"Hire us to represent your property, because we represent so many other buildings...and, we can tell about all of the leads at those buildings...to help you lease or sell your building quicker!"

In this day and age, when transparency and conflict avoidance are top of mind of almost every corporate executive, I am amazed that some commercial real estate brokers still use this tired and lame approach when soliciting property representation engagements.  What is truly amazing is, that given the above, some property owners still buy this line of trash!

Some brokers actually tell property owners that they should hire those brokers because the brokers represent a lot of other buildings and will share with them the leads that the receive on those other buildings.  That is a very common pitch!  Those brokers make claims like:

• You'll have our complete attention (How is that possible?)
• Because we represent so many buildings in the local market, we see every tenant (Will you share my leads with other landlords?)
• We'll tell you everything that's going on in the market (Will your other clients mind?)
• Sign with us, and you'll have a greater chance of making more deals (More or fewer deals?)

So, let me understand this:  Some property owners are actually comfortable not receiving true representation, the kind of aggressive and objective expertise designed to protect their interests, beat their competition, and help them succeed...the kind of service to which the broker representation agreements the sign actually entitle them?

Instead, they're ok with their buildings being thrown into a large pool, so when a tenant jumps into that pool, if the property owners' lucky number just happens to pop up, or if the broker overseeing that pool decides it's that property owner's turn, only then would they get a shot at that deal?  Is that really what they're signing up for?

Do these property owners recognize that while they're enjoying the supposed benefits of so many more leads that come from throwing their buildings into that very large pool, that some buildings or property owners will drown?  Do they think that brokers offering this service will favor them, and that all of the other property owners who were promised the same access to "all of the leads" won't be clamoring for the same tenants?

Have these property owners considered that while they're feeding on all of those supposed leads generated for them by all of those other buildings, that leads for tenants or buyers who may be sincerely interested in their buildings, will also be thrown into that pool, thereby possibly diminishing their likelihood of success?  Do they see that those tenants and buyers may be pulled from that pool and rescued by some other property owner at another building?  

Is this true representation?  Isn't this approach a blatant conflict of interest?  Do many property owners actually accept this approach?  Do the best brokers offer something better?

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