Adoption
MIPIM | ‘Whack someone with a carrot’, urges JLL’s Poppink
When choosing between a punishing or incentivising strategy for getting people to adopt new technology in real estate, Andy Poppink, CEO EMEA markets at JLL, says repeating positive reasons is key.
Speaking on stage at the MIPIM Propel Station, the proptech conference within the international show, Poppink said: “I’ll give you this phrase that I created. I’ve used it repeatedly in scenarios like this. Oftentimes, we talked about whether you can incentivise someone with a carrot or a stick, right? I like to say you can also whack someone with a carrot. So, let’s take the good and just remind them how good this can be again and again.”
Asked during a fireside chat with Emily Wright, EG’s head of content, whether the property industry has been “chastised” for not adopting tech more quickly, Poppink said: “First and foremost I am a believer in honouring what has made our real estate profession slow to adopt technology. There are some good reasons, but one in particular that you see if you go to a gathering like MIPIM – there’s a lot of professional wisdom and insight in the nuances of how transactions come together. Some of that can be garnered in data over time, but it doesn’t all reside in easily accessible public forums. The wisdom of the people here who have been doing this for a long time, I think it’s first and foremost, it’s important to honour that because that will continue to be a critical part of our business.”
Poppink, who moved to Europe from Silicon Valley in early 2021, added: “You take the new technology that’s available and help that supercharge what [colleagues are] doing already. Give them more insights so that they have more time to use that wisdom that they’ve gained during their experience as a professional and guide an investor to get to the right level. Let’s make sure we honour what it is and how the technology supports them as opposed to telling them something is going to change their lives.”
MIPIM takes place in Cannes from 15-18 March.
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