Consumers today are not following the patterns of the past. By that I mean consumers are becoming increasingly astute and in-tune to the property market and will now research the credibility of an agent as opposed to selecting purely on the basis of familiarity or proximity. Now, clients will investigate an agent’s integrity and reputation long before picking up the phone to engage in a conversation about buying, selling or letting.
Information online is also more accessible than ever and this has empowered customers to make informed decisions. In the past, people relied on a family connection to the brand or simply that an agent was located at the end of their street.
The emotional connection to a brand is also highly important. Not the emotional connection that comes from a previous transaction but an intangible emotional attraction that one self generates with a product or service. So in other words, people are not just buying a ‘Hoover’ because their mother bought a ‘Hoover’ anymore, it’s about the difference the product or service can make to them. There are much bigger points of differentiation from brand to brand these days and a higher consumer sensitivity to brand values. In terms of the property industry, we are certainly seeing that not all real estate agents are the same.
For the Realmark brand, associations such as; innovative, contemporary, progressive should be evoked. Our service offering includes tailored solutions, specialist advice and most importantly, quality results. Our list of awards is also an important expression of our potential value to a consumer and verification of what we can offer.
While the awards themselves might not be the actual trigger that brings clients through the door, it is professional recognition that helps to give the agency credibility. It also gives the consumer confidence that the advice they are being offered has some weight.
Today, clients are looking for independent ratification that they will receive expert knowledge and advice, a choice of strategies and solutions and that the agency can be adaptive to the client’s needs and wants. This is where awards come into play as they help to give affirmation that the agency is a stand out provider.
Client testimonials are not enough, in my opinion consumers want more facts around other consumers’ experience and circumstances, to provide credibility and reinforcement. Realmark are utilising specific case studies that address individual client scenarios and showcase the range of marketing strategies, solutions and selling methods that have proven to deliver results in the past. Provide more than an incomplete story but a reference for consumers to reflect their needs against.
But most of all, people are looking for confirmation that an agency actually has real answers and really understands the how and what to deliver the best advantage and this is the overriding factor when it comes to the decision making process in agency selection today.
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