“ What can I do every day to deliver the best possible outcome to my customer ?”
The real estate world is constantly changing , and Realtors ® have a lot to keep up with . How can they balance the dayto-day business while making sure they ’ re staying relevant ?
Yes , the world is changing all the time , but relevance starts by stepping back and asking yourself , “ What can I do every day to deliver the best possible outcome for my customer ?” There are lots of things on the horizon like virtual reality , gigabit Internet speeds , AppleWatch connectivity , and apps that can turn a phone into a digital theater , and sooner or later all of these things will make it into the Realtors ® world of doing business . But first and foremost , when all is said and done , the most important thing Realtors ® can do is to match the right home to the right client and make the process of doing so as tailored as possible for each specific customer . Matching the right home for someone who has just retired and is downsizing from a big house in Chicago to a new home in Naples can seem like a very different transaction than finding a home for a millennial couple who are buying their first home and relocating from San Francisco to Miami . One couple might want to preview videos of every possible location on their phone and VeriSign all documents online , while the other couple might want to do everything via fax because that ’ s what they ’ re more comfortable with . The key is to NOT decide in advance which customer is which . The goal should be to SIMPLIFY everything possible for both clients , no matter which way they want to do the transaction .
In my opinion , a Realtor ’ s ® goal should be to actively listen to the client and walk , or run , them through the process however they are most comfortable . I believe it is critically important to stay ahead of the game when it comes to all the various ways a transaction can be completed , but the most important thing you can do is remember that your number one priority is to match the right person with the right house and to do so in a way that is easy and confidence-building for your client , not for you . If you assume the millennial couple wants to do everything online but , in fact , they are the ones who want to do everything via fax , you might get the sale but you ’ ll never get a great reference , and only a great reference will get you future business from them . If you assume the retiring couple wants to do everything via fax and it ’ s just the opposite , you will frustrate them to death and appear like you are behind the times .
Being relevant starts with having the capability to complete a transaction in many different ways , but staying relevant means you actively listen to your customer and move thru the transaction in a way that makes them feel important and listened to .
Technology is rapidly altering the way everyone does business . How can Realtors ® utilize technology to transform their own businesses ?
Technology can make things go faster , be more accessible , can make things more efficient , and can be “ cool .” It can also make things more confusing , less personal and can make one feel uncomfortable in today ’ s world of hackers and cyber theft . All one has to do is to sit in an Apple store for a few hours and watch an Apple Specialist explaining how to use an iPhone to customers from ages 15 to 85 . This will clearly demonstrate how people of all ages acclimate differently to technology . I have a four-year-old grandson who is more adept at navigating the apps on an iPad than my wife ( and she would agree with me ).
“ What can I do every day to deliver the best possible outcome to my customer ?”
If I flash forward five years and imagine what Realtors ® could be doing with technologies like virtual reality , streaming video , 3-D interactive maps and VeriSign , I could paint a very real future that would allow some people to buy a home with hardly any onsite visits at all . What a timesaver ! At the same time , I could see that same technology being used for other people solely as a support tool in the background to help insure the home they buy is their perfect match , and that ’ s how advanced technology could work best for them .
I LOVE technology ! The lights in my house and my thermostat are all controlled by voice via an Amazon Echo , Amazon Dots , a Nest thermostat and Lutron Caseta light switches . I gave each of my four grandchildren Amazon Dots last year so they could start to embrace Artificial Intelligence now and become comfortable with it as it develops . Each of them uses it in different ways . We have found the seven year old using it to help with her homework . The five and four year old girls say good night to it every night … to which Alexa responds , “ Good night , sweet dreams .” And we walked in on our four year old grandson one day when he was barking at it saying , “ Alexa , play some Pitbull !” Alexa immediately played Fireball and our grandson started dancing like a crazy man . The point is this … technology is great and can be used in many , many ways to enhance a customer experience
14 RPCRA . ORG | MAY / JUN 2017