Dare to Win.
According to census and other data sources there were 203,000 people in the UK in 1871 whose stated profession was blacksmith.
Today, in 2024, that number has declined to 1,095.
It’s very easy with hindsight to appreciate why this happened, but it wasn’t at the time.
You see, whilst the motor car can be identified as the primary cause of the decline in demand for blacksmiths, this method of transport didn’t replace the horse overnight.
Indeed, I bet not one blacksmith in 1896 thought, when Carl Benz applied for a patent for a “vehicle powered by a gas engine”, “that’s it, the games up, time to train for a new job.”
And yet, many would have been wise to have done so sooner than later, because in just 30 years, by 1901, the number of blacksmiths had halved to 102,000, and worse was to come.
It’s not only blacksmiths that have gone from being ubiquitous to almost curiosity status – domestic servants, printers & bookbinders, miners, shipbuilders… and many others that were once part of the fabric of our society have all but disappeared.
So what about you?
What’s the future for your role?
It might be that you can take the view, “Well, it won’t happen in my lifetime”, and that may be true. However, unlike blacksmiths whose steep decline took place over 50 years or so, with the pace of technological development, who would bet against that this rate, in many professions, could be measured in months now? And if so, if your career has more than five years remaining, might you find yourself not only becoming redundant, but prior being increasingly irrelevant and therefore of rapidly diminishing value?
We’ve produced many live events over the last 20 years and a common theme for all of them, from the first “(r)evolutionary estate agency” to the current “EA Masters”, has been around innovation.
Originally we showcased examples of how some businesses were gaining a competitive edge, increasing their profits and boosting their value.
But now, whilst innovation remains at the heart of everything we encourage and promote, the driver is survival as opposed to just improvement.
To win the race against time of decline and irrelevance, you have to be brave. Innovation isn’t easy nor cheap.
To give up practices that have got you to where you are today in exchange for new methods is scary.
Moving from delivering a personal service in person, to an improved customer experience via automation and outsourcing, goes against the grain for many.
Which is why you need to “Dare to Win” – the theme for our events this year.
We have four events across the country in June, all of which are free for estate agents (sales and lettings) to attend.
We’ll be sharing examples of pioneering businesses who are daring to win, that have embraced the inevitable changes, and are thriving with their new structures, systems and processes.
We’re coming to Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Cambridge but only have 120 places at each one, and over half were taken up last week when we launched these free events… so if you want to gain information, insight, ideas and inspiration for the future of estate agency, get your tickets now!
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