Analysis Paralysis... Does shopping sometimes drive you crazy? Too much choice frequently overwhelms us. That's why a soft market with multiple real estate opportunities may stress out your client.

As Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, wrote last week in the New York Times, "For many people, increased choice can lead to a decrease in satisfaction. Too many options can result in paralysis, not liberation." (Jan 22, 2004)

For example, "As the number of job possibilities available to college graduates goes up, applicants' satisfaction with the job search process goes down."

And who in their right mind feels comfortable walking into an electronics store with "74 different stereo tuners, 55 CD players, 32 tape players, and 50 sets of speakers"? That makes 6,512,000 possible stereo systems!

So if you're a broker, show your client complete market information -- every building for sale, every space for lease. Then reduce his anxiety by narrowing his choices. The more your client knows, the more your client will appreciate your advice.

My own research (twenty years ago) demonstrates that offering more than three flavors of ice cream to a child pretty much guarantees brain lock (especially if there are other people waiting in line).

Once your client understands that you've selected the best vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors, they'll love you.

--Peter Pike