Put In The Effort, But..

15 Dec Put In The Effort, But..

Put in the effort, but...

Put Me Second, I Will Put You Last.

Then, when the time comes and you want something from me, there's nothing.

Estate agency seems absorbed with "hot" leads. Even "warm" ones that they can nurture.

I get it - it's a business and cash is king but if it's purely transactional, I'd rather not be involved.

Like a marriage of convenience, some agencies and some vendors simply deserve each other. For all the wrong reasons.

Putting all the effort into today's customers is short-term and unpredictable.

An agency that can't be bothered spending an hour telling me Who they are and what they value - unless I'm ready to buy or sell. Thanks, but no thanks. Even if you say you are the "local property expert" and "authority."  I'll look around when the time comes that I need what you're offering.

I'd be interested in hearing from you on a regular basis right now, if you have something interesting to say. You do have something interesting, don't you?

I'm betting that it won't be contentious. I'm betting that it will be educational. I'm also betting that it won't be inspiring.

Something very similar to every other agency in the area. A sprinkling of phrases such as "Award-winning", "Trusted" and even "Disrupting".

Do I want to know what my home is worth? How the market is doing. Pitfalls to avoid when selling my home etc. etc, etc.

I would, like most people, be interested in the people behind your brand. The brand itself and what you do ever so well? Not so much.

Tell me about the people that work there. What is their story? What are their beliefs?

I believe most people find biographies interesting and memorable. Facts & figures, surveys and statistics, less so.

So embrace vulnerability. Strive to be authentic. Shine a light on Who you are so that others might find affinity.

Be transparent, because if there's no transparency, there's no trust and trust is more scarce these days than attention.

What is there to hide?

That some of the culture, or for individual self-employed agents the core values & beliefs, might repel a few potential clients?

Get your jammies on and I will read you a bedtime story!

Better clients, not more clients, should be the goal of every agency.

Brands fall apart when we discover that - behind the scenes -  you're not who we thought you were.

Give an insight and we will know what to expect. Build trust and we tend to forgive the odd mistake.

Seth Godin's phrase about attraction marketing is worth repeating.

"Be so valuable that we would notice, complain and would miss you if you were gone."

Bad marketing just interrupts customers with hype and pressure. Marketing that works is marketing that people choose to notice.

We give permission. We anticipate hearing from you. We engage. A relationship, not a transaction.

It all takes time and effort.

Time, like trust, is in short supply. But if you're willing to make the effort to be transparent and engage the community on a regular basis, you will find the time.

You will also find that you're building a trusting audience that is loyal - no matter what offer your competitors throw at them.

Even if it's the one that offers to sell your home for FREE*

*T&C's apply.  Of course they do!

We understand and pity the lack of self-worth those agencies display.

Agencies that we would not miss were they gone.

We're hoping that's not your agency.

We're hoping you're different.

We're hoping you will make the effort.

Not with the increasingly popular use of A.I but something more authentic. Something that allows you to think for yourself. The creative genius inside us all.

Until then, we're not ignoring you, just waiting to see if you will make the effort.

Thanks as always for reading.

If you need help in deciding where the effort is best placed, here's how to reach me:

www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk

www.persuasivewords.co.uk

chris@andsothestorybegan.co.uk

Mob: (44) 07369251435

Chris.