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I’m really no fan of real estate agents. Is there any other profession filled with so many vapid smiles and low-value-adding, yellow-jacket-wearing, shopping-experience-ruining part time disasters? Sure, you read about agents who are worth their wait in gold. Good luck finding one or getting a call back. So here is Seth Godin today with some advice for real estate agents: quit now. Hey, that’s pretty bold, especially since he was addressing a crowd of realtors when he gave that advice. But his point (which, it turns out, is regrettably not that everyone who sells houses should jump off a cliff, which would have been much more entertaining) is valid. To whit: get out of the commodity business. Find something unique, and create your own industry. “I am the world expert in under-priced townhomes in low income neighborhoods!”. Find some way to stand out, so that you are no longer competing with every other part-time dreamer within 200 miles.

I have free advice for the niche-seeking realtor who’s ready to hear it. Guaranteed to be successful, as well as 100% unique, as far as I can tell:

• Listen to what your clients tell you. Find out what they want, and then find similar houses to show them. It seems simple, but in my experience, most realtors focus on selling what they have rather than showing me what I want.