Nobody Cares? Everybody Cares.

07 Nov Nobody Cares? Everybody Cares.

Nobody cares? Everybody cares.

"It's not about you, or your agency. Nobody cares." says my good friend, Christopher Watkin.

Well, I have to disagree.  More on that in a moment.

I believe that everybody cares when the time comes to instruct an agency.

And before that, vendors care enough to gather sufficient clues to make that decision easier.

In that gathering phase, what is it that they care about?

Christopher believes in the 'digital mayor' concept.

Becoming known as the go-to source of local property information.

All the facts & figures to hand on price rises, rent yields.

What's selling and not selling.

Coupled with a 5 star service and exposure through social media.

It places any agency at the forefront of homeowners minds when they come to sell.

"It's not about you, or your agency."

Christopher bases this statement, presumably, on an agency's propensity to splash their credentials, like cheap aftershave, everywhere.

As often as they can.

'We are the best.  We are the biggest.  We are the cheapest.  We sell more homes.  More quickly and for more money.'

A certain turn-off for homeowners.

And, I agree with Christopher on that score.

Nobody cares.

If that's all you have to say.

Here's where we disagree, though.

All the facts & figures.  All the local exposure.

It becomes an issue of competence.

And is so very easily replicated.

Pulling data from The Land Registry and Rightmove.

Just some time & effort. Or have Christopher do it for your agency.

Data, though, doesn't win hearts and minds.

Character.

Congruence.

Integrity.

Wins hearts and minds.

Integrity.  Doing the right thing at the right time.

Easier said than done for any estate agency.

Congruence.

Over time, a consistent approach.

Again, easier said than done.

And character.

Homeowners are looking for affinity.  Shared beliefs and values.

They won't find that in data.

They wont find that in a corporate brand.

They will find character, congruence and integrity.  If you tell them.

If you show them.

Tell them about your character.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

Corporate brands simply amplify the good.  Hide the bad and often downright lie about the intentions of the founders behind the brand.

Tell them about your congruence.  How what you said last year, and the year before.  And the year before that, was intrinsically the same.

Tell them about your Integrity.

How it matters now.  How it mattered then.

It's who you are.

It is about you.

"We run fastest and farthest when we run from ourselves."  -  Eric Hoffer, The True Believer.

 

Not the hyper-curated version of success that every estate agent tells the world.

'Look at me.

My new BMW, my face all over town.  My latest listing.

This is what success looks like.

This is all you need to know'.

Except.

That all this does, is confirm to vendors that you're just another estate agent.

Instead of someone that a vendor may get to know. Even like.  May come to trust.

It's scary being that transparent.

"I'm scared" said Piglet.

"A story will help", said Pooh.

"How?"

"Oh, don't you know.  Stories make your heart grow."   A.A. Milne, 1979.

But the tried & tested way to be transparent is to own the story, only you can tell.

Story.

Over facts & figures.

More memorable. More emotional.

More convincing.

Words on a page.  A podcast.  Or a video.

Words that tell an audience who you are.  What you believe.

And why they should listen.

Nobody cares?

Make them care.

As always, thanks for reading.  If you need more information on getting your local community immersed in your story.

It's here on www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk

chris@andsothestorybegan.co.uk

mob: (44) 07369251435