As a Commercial Real Estate broker, one of my favorite tools is the CART (Challenge, Action, Result, Testimonial) analysis. This is something my team does after every major sale; we use it to examine and debrief our work, but a CART analysis is also a terrific piece of marketing. I want to share with you one of our CART sheets and talk about the incredible work that went into that deal, but first, let’s define the elements of CART.

What is CART?

A CART analysis is a structured approach to boiling down a transaction into a one- or two-page report reflecting your work. Here’s how each of the elements works:

Challenge:

• Begin by clearly defining the challenge or problem that needs to be addressed. This sets the stage for the reader to understand the context of the case study. 
• Provide background information about the situation, including any relevant industry trends or circumstances that contributed to the challenge. 
• Outline the specific goals or objectives that you aimed to achieve in resolving the challenge.

This step allows you and your team, as well as whoever else you share the finished CART sheet with, to see what obstacles you faced in achieving the sale or project outcome. Try to boil down this information into two or three sentences. You want to be as clear and concise as possible.

Action:

• Describe the actions taken to address the challenge. This includes the methods, approaches, or strategies employed to overcome the problem.
• Detail the specific steps and processes involved in executing the strategies. Explain who was responsible for what and how the plan was put into action.
• Mention any obstacles or hurdles faced during the implementation of the strategies and how they were overcome.
• Include a timeline or schedule to give a sense of the duration of the actions.

This section discusses what actions you took to achieve your outcome. Again, being brief is key. Try not to let this section be longer than two concise paragraphs.

Result:

• Present the outcomes and results achieved as a direct result of the actions taken. Use data, metrics, and quantifiable information whenever possible to demonstrate the impact.
• Discuss the benefits and advantages that the business or individual gained from the results, such as increased revenue, improved efficiency, cost savings, or customer satisfaction.
• If applicable, provide a comparison of the situation before and after the actions were taken to highlight the transformation.

This is where you describe the outcomes of your deal or project. Be sure to include how your actions directly related to the result, and again, be brief but explanatory.

Testimonial:

• Include testimonials or quotes from individuals involved in or benefiting from the successful outcome. These testimonials can come from clients, team members, or other relevant parties.
• Positive endorsements or feedback from clients or customers can reinforce the success of the solution.
• Share anecdotes or personal stories that convey the impact of the solution in a relatable and engaging way.

If you can, the best thing to include in this section is a testimonial from the client that you assisted. If this was an internal project, anecdotes from your team will work just as well. 

Case Study: A Unique Real Estate Transaction 

Now that you understand the process and construction of a CART analysis, let’s take a look at what turned out to be a unique transaction for me and my team. We took on a property immediately before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’d like to show you how that turned out. 

Challenge: 

We signed the exclusive right to sell for the property on February 1st, 2020. Within days the climate for doing business began to change, Covid-19 looked to be a game changer. I had to sell this building so the tenant could move out and focus on his business.

As you can see, we managed to boil this challenge down into just two explanatory sentences. 

Action:

It was time to get aggressive on all fronts. The seller was vacating the building around May 1st, 2020. Because the owner was vacating, I asked to put a sign on the building. I felt the power of the 32,000 daily car count had to be leveraged, but the storm clouds were rolling in and COVID-19 was about to paralyze the Market.

Our team produced a virtual tour, detailed offering memorandum, and consistently leveraged the web and email marketing for property exposure.

Short and sweet, and yet indicative of the anxiety we felt with COVID shutdowns threatening not only this deal, but our business as whole. It was a difficult time for many industries, including commercial real estate. 

Result:

After a short period of time I started to receive calls on my cell phone about the property: we were able to email over a virtual tour and hold in-person tours, fully masked.

We isolated a buyer and executed a contract rather quickly, to sell the building on the absolute best terms, even in the middle of the pandemic. I believe our actions, including leveraging my personal cell phone number on all marketing materials, met the obstacles and challenges of the building sale.

Phew. This one took some serious hard work during a time of great uncertainty. When presenting this CART sheet, we wanted to keep it short, but also explain the work that went into achieving this sale. 

Testimonial:

‍“Ron and his team did a great job listing, marketing, and closing on my properties. It’s hard to find brokers like Ron that are knowledgeable, professional, and get the job done in a short period of time.

‍I highly recommend American Investment Properties to anyone looking to sell their commercial real estate.”

That’s a quote from the happy client on this case study. They were very pleased with our results during what was a unique set of circumstances due to the pandemic. 

Key Takeaway

We love CART as a tool not only for us to break down our big deals and projects, but also as a marketing vehicle. Use a second page to advertise your business. If you’re in real estate like me, you can showcase available properties. For other industries, the second page can highlight your other projects, products, or people. If your business isn’t using CART, I highly encourage you to give it a try. We work on volume, so we don’t use it for every deal, but it certainly helps us debrief and showcase the truly special cases that deserve analysis and recognition. CART can help you do the same.