacrifi ces to do so, they are These were inspired by the writings of John C. more willing to dig deep within themselves to give Maxwell. These four “Cs” are the required infra- an extra effort as well. structure that people must see in you before they will be inspired to follow you. In my experience, the more visible and transpar- ent I can be in each of these areas, the more success • CHARACTER I have at home and at work. I often review these More than anything else, followers want to believe principles before launching a major initiative or that their leaders are ethical and honest. They want before entering an important meeting. As Maxwell to say, “Someday I want to be like him or her.” suggests, I have an accountability friend with whom I share ideas and goals for improvement. I continue • COMPETENCE to try to improve in each of these areas, one step at MORE ONLINE When your people see that you not only are well- a time. Visit the AE Committee qualifi ed to lead the organization but also have a page at REALTOR.org track record of successes, they will have confi dence —Mark Allen, 2013 Chair, AE Committee for more on AEC in following you, even when they don’t understand activities in 2013. all the details. Chair, Association Executives Committee Mark Allen, RCE, CIPS, CRS ©2013 by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®0. All rights reserved. (ISSN 0034- ® CEO, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Dale A. Stinton, RCE, CAE 0804) REALTOR AE is a professional magazine published four times yearly by the ® ® Senior Vice President, Communications Pamela Geurds Kabati NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS as a service for REALTOR association executives. Articles in this magazine are written from the perspective of the REALTOR® asso- Vice President, Business-to-Business Communications Stacey Moncrieff ciation executive. REALTOR® AE is an informational publication of local, state, and Editor, REALTOR® AE magazine Carolyn Schwaar national association programs, activities, and current trends and ideas in associa- Contributing Editors Amanda Avutu, Paula Pisani, Bob Soron tion management and their practical application in REALTOR® associations. Views Questions and Comments e-mail: [email protected] and advertising expressed in REALTOR® AE are not necessarily those of or endorsed 430 N. Michigan Ave., ® Chicago, IL 60611–4087 Advertising Sales Matt Crist, 800-501-9571, ext: 116, by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS . Magazine archives available online at 500 New Jersey Ave., N.W., [email protected] REALTOR.org/RAE. Reprint permission: 312-329-8874. Distribution: Washington, DC 20001–2020 Local and state executive offi cers and MLS directors. Subscriptions: 800-874-6500 Write to NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, Publications, 430 N. Michi- [email protected]; REALTOR.org REALTOR® AE magazine @REALTORAEMag gan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, or call 800-874-6500. 2 REALTOR® AE SUMMER 2013 I-02-03_Su13_Chair_IM.indd 2 7/19/13 3:26 PM I-02-03_Su13_Chair_IM.indd 3 7/19/13 3:26 PM REALTOR® ASSOCIATION NEWS, EVENTS & PEOPLE Briefing By Carolyn Schwaar What’s in a Name? The Georgia Association of REALTORS® is now known as Georgia REALTORS® after removing “association” from its brand earlier this year. “We felt that ‘Georgia Association of REALTORS®’ was a ‘thing’ and that ‘Georgia REALTORS®’ are people,” explains Brandie Miner, the association’s communications director. “It’s just a different direction in how we wanted to present ourselves.” Earn Your Certifi cate in The move is not uncommon and, in Real Estate Association fact, is gaining popularity. Both the Wash- Management Online ington and Wisconsin associations of REALTORS® have a similar DBA, in part to In addition to the Real Estate Associa- avoid the awkward acronym WAR. “It took tion —Management concentration in the full a couple of years to get everyone on board Masters in Real Estate (MRE) degree program, with the change, but now if someone calls REALTOR® University now offers a graduate us ‘WAR’ in a meeting, members will cor- certifi cate program in Real Estate Association rect the speaker,” says Stephen Klaniecki, Management. Washington’s communications and mar- “With the void being left by phasing out the keting director. The acronym SCAR also University of Chicago certifi cate in nonprofi t prompted the South Carolina Association of management, this program is ideal for associa- REALTORS® to adopt South Carolina tion executives and association staff looking to REALTORS® as its DBA in 2008. take their skills and career to the next level,” Earlier this year, the Mississippi Associa- says Jonathan Salk, dean of student services tion of REALTORS® embarked on a multi- What is a DBA? for REALTOR® University. year rebranding plan that began with a new Any association of REALTORS® can change A minimum six online courses are required name (DBA), logo, and tagline: Mississippi its name or establish a DBA if approved by for the certifi cate: Real Estate Association REALTORS®: “Property Professionals— the National Association of REALTORS®’ Management I —Leadership and Governance; Community Champions.” The new brand policy committee (according to the renam- Real Estate Association Management II— focuses on professionalism and community ing guidelines) and properly registered with Association Financial Management; Program and political advocacy, the association says.