Larson/Sobotka Business Advisors
Projects and services

Larson/Sobotka Business Advisors offers a wide variety of services in the real estate vertical, including:

• Business and policy advice regarding listing data use
• Negotiating business deals with industry technology vendors
• Facilitating cooperation among MLSs
• MLS policy operational reviews
• Organization and division strategic planning
• Presentations addressing strategic and other issues

Details appear below. If your firm requires assistance with strategy, operations, or marketing advice relating to MLS or listing data online, we can help.

Listing data use

Brokers and MLSs struggle with displaying listings online: IDX, MLS consumer-oriented sites, national aggregators, newspaper sites, and other options exist. Brokers and MLSs also struggle with questions about other ways that listing data may be used: in third-party data products, software products sold back to the brokers, and others.

L/SBA can advise MLSs and brokers regarding:

• Operational controls they may wish to impose on listing data use, including MLS data use policies and broker online advertising policies.
• Analyzing costs and benefits of making listing data available to third parties.
• Negotiating business relationships with third-party aggregators and syndicators.*

Technology business deals

L/SBA's principals have more than two decades' combined experience selecting technology providers, negotiating deals,* and implementing technology transitions. Contact us to discuss your next RFP, vendor selection, or contract renegotiation.

Cooperation among MLSs

L/SBA can advise MLSs and associations considering cooperation to better serve their members and subscribers. We can assist you in evaluating the cost/benefit of the many options, including:

• Mergers
• Data sharing cooperatives
• Regional service entities
• IDX cooperatives

MLS policy operational reviews

At the National Association of REALTORS Annual convention in November 2007, NAR General Counsel Laurie Janik counseled MLSs to review their rules and remove those that are no longer enforced or applicable. She warned that the Department of Justice and FTC are watching MLSs closely. We believe such reviews are also an opportunity to consider the addition of rules to deal with common problems that are not part of the model documents circulating throughout the industry. L/SBA has experience from working with dozens of MLSs and can advise you as to best practices.

Strategic planning

Establishing a vision for your company or division and using it to guide your day-to-day activities is critical to your success and the efficient use of your resources. Too often, strategic plans are launched with much fanfare but are then tossed aside, only to be picked up again at the beginning of the next strategic planning cycle.

L/SBA believes in strategic plans with measurable objectives. If you know you want to "Improve customer satisfaction," you need to measure it now, during, and after you implement your new strategic plan. There is no other way to know whether what you are doing is really working.

Presentations

Here is a representative sample of presentations Brian Larson has given in the last several years. Larson often prepares custom presentations for organizations in the areas of intellectual property law, agency and fair housing law, multiple listing service issues, and strategic planning. Contact us to discuss your program plan and receive an estimate with no obligation.