Board Retreat and Other Things

OKCMAR & MLSOK held a join retreat earlier this month. While I need to take all my notes and put them on paper I do have a solid idea of what the plan is for 2011.  Several focus groups were held prior to the retreat. Thank you to all who participated! This helped to give us an environmental scan to work with. Overwhelming all groups believed the market would stay consistent with what it is now for the next year.  The Frank-Dodd bill will force changes by January in how we do business which will affect forms as well as financing and appraisal. I urge all of you who read the blog to emphasize with your colleagues how important it will be to read the weekly e-blasts and message of the day in the year ahead.

OKCMAR's focus this year will be communication channels with the membership. As staff we spend a lot of time communicating through different channels in hopes to reach the majority of membership. Currently, OKCMAR members receive information through the weekly blast, website, MLS message of the day, networking events, post cards, quarterly magazine, facebook, twitter, texts and this blog. What we learned is that this is not enough effort to reach most of you. We will now look not to channel diversification but group segmentation. We will revise our communications to tailor messages to specific groups: New Member, General Audience, Commercial, Single Ownership Brokerage, Multiple or Franchise Ownership Brokerages, RPAC Investors & Top Producers. You will see in January the eblast going out monthly versus weekly with timely single audience messages regarding important information.

Education will focus on segmented needs versus a ton of classes with limited attendance.  Expect to see a more varied educational effort with less focus on CE- although the core CE classes will still be available each quarter. OKCMAR has pruned its Quality of Life Initiative to hone in on the private property rights segment. The consensus was that OKCMAR should focus its activities not on public/consumer outreach but on informing and educating the membership. In 2011 there will be more focus groups and outreach to the appraisal and lending community to ensure that the groups are working together to overcome massive legislative changes in how we do business due to the Frank-Dodd bill. Our public outreach will be concentrated through a C-4 where we will reach out to the entire real estate community. Again much effort will be spent raising dollars for RPAC.

Networking will also be segmented with the two large conferences serving the general audience and smaller networking opportunities by membership segments.  The luncheons will be audience targeted.
We will look to expand our affiliate network as well.

In MLS, the message of the day will be revamped. A consensus was no new tools in the MLS and increase communication about what is available. There was discussion of field changes and the need to work together with the lending and appraisal community. More training will be moved to online. The CIE will work to bring together the commercial community. Smaller broker segmented informational meetings about MLS offerings and law changes. In conjunction with OKCMAR the broker support services will be taken up a notch or three! Also in the works a comprehensive review of the Rules & Regulations to ensure that rules align with local market practice. Through the broker blasts we hope to give the brokers the tools to address legislative changes  at their staff meetings.