The psychology of why people buy is sometimes even more important than what they buy, or in this case, don’t buy. Retail giants are closing at an alarming pace, and CEO’s and executives are struggling to find out why? It’s easy to point the finger at Amazon and proclaim that online commerce has finally taken over, but is that really the case? Jeff Bezos launched Amazon in 1995. Let’s us talk about experience.

When people order coffee from Starbucks, part of the enjoyment comes from the experience itself. Seeing other people, talking to the Baristas, listening to the music, and finally enjoying a cup of hot, premium coffee in that white and green cup. To further that experience, this year Starbucks launched its Reserve locations that serve their high-end Reserve coffee beans, and use pour-over, siphon and coffee press techniques in an elegant, warm, modern interior. Guess what? It works. Why? Because people crave experience. This is where modern Retail has failed us.

Victor Gruen, (the designer of the first indoor mall) is said to have created malls to be public spaces and a critical site for “public encounters.” He likened it to “the ancient Greek Agora, the Medieval Market Place, and our own Town Squares (Jon Pinksner, The Atlantic).” Malls provided what people so desperately crave, entertainment. In the past shopping is not seen as a chore, but an event, and exciting one at that.

Restaurants and bars are certainly getting it, and some are calling it the “Golden Age of Restaurants” because people are spending more money eating and drinking than on retail. As dismissible as this is, millennials and Gen Y’ers want to eat and have unique experiences at highly “Instagramable” locations. But retail has still failed to grasp this. More so, it got lazy. Going to the mall or shopping has become more of a chore than experience, sullen and uneducated salespeople greet you with sour and underpaid, expressionless faces. The lines are long and cumbersome, the clothes are dated and boring, and energy and excitement that shopping used to have are all but gone. That’s not to say that stores like Apple, and some flagship stores aren’t doing this, but by and large they’re the anomaly.

But before we say that retail is dead, and self-driving cars will soon take over and deliver our goods to us, we have to remember that people will always crave experience. It’s human nature want to get out and see and be seen, to touch the product we want or feel the fabric. So what does retail of the future look like? It needs to evolve and become much more than a store, to stimulate all of the senses than ever before. Take a company, like the GAP, that once dominated mall fashion in the 90’s, but is all but an afterthought today. They will need to reignite their brand. For example, they may have smaller storefronts with a try before you buy policy like Warby Parker, working synonymously with the online buyer, yet still providing an experience, something that Amazon cannot do.

By using lifestyle driven branding to push the brand on social media outlets and speak to the young consumer, they can host in-house concerts, fashion tutorials, and workshops (highly Instagramable stuff). For more elite brands like J Crew, they can open a coffee shop inside called Crew Cafe where you can enjoy premium coffee and whiskeys while you shop. Banana Republic can go back to their safari roots and partner with Land Rover and FJ-40 Landcruiser car clubs and have a pop-up shop out of a back of a vintage FJ-40 during car meets. Brands need to try harder than ever to engage their customers.

You won’t keep people off of their phones or from buying online, but you can give them a reason for coming into the store by working harder to entertain them. This won’t be done by doing the same things that have worked before. Just ask how that worked out for Blockbuster. The customer of today has more choices — they want to save time, they want it easier, and faster, and more importantly they want experience. So if retail doesn’t provide experience for the customer, in the sage words of Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, “Life, uh, finds a way.” And by “way”, we mean, spending their money elsewhere.

“Don’t Try” are the words inscribed on the headstone of German-American poet, novelist, and short-story writer, Charles Bukowski aka Henry Charles “Hank” Chinaski (his literary alter ego).

Bukowski’s raw, gritty, and often, graphic view of life through the pages of his writing is what propelled him to become one of the most famous icons of our time. But with all of his success, what exactly did he mean by the phrase:

“Don’t Try”?

Most people would take it to mean that Bukowski said not to try at all, but in fact, it’s the exact opposite:

You don’t try. That’s very important: not to try, either for Cadillacs, creation or immortality. You wait, and if nothing happens, you wait some more.

What he’s saying is that you can’t force anything in life. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a writer, you must keep plugging away at your craft until the inspiration finds you. Everything that you’re doing is a path to your success, Pablo Picasso said it best, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”.

I think the biggest misconception about success is that it happens overnight, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. The idea that you’re going to “try” and become successful or “try” to start a business doesn’t work unless you go all in. The failures and struggles you encounter along the way become the pages of your story.

“If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start.”

Although Bukowski drunkenly staggered through the majority of his adult life in saloons, horse races, and seedy hotels, he always poured it back it into his work (and possibly another beer). The point is, those experiences became his writing, and he always made time to work. The thought of “trying” never occurred to him. So when you’re ready to give up, remember the phrase, “Don’t Try.” Go all in. It’s all apart of the journey.

Here’s to you, Hank.

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.

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Starting a company isn’t easy. You’ll need support, resiliance and of course, music. These are the songs to help you keep your sanity.

Listen to the full playlist on Spotify here.

The Notorious B.I.G. — Juicy

Before Drake started from the bottom on Degrassi there was Biggie. From the intro, “This album is dedicated to the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin”, Biggie gives the ultimate middle finger to the naysayers. Then the ultimate payback, “Girls used to diss me/ now they write letters cause they miss me” And finally, “I went from negative to positive and it’s all good”

This is the entrepreneurs anthem.

Johnny Paycheck — Take This Job and Shove It

This is your cue to quit your day job and start your own business.

“Take this job and shove it/ I ain’t workin’ here no more!”

Whether it was because of a woman or not, Johnny is done with his job and now so are you.

Superchunk — Slack Motherfucker

Entrepreneurs are hustlers and there’s nothing worse than working for or with someone who isn’t.

“I’m working/ But I’m not working for you!/ Slack Motherfucker!”

OutKast — Git Up, Git Out — Dirty Version

When self-doubt kicks in and you lose your first deal, blow an appointment or don’t have a cent left in the bank life can kick you down. Don’t let it.

“You need git up, git out and git somethin’/ How will you make it if you never even try/ You need to git up, git out and git somethin’/ Cuz you and I got to do for you and I”

Big L — Work Part II (feat. Gang Starr)

Don’t worry about your competition or the haters, just put in work.

“Aiyyo I’m gonna be on ti-dop/ that’s all my eyes can see/ Victory is mine, yeah surprisingly/ I’ve been laying, waiting for your next mistake/ I put in work, and watch my status escalate”

Johnny Cash — I Won’t Back Down

You will want to quit. Don’t quit. I repeat, you will want to quit. Don’t quit. Be tough as nails. This song has gotten me through some tough times. Johnny’s version is tougher than Tom Petty’s.

“You can stand me up at the gates of hell/ But I won’t back down”

William DeVaughn — Be Thankful for What You Got

Even when you’re eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and your account goes negative be thankful for you do have.

“Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac/ Gangsta whitewalls/ TV antennas in the back/ You may not have a car at all/ But remember brothers and sisters/ You can still stand tall”

Mac Curtis — That Ain’t Nothin’ But Right

You will work hard, harder than you ever have but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and pop open a cold one when you’re done.

“Well, I work hard and I draw my pay/ So when work’s done I like to play/ I’d like my woman to hold me tight/ Well, that ain’t nothing but right”

Stealers Wheel — Stuck In The Middle With You

When you have your first success it feels good to know that you are self-made.

“Well you started out with nothing/ And you’re proud that you’re a self made man”

Clipse — I’m Good

When the hard work pays off and you’re finally making money there will come that zen moment. You’re good.

“Finally I’m free, all my dues paid/ Them yellow diamonds got the charm like it’s Minute Maid/ And I’m lookin’ good, and I’m feeling good/ Try an’ stop my shine—I wish a nigga would”

Talking Heads — This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

Treat yourself. I first heard this when I was watching the movie, Wall Street as a kid, Bud’s decorating his million dollar penthouse while this is song is playing. I was like, I want to be him.

“Feet on the ground/ Head in the sky/ It’s ok I know nothing’s wrong . . nothing”

Muddy Waters — Mannish Boy

When you have a new sale, an innovation or breaking point in your company that you’re really happy about nothing beats this song. It just feeds your moment.

“Everythin’, everythin’, everythin’s gonna be alright this mornin’/ Ooh yeah, whoaw”

Geto Boys — Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta

Even if you’re not an actual gansta it doesn’t mean that you can’t feel like one after working hard for your success.

“Damn it feels good to be a gangsta/I mean one that you don’t really know/ Ridin’ around town in a drop-top Benz/ Hittin’ switches in my black six-fo’”

Listen to the full playlist here: Startup

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I’ve never been a morning person. Ever. But you can’t ignore the overwhelming reminders, “Waking Up Early is the Key to Success”, “Early Risers are Leaders”, it’s like you can’t get away from it. So I decided to force myself to wake up early on a regular basis.

Here’s what happened…

I failed over and over again until just like that, I actually started waking up earlier. So how did I do it? The answer is simple and obvious.

I went to bed earlier.

That’s all. Just give yourself a bedtime. By 10pm call it quits. Turn off your computer, notifications, turn off the lights, set your alarm and hit the sack. In the past I would avoid going to bed early for fear I would miss out on something. I felt like sleep was for the weak and I didn’t need it. I was more wrong than ever.

Why?

Sleep is what gets you through the day it’s what makes you more productive. So try it. Go to bed early. That’s all. And for those of you who say, they can get more done burning the midnight oil, here’s a little newsflash for you, you’re being counter-productive. Your body is internally timed and you’re not at your best at night. Get proper rest and hit it hard in the morning. You might even get a full breakfast in and possibly a workout.

You don’t need to have some special power in order to be a morning person, just be disciplined and get to bed earlier. I know truly believe that successful people wake up earlier than others.

Why?

You’re awake before the chaos hits. You’re able to focus and take care of difficult projects before being bombarded by calls and disruptions of the day. It’s a true zen moment that allows you to tackle a big part of your day before people are even waking up.

Catch you on the flip side. Early.

Here’s how to do it better.

Let’s face the facts, real estate agents aren’t copywriters, they’re real estate agents. But this doesn’t mean the real estate copy has to suck, badly. The good news is, there’s some simple ways to make it immediately better.

Put in the Time

You’re selling someone’s most prized possession. Act like it. What if your real estate agent described your home as a “3/2, 1800 Sq.ft. home in Dallas”…Really? That’s it? Put in the time to dig a little bit deeper and find out why that home is unique. Find out why the homeowners chose to live there? What drew them to that property? What’s the wow factor? Find it and use it. For example, “Live Your Life on This Serene Lakefront Beauty”, this gives you a visual and makes you want to see more. There’s a million “3/2, 1800 Sq.Ft.” homes out there. Stop putting the specs in the headline.

Grab Attention

You want the reader to read your goddamned headline. This is where you have to get creative. Have fun with this one. “Swanky High-Rise for the Jetsetter”, “Pop the Cork, I’ll bring the glasses”, “Handsome University Park Estate”, “Bring Your Lasso and Horses Too”, “Make Great Gatsby Jealous”. When you add a creative headline to your email or flyer, you’re urging the buyer to read more.

Write More

Do not rely on the amount of characters on the MLS to help sell your listing. Take Stan Barron for example, an Austin, Texas Broker with Madison Avenue copywriting chops. He writes a whole story about each of his properties and not only is it awesome, it sells. Why? Marketing works. People who are buying a home will read the copy, all of it and then likely buy your listing.

Spin the Negative

Stop lying. Don’t call a small home “cozy” or “charming”, if it’s small spin it. It’s not cozy or charming, it’s freaking small. “Live Small but Affodibly” or “Big Things Do Come in Small Packages”. If a house is in rough condition then say it, “An Ugly Home at a Handsome Price”. Learn how to spin the negatives and turn them into positives. Remember someone’s negative is someone else’s positive. Stop trying to sell ice cream to Eskimos.

Get Help

This goes without saying but if you struggle with copywriting and want to offer the best services for your clients then get help. Your attention to detail and offering the best services for your clients is important. Show them how important the marketing of their home is by giving them the best. At VIVO Realty our agents have the ability to outsource this task to our in-house marketing team or you can hire a copywriter via sites like Fiverr and oDesk.

Happy copywriting and please just don’t ever, “Honey, stop the car!” Ever.