Is there room in your market? There is at the top!

A few years ago a friend decided to venture into selling real estate. She expressed concern at her prospects because there were already thousands of realtors in the area. (Remember the housing boom when it seemed like everyone either was a realtor or was thinking about becoming one?) I had to agree with her, yet I was sure that she was thinking about things wrong. My response to her was, "You're right. There are tons of realtors around here, but there will always be room for a 'good' realtor."

Perhaps I can boil the concept down like this: There is always room at the top.

Let's take this concept out for a little test ride. Is "There is always room at the top" an accurate way to think about your industry? (Hey, I think this would be a great learning experience if we collaborated. Give your input to this idea by commenting on this blog post.) Here are a few examples to get the ideas flowing. What do you think?

• No matter how packed the marketplace is . . . There is always room at the top.
• Your competition is undercutting you, but . . . There is always room at the top.
• You need to decide whether to bring your low-priced services into the marketplace or your high-priced services . . . There is always room at the top.

Those are a few to start the conversation.

As it happens, despite the number of other realtors around, my friend still chose to jump into real estate. She has worked hard, studied hard, and now she is recognized as one of the best around. My wife and I have used her, and so have hundreds of others. Interestingly, in the last several years "tons of realtors around here" have disappeared. But our friend is constantly expanding her busines. She is living proof that There is always room at the top.

How is (or isn't) There is always room at the top applicable to your industry, market, business, or situation? Post your comments here.