The third VAR Strategic Planning Committee meeting proved to be one filled with great and heated discussions. We ended up so engaged in discussions that we ran three hours behind and will be starting our next meeting earlier than usual to make up time.

This session focused around things such as gap analysis and drilling down the mission and vision statements. We also had a fourth group come in, brokers, for a panel discussion just like we had in last month’s meeting. They definitely gave us more insight and things to consider, but some of the core issues such as communication and engagement that we’ve heard from other groups was evident with the broker group.

Part of the gap analysis was grading ourselves. To do that, we had to come up with a way to measure our performance in an objective manner. Thanks to our facilitator, Duke Kuehn, we came up with a way to do that and the results were a reality check and crucial to what we have to address moving forward.

On some things, we totally hit the market, if not exceeded it. On others, we fell short. But the good thing is that we fell short on goals that most local and state associations are having a hard time with, including NAR, so it’s not just us. Some of those things were

• communicating with and engaging our members,
• the perceived value of VAR to its’ members (including local associations), and
• the perceived value of REALTORS® by consumers.

Overall, I’d have to say that we’re doing pretty well. But there’s always room for improvement and we’re well aware of that and will work to bridge those gaps.

I do have to commend VAR on one key point - they are definitely remaining flexible enough to quickly address current and future issues and trends affecting REALTORS® as well as consumers as they happen, if not ahead of time. This includes the market, emerging business models, emerging technologies and consumer and Realtor needs. Rather than being a 900 pound gorilla, VAR is acting like a small to medium size business that is constantly paying attention to the business climate and the needs of its customers and members.

The mission statement was also a topic of heated discussion. That’s one reason why we ran so far behind. Since all of the things VAR does over the next three to five years has to pass the mission statement test, it’s important that we get it right. And it has to take into account current and future trends, which is not easy. One of the items we addressed was more of a focus on consumers. Without them seeing value in REALTORS®, we’re all in trouble. Even NAR addressed that issue in their mission/vision statement and Strategic Plan:

“The National Association of REALTORS® is the business and public policy advocate for its members and the consumers they serve.”

This meeting helped us objectively look at what we do best and what we need to do better or start doing altogether. It sets the tone for the next three meetings which will focus on actually creating the Strategic Plan and holding itself accountable.

The next Strategic Planning Committee meeting is April 16 and 17. Look for the recap shortly afterwards.

The second session of the VAR Strategic Planning work group proved to be quite a provocative and eye-opening one. The purpose of this session was to get members’ feedback regarding what and how VAR is doing currently and what VAR could do in the future. Basically, it was a report card and a customer comments form wrapped up into one.

Wednesday’s part of the session focused on a survey of innovative ideas from other REALTOR® associations. We chatted with associations from Texas, California, Massachusetts and Florida. Though some of the things covered (such as “Second Life“) may have been a bit ahead of their time or not applicable to us here in Virginia, the exercise helped open our minds to being innovative, creative and forward-thinking during today’s meeting.

Today’s meeting involved discussions with various focus groups in order to better understand how VAR is perceived by its members including local boards. The three focus groups consisted of:

• Top Producers
• Local Association Executives
• Gen X/Gen Y’ers

Here’s an overview of what each group had to say:

Top Producers saw very little value in VAR outside of providing an incredibly strong voice for its members on the legislative side of things and promoting the Code Of Ethics. In fact, one member, who has been in the business 36 years, didn’t even know where VAR was located. They also expressed that there was a need for better communication between VAR and its members.

Local Association Executives (AEs) expressed their desire for VAR to “partner” with them and offered their advice on how to do so. This included working together on things such as course offerings, speaking engagements, advertising campaigns, decisions that affect them directly on a local level, etc. They also mentioned a need to improve lines of communication in both directions.

Gen X/Gen Y’ers stated their desire to be involved on a local as well as state level despite feeling as though they “weren’t always invited”. They offered advice on how VAR could better engage its’ members (”young” and “old”) including using online tools to promote offline and in-person interaction among members. They also offered their thoughts on everything from The Code Is Good Business campaign to the Commonwealth Magazine.

Though there may have been some differences in the needs of each focus group, there were definitely two common ones expressed by all three. Those were:

• Improving communication between VAR and members
• Engaging members more and in a better fashion

These seem to recurring themes so we may be on to something…

This session definitely opened our eyes and allowed us to better understand what VAR needs to be focused on in the near term as well as long term in order to best serve its’ members.

***I’m sure that I speak on behalf of everyone on the work group when I say thank you to everyone in the focus groups for taking the time out of their day to come to Richmond and be brutally honest and candid with us. What you have to say and think is what we need to know in order to put the best strategic plan together we can.

I have two phrases to describe the first VAR Strategic Planning Committee meeting of 2008 - “very pleasantly surprised” and “ouch, my brain hurts”. You may be saying to yourself, “Why?” and “that’s an odd description?!” Let me explain…

The reason why I say “very pleasantly surprised” is because I saw what actually goes on “behind the curtain” and it’s more positive and engaging than I ever imagined. You see, I was once an un-engaged and apathetic member of VAR. In fact, I may have been on the fine line of being an “assasin”. To me, VAR and its’ dues were a necessary evil when it came to conducting business as a real estate agent in Virginia.

But that changed a few months ago once I became actively involved. As a “newbie” to being on a VAR committee, I am learning how much, not how little, VAR actually does for the benefit of all its’ members. It’s also becoming apparent to what lengths VAR goes to in order to “get it right” and help its members succeed as Realtors.

The last SPC meeting was a testament to that fact. The meeting was dedicated to ensuring that the Mission Statement, Vision Statement and Guiding Principles were in line with what the Association originally set out to do as well as the changing needs of its’ members and the ever-changing real estate industry. These three items are very important because they are used to determine what services VAR provides its’ member and how VAR conducts itself on a daily basis. At the core of all these discussions were the needs of VAR members. There was no room for personal agenda - only what is best for all REALTORS in Virginia. This is what lead me to use the phrase “very pleasantly surprised”.

As far as “ouch, my brain hurts”, that has to do with the very thought-provoking, long and hard discussions surrounding the Mission and Vision Statements. We approached it from a number of different angles and used various methods to come to a conclusion. I seriously began to get a headache from all the concentration and thinking I was doing. At one point, even the facilitator said that he was getting a head-ache. No worries though… The headache was not from the process being a pain in the ____. It was because we were all working so hard to make sure we got it right and that our members were best served.

In case you’re wondering, one of the main topics of discussion was just that - VAR members “wondering” what goes on behind what they perceive to be a “curtain.” This hit close to home for me because I used to often wonder the same thing. Well, VAR is fully aware of this and is working very hard to change that perception. VAR is striving to become more transparent and engaging with its’ members. One example of this is VAR buzz, this blog. A focus on transparency is one of the reasons why you are reading this post and why this blog was created.

I do have to say though that it’s not a one way street. If VAR had engaged me, but I chose not to get involved, then nothing would change for me. In fact, at that point, I could only blame myself and not VAR. That was the other topic of discussion that came out of the first one - When VAR engages its’ members, what can VAR do to help get them involved?

The answer for some is nothing. There are some members that will not care what goes on nor want to get involved no matter what VAR does. Then there are others that may only want to passively watch what goes on whether it be via this blog, the newsletter, the magazine, etc. For the latter group, this may be more involvment in VAR than before, which is still an improvement and credit should be given to both VAR and those members.

For the remaining group, this higher level of transparency and getting rid of the “curtain” perception will spark them to actively get involved. Whether it be through volunteer work, teaching a class, joining a committee or some other way, these newly-involved members (such as myself) will have active involvement in VAR and contribute to all of our fate as REALTORS in Virginia.

To sum it up, here’s my personal take on the first official Strategic Planning Committee meeting of 2008 and the main points I got out of it:

• There is no “Secret Society” or “secret handshake”
• There is no “Dr. Evil” heading the committee meetings
• VAR is aware that not all members are engaged and is working very hard to change that
• VAR is striving to be more transparent so that all members know what’s going on and what their dues are paying for
• The core focus of VAR and why it exists is its’ members and their success as REALTORS
• And last, but not least…if you want to really see what’s going on and contribute, don’t just talk about it - get involved!

Keep an eye out for the follow-up post to the second Strategic Planning Committee meeting in early March.