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| September/October 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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by Marty Kramer For the amount of work you do, you make too much money. If no one has ever said this to your face, somebody has probably whispered it behind your back. But why? When you put in the long hours, make yourself available at the chirp of a cell phone, pull deals back from the brink of disaster, handle detail after detail after nit-picking detail, why would even a tiny minority of the public think that all you do is pound a sign into the ground and wait around for fat commission checks to roll in? Its
up to you to tell all you do Perhaps the biggest problem, though, is one you can control. Like the line made famous by the warden in Cool Hand Luke, "What we have here is a failure to communicate." You know everything you do to make sure your clients get what they want for the best price possible with the fewest hassles. But do you tell them? Do you list all the services you will provide, give updates of your activity behind the scenes, promote not only who you are and successes youve had but what it is you actually do? Make
a list with your personality This marketing tool is paying off. "Buyers and sellers look at us as being very professional and feel comfortable putting their trust in our hands," says Irvin. He adds, "Buyers interest has been phenomenal." The checklist serves another purpose in addition to creating a favorable impression for buyers and sellers. "We all sometimes forget the basics and some of the tools we have to use,"Irvin says. "This is a good reminder." For other brokers and agents interested in creating a similar tool, Irvin offers the following advice: "Design your own list with your own personality and ask yourself the following: Do I offer services that are unique?; What information should be conveyed about me personally?; Why should clients choose me to represent them or assist them?" Tell
them everything involved in selling or buying "Many people have no idea how much is involved in sellingor buyinga home," says McCutchin. With increasing competition over listings and commissions, McCutchin felt it was important for Web visitors to know up front what to expect from her and her team. "Sellers know exactly what they are getting for the commission they are ultimately paying," she says. McCutchin also gives a multimedia presentation that outlines all her services at all listing appointments and sends out postcards highlighting her services and how they can benefit her clients. "I feel that publishing a list of services is a way of being honest with your clients," she says. "Its also a great way of sticking with our business modelonce your services are listed, its very detrimental to not provide what you promise." Let
your clients do the talking The letters are more than just compliments to the agents. In effect, they also tout many of the services of the firm. These letterscomplete with full names and photosoften have clients mentioning specific services they received. One client writes about her agent meeting an insurance adjuster for a leaking shower pan while the client was out of town. Others refer to market research performed by an agent, tips sellers received to show their home at its best, agents explaining contracts, and working open houses. "We dont solicit these letters, so theyre not hard to get," Burleson says. "They just keep coming. Our associates are very pleased, and our clients love to be featured. They send family and friends to our site to see their picture."
Marty Kramer is the editor of Texas REALTOR® magazine. E-mail him at mkramer@tar.org. Photo from Corbis Images. home current issue top 10 resources
Buyers & sellers,
visit www.texasrealestate.com. |
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