Thursday 21 April 2016

Tired of being a broken record?

Many days we will feel like a broken record, repeating things that we need to explain to each tenant and landlord, with a growing frustration of saying the same thing over and over. 

Our favourite phrases such as explaining where the two weeks rent are from when the tenant moved in, responding to similar rental enquiries, explaining to an owner the difference between wear and tear… I’m sure you could help me make the list even longer.

Each time we repeat ourselves we often act surprised and shocked at the nerve of the idiotic person on the other end of the line, however if they knew how many times we had repeated that same line and not done anything about it? They may be thinking the same thing about us.

I’m sure we have all heard from time to time that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So what is the solution to this recurring broken record syndrome? My advice is to educate, template and automate.

EDUCATE

We do this job every day, the same process on multiple properties, we know how to move a tenant in and how to move one out. However, the tenant or landlord on the other end of our transaction does not deal with that same issue every day.

They cannot know exactly how the process will work, and even if they have been through it at one point previously, firstly they have not committed that process to memory and secondly they have not usually been through that process with your business.

Our job is to educate them so there is no confusion as to what has happened, and will happen next. When we book a flight online or order products online, we are educated at each step (throughout the purchase process), our actions confirmed (a confirmation email) and next steps outlined (perhaps in the same email or a follow up email afterwards). 

So it would make sense that our consumer needs the same level of education in their property transaction.

How can you better educate your clients along the way?


TEMPLATE

Having templates ready will go a long way to supporting this process. We do not want to be writing out an explanation at each step of the way. What templates do you already have in your business? How can they be enhanced? What other templates could you create that would help your cause?

What about “Commonly asked Questions at the Vacate?”, “Wear and Tear factsheet”, “Tips about viewing properties with us”.

Having these ready to go so that you can easily attach, or copy and paste specific paragraphs into your emails, will drastically help in the time it takes to explain these things.
What else can you think of that could use having a template document or paragraph in place?

AUTOMATE

Now how can we streamline and speed up this process even further? What systems do you have in place to automate and support you in responding to and dealing with your clients?

There are some great tools right under your nose such “quick parts” in your outlook – used to easily create, store, and find reusable paragraphs of content. There are auto responders and rules that you can apply to many mail clients to control where your emails go and how they are responded to. 

Even just using your ‘out of office’ to actually explain the answers to a few common queries when you are busy. And ensuring that there is an FAQ section on your website so that people can find the information they are looking for, or you can link them to this section when they have a question.

There are awesome tools outside of the business such as online booking systems for your rentals that respond to and manage all of your enquiry and other maintenance programs that automate the communication throughout that process. 

If you are really looking to take things to the next level you could even consider virtual assistants or trialing out the new Facebook Messenger for Business to create an autobot that can respond to all common enquiries.

The sky is the limit, its just about how you look at the problem of the broken record and putting the steps and process in place to minimise the occurrence, so we can find something else more important to worry about.

Hermione Gardiner

Wednesday 13 April 2016

How do you handle your tenant enquiries?

Recently I have been at various events or speaking with colleagues, friends and family and one topic that often comes up, as it does when you mention that you are in real estate is this automatic urge for them to feel like they need to unload their frustrated real estate story baggage right into your lap. 

It still surprises me that given the technology and the training out there, that I still more frequently than I would like to, hear nightmare stories of potential tenants and even potential investors vent their frustrations about their hunt for a property or to find the right property manager. 

You are probably going to guess what the one main complaint is that they all come to me with before I even mention it. If you haven’t, let me enlighten you: “I have sent several email and phone enquiries and I cannot get anyone to return my call or email”.

Really? In this age of modern technology and all of the systems that are at our fingertips, is it still even possible that we still can’t quite get the simple art of returning an enquiry right?

Now I know I will get a myriad of excuses ranging from, “I just don’t have time”, to the even more amazing attitude of “urgh, they are just tenants”. But, let me ask you, if the shoe is on the other foot and it were you desperately looking for somewhere to move home to and no one even bothered the courtesy to return your enquiry, how would that make you feel, remembering that as a species humans are social creatures believe it or not.

Something even further to contemplate, do you know who that enquiry is from? Where it is coming from and how much potential business you have just turned away? Because let’s face it, today’s investor is very different from the one in days of old and the enquiry that you just snubbed could be an investor who has 3 other properties right down the road from your office.

With all of this in mind, have a think about your enquiry strategy. Do you have a strategy and system in place to deal with your tenant enquiries?  With vacancy rates varying all over the country, we hear stories of properties leasing in the space of a week to those that are still struggling to find tenants six months later after a multitude of advertising changes and rent reductions.

It is good practice to have a system in place to ensure you are getting back to potential tenants. Where possible, arrange your property opens and inspections at the beginning of the week. 

This way, anyone that sends through an enquiry can be informed of a time once they enquire. If your department has a leasing consultant, the task of tackling enquiries should be their priority, even if it means sending through an email to say we have your enquiry and will let you know as soon as an inspection time is available.

 In smaller offices, this may be a task for the receptionist and in this instance, provide times and a script so that the receptionist knows what is expected and keep it simple so that she can give the information and move on to the next call on a busy switch.

Don’t forget that there is also software out there to assist and help to take the headaches out of this process, however like all software if you implement, you must use it to get the full benefit!

One of the best agencies I have dealt with added me to their mailing list and while I didn’t end up renting through them, over twelve months later I still receive updates and properties that may interest me. Now while I am not interested in moving, they are now cemented into my mind as an agency who manages enquiries well.


There is an old saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes which I am sure you are familiar with. Have a think about your enquiry process, and put yourself in the shoes of potential clients that enquire through your office. 

Do you respond or do you let them fall away into the ether because they are too much “work”. Even try secret shopping your office. When you take a look, you might be surprised at what you find. 

Heidi Walkinshaw
Consultant at Real+

heidi@realplus.com.au
0411 747 520

Monday 11 April 2016

The Bot and The Human...

It’s been a great week! So much has been jammed packed into the week, I cannot quite believe it has only consisted of 5 days, and well really as I write this – I’m only just embarking on the 5th.

You’d be forgiven for assuming I’ve got a lot done and I am feeling so pumped as a result of my achievements, in fact it’s not what I have got done that has created the ‘jam packedness’ it’s the learning.

Across the week I’ve discovered “the bot” which led me to think a little more deeply about “the human” in this crazy world of a service based business, there is a light when it comes to the disruption tunnel. It’s time to start thinking.

“The Bot”
I knew that robots existed, but my oh my do they exist. These things are getting so advanced they are now able to teach themselves by watching us! According to Neale Cotton (speaker at the recent REB Technology conference) production of robots is now at a point where for some industries, the cost of a Robot less than that of a human wage is for a year.  

Neale showcased a variety of examples on how robots are already here. Think about it, self-drive cars? They are a robot taking you to a destination. Robot technology is so advanced they are even entering the space of creativity, the one area we believe to be a human traits. Robots are being programme to paint, and even write poetry.

Take a test and see if you can tell the difference between a poem written by a robot and a human at botpoet.com

Whilst I have no doubt we are not quite ready to create the R2D2 Property Manager or Real Estate Agent, there are elements that are close by. Consider for a moment a self-drive car,  it arrives at the workplace of a prospective purchaser, drives them to an available property, the front door opens on arrival via a geo tracker in their phone, when finished, the door auto locks behind them and the car drops them back to work. Now that’s not such a crazy idea!

"The Human"
Over the next few months you’re going to hear a lot about what it is “to serve”, what it is “to connect” from me, and how important it is to get better and both.  The bold reality is that with the advancement of technology, and believe me it will continue to advance, forget “combating” the tech disruption. There will be a point, in a week, a year, a decade, (you don’t know as tech comes from Silicon Valley or two kids in the garage of the house next door) where a property owner and a tenant / purchaser will come together to transact online. It will be a serious player in our market and will be here to stay. The first company to do it may not get it right, but someone will.

The good news is, when it happens, there will still be a place for the human, and the buying decision between tech and people will come down to connection and service.  Of course the market will contract in some way, the decision that you make now is do you want to be the contracted.
So what will keep a client with you, with an agent when technology is available? Well perhaps it’s the same thing that keeps someone going to the supermarket when you can order online, or visiting the Doctor for a routine prescription even though you can logon and download one yourself, its relationship, and its connection.

Your emotional investment into your client and their life will be of paramount importance in the decision making process to stay local v go tech for the consumer. For you this means developing a strong client relationship, gaining a true connection, providing another layer of service. It’s about really, I mean really caring about the consumer.


Right now, it’s time to start thinking. Thinking about the relationships you have with your clients, I mean the real relationships. The relationship that will be more important than technology, the one that provides a different true human connection and care, the value that could not be replaced by a “bot”.

Fiona Blayney
Managing Director Real+

email: fiona@realplus.com.au