Customer Experience in the Age of Technology

It’s no secret that the age of technology is rapidly changing the expectations of the consumer when it comes to their needs. While this can seem challenging at times, it’s important to have some processes in place that can assist in ensuring that you have a well informed and happy customer in the most efficient way possible that will not just meet but exceed their expectations.

While technology is changing, there are still many key concepts to remember when you are crossing paths with your Clients and how well they are carried out can either strengthen your relationship or head south fast.

1. Regularly review rents – regular rent reviews will assist in keeping your Owners happy as well as increase revenue to the agency.
2. Don’t make promises that will be broken –This will only upset the Client as well as yourself when you can’t keep that promise.
3. Pick up the phone and make the call – don’t forget about this little piece of technology. A phone call will often assist in diffusing a situation much faster than a long-winded email trail.
4. Offer online access – this will save you time and make your Owners and Tenants happier as they are able to access their details 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can also assist in reducing calls and emails to the office.
5.  Consistency is key – follow your systems and make sure that everyone in your team is carrying out the same task in the same way.
6. The little things matter – sometimes there will be situations that you think are incredibly insignificant. While this may seem the case to you, it may be a far larger deal to the Owner or Tenant
7. Happy Calls – these are a great source to build the relationship with your client. Give them a call out of the blue, just to say hi and find out how they are rather than them receiving the usual calls relating to their property.
8. Survey your Clients – surveying your Owners at least annually will help in finding out how they really feel about you and identify areas of improvement or let you know how great you are! Often people are much more comfortable commenting in an online forum than face to face or over the phone.

A little something to leave you with;

“The customer experience is the next competitive battleground.” ~ Jerry Gregoire

Heidi Walkinshaw

Real+

Check Yourself Out

In a world where 5am is the new black, the imbalance between work and life tends to rear its head as a gigantic stop sign when we least expect it. Unfortunately this stop sign doesn’t come adorned with roses and sunshine, it tends to be surrounded by clouds of challenge with family, health, finance, children, and even market forces showing us our vulnerabilities, and the list goes on.

In the past few weeks I have seen a friends and colleagues, get hit square across the face with stop signs around all of the above, and in particular today I want to remind you about the stop sign regarding your health. Without a high performing machine – your body – the rest of your plan is void.

We already know we need to eat, sleep and exercise right, so that is not my message.  Today I urge you to take a moment to consider how well you know and how often you review your body. Testicular, colon, breast, skin and ovarian cancer (amongst others), whilst not controllable, are within reach of early detection by taking the time to check yourself out, and regularly going to a professional to do it for you. In my organisation I remind the team about annual checks and make it easier for them to make the time by encouraging time to be taken out of the working day to head to the Dr to get these preventative / early detection cancer checks.

Without your health you have nothing, don’t become a story that’s told at a BBQ with sadness.

When was the last time you went to the Doctor for that annual review? 

Fiona Blayney

Real+

Business Rainy Day

I had the opportunity to reflect on the GFC yesterday when I was speaking with some of my clients in WA and I thought it wise to open the discussion of market changes and the notion of being prepared. We know how important it is to plan for the unexpected, we learn about the rainy day fund our entire lives. In fact I have an account in my business entitled “Business rainy day”, and believe me the day comes when you are happy you had this little hidden pocket of joy.

Right now agents across WA are dipping into the rainy day fund and drawing on every opportunity they have to batten down the hatches as the market has done a complete shift.

Whilst some of the rational can be apportioned to the mining industry, there is also reason to reflect on population growth and lack thereof, immigration changes as well as the sheer financial requirements to purchase and or lease a home, for the first time or the 50^th.

What have you done to ensure you are ready for a market turn, will you be able to keep the business going in times of drought? A market shift can happen at any moment, and it may happen when you least expect it.

Go on be a good scout and “be prepared”, for if you can make it through the winter boy is summer great!

Fiona Blayney 

Want to know 7 secrets to Listing Presentation Success?

Want to know 7 secrets to Listing Presentation Success?

by Hermione Gardiner

Whilst preparing this week’s New Business Bootcamp online training session this week on Listing Presentations, I realised there were so many intricate details to ensure you maximise every opportunity to win a new client at a listing presentation. However if I had to pick my 7 key areas to focus on, they would be as follows:

1.       Physical Preparation

      Ask more detailed questions in the initial phone call to ensure you can be best prepared for their situation. Send a great confirmation email with pre-listing information or even drop something off ahead of time. Allow enough time ahead of the appraisal to prepare, remember - nothing takes five minutes. Consider connecting to the prospect on social media so they can get a chance to know you.

2.       Mental Preparation

      It is vitally important to get in the right headspace - a winning mindset, before you walk in the door. Remember, “whether you think you can, or you can’t – you’re right”! If you’re stressed or rushed from the day, take a moment to regain your composure, and work out what can get you re-fired up so they can see your energy and desire. I sometimes put on my “fire up” song in the car! The client can feel your energy and the importance of this is underrated.

3.       First Impression

      It takes just 3 seconds for someone to form an impression and judgement of you, whether we like it or not. Ensure you are well dressed and presented, you have a smile on your face, look the person in the eye, maintain good posture, offer to remove your shoes. It might seem obvious but it’s these simple things that can make a difference in the person liking you and forming a good impression – and the small things such as presentation and shoe removal to show that you actually do have an eye for detail.

4.       Rapport Building

      Rapport building is more than just small talk, it’s a very important psychological step of getting the prospect to like you and deem that you’re a trustworthy person. One great tip to support strong rapport building is to mirror/match the person (through tone/body language/energy), to adapt to them is an easy way to make them feel that you are ‘like’ them. If they are slowly spoken and reserved, it is best to match this rather than go in fast spoken high energy. It’s all about your adaptability.

5.       Demonstrate your Expertise

      "Don't tell me you’re funny, make me laugh" – is one of our favourite sayings at Real Plus. How can you show the person your 100% product and market knowledge through the use of data, or through your detailed review of the home – not just walking through saying how lovely everything is – but making comment on storage, tenant needs and safety risks.  Take notes.

6.       Understanding Needs

      It is vitally important, before we go into our A-Z of why to use our agency,  that we spend more time getting to know what it is that the landlord wants and needs – all about their situation. This way, whilst we may have 100% of our ammunition ready to go to win the business, if we are skilled and understand our client – we may only need to use about 10% to win the business, as we are able to sell to them based on their needs – not what we think or assume they want! For some great dialogue questions on understanding their needs, click here to request a copy. 

7.       Ask for the business

      A client wants to feel wanted, that you want their business. It’s like when you go into a store but no one say’s hello or offers help – you don’t feel wanted and often I will leave and go elsewhere in this instance! Obviously an extreme example but it’s important to show them that you want the business. Consider asking “based on everything we have discussed today, would you be happy for me to take on the leasing and management of your property?” (And of course, ensure you have the paperwork there to sign them up on the spot)

My coaching and mentoring clients who have put these into the mix have had great success with their new business. Remember, a prospect must go through the phases before they decide to use you – KNOW you, LIKE you, TRUST you, USE you. These steps will help you along the way to ensure you can cover the first three and accelerate your way to winning the deal. Happy listing!

Working Hard?

What is working hard? What is hard work? What is a normal working week? What is normal? These are all questions I posed in the past few days as I read the recent poll results from RPM on the average working week of a Property Manager.

If I consider the normal working week of an average Australian, according to RPM of 39.9 hours, I am quite swiftly met with the wave of awareness that apparently I am not “normal”, but hey we already knew that! Does that mean my working hours are “unfair”, “unreasonable”, does it mean that I am over worked? Or underpaid?

Of course not, and I don’t believe it applies to you either. Every day we make a choice to go to work in our Real Estate World. Why a choice? As skilled workers, there are a myriad of other things anyone in our industry could do besides Property Management. With skills including, administration, communication, service, relationship management, conflict resolution, and the list goes on, you could slip into another role in another industry, with limited fuss.

The reality is for most of us in the Property Arena; it is in our blood, has become part of who we are, part of our identity and sense of self. With this comes a love and connection with our organisation, our clients and our customers, a pride in our efforts and outcomes, and with all of that comes a vortex of time that extends beyond 9 – 5 even if only for 30 minutes a day.

I’m ok with the 30 minutes….. the personal satisfaction is priceless. 

Fiona Blayney

Real+