Module 5: Preparing for Client Interviews 42

Write down a list of ways that your agent can stand-out from other agents during their listing appointment.

EXERCISE

List of ways that your agent can stand out during their listing appointment:

Exceptional Customer Service

Think back… when was your last truly exceptional customer service experience? When was the last time that you were surprised by a company or service provider that did something so extraordinary that you needed to share it with others?

Customer service is an art, and it takes time to understand who our consumers are, what they expect and how to exceed it. Customer service is what brings past clients back to the agent or team and what encourages them to tell others about the experience they had when they sold or bought a home with a real estate agent.

Client Retention Plans

Successful agents are intentional about cultivating long-term relationships with their clients. Systematic and purposeful customer service techniques will ensure referrals and positive reviews from past clients which will help the agent build a solid client base and sustain their business for a long time.

“People who connect and build fluid relationships are trust agents.” (Chris Brogan)

In today’s online-review world, a client’s positive or negative opinion of an agent is no longer limited to just the client’s friends and family but will be shared online where many prospective clients and customers will find it for a long time to come.

Client retention plans include a variety of techniques including something as simple as a warm reception area at an office, being extraordinarily responsive to phone calls, emails, and requests by the consumer as well as ongoing things like follow up calls after a transaction.

Imagine walking into an office to meet with an agent for the first time and expecting to review some listings, get in a car and go see a home. That’s what one would except, right? What if that same buyer walked into a well-designed and contemporary office space, was offered a variety of drinks to choose from, was given a welcome basket with a variety of locally produced goods, a list of recommended restaurants to visit while they are in town, tickets to the local museum and a tour of the town before they just ran out to look at homes. That’s setting up an extraordinary first impression.

Some connectors that could be used to build a great impression with a client are as follows:

▪ Handwritten notes for a variety of reasons ▪ Pre-meeting gifts ▪ Annual “pop-by” gifts that provide a reason for the agent to stop by and visit ▪ Routine phone calls for non-transaction related check-ins ▪ Providing client with a “checklist” of fun things to do with their family ▪ Gifts cards for random life events, like puppy adoption or closing anniversaries ▪ Gift baskets at closing or on the anniversary of a closed transaction

Online Reviews

Do what you do so well that they want to see it again and bring their friends.

-Walt Disney

The internet has created a world which has convinced us that our opinions matter and are valued by some. There is strong impetus for many to find outlets online to give our opinions about the customer service we’ve experienced with various brands. For many, the online review from others reflects the type of experience they can anticipate in their own engagement with a firm, agent or brand.

The numbers related to online-reviews and reputation management speak for themselves.

▪ 93% of consumers influenced by online reviews

▪ 97% of consumers read online reviews before engaging a local business

▪ 91% of Gen X/Millennials trust online reviews as much as they do a personal recommendation

▪ A negative review is estimated to cause a loss of 22% of potential business opportunities

▪ On a 5-star rating scale, consumers tend to avoid businesses with lower than a 3.5% rating

▪ 68% of consumers say they will leave an online review if asked

Online Review Sites

There are a variety of popular online websites that agents can use to build positive reviews. Professional Assistants can provide a valuable service by managing, monitoring, and soliciting feedbackonline. This is called ‘reputation management’ and can gain the agent business opportunities over time.

▪ Agents Need to Claim Their Profiles

Finding and claiming the agent or team’s profiles on the major online review sites is a valuable process so that requests for positive reviews can be spread amongst the various sites. Having claimed profiles

on the major sites will also result in notifications from those sites when reviews are given. If the result is positive the Professional Assistant can use the review to promote the agent or team. If the result is negative the agent or Professional Assistant can engage the negative review and show that the agent is monitoring their online reputation.

Engaging negative reviews should be done quickly after they are posted in a positive and professional manner. Remember that future clients will be reviewing those reviews and judging agents on how they responded. A defensive or angry response will reflect poorly on the agent, but a professional and timely response could negate the impact of a negative review on future viewers.

Utilizing tools like google.com/alerts will allow the Professional Assistant to setup daily automated searches on the agent and team’s name so that if there is a negative review or mention on a website it may be brought to the attention of the team for a response.

The following is a list of commonly utilized online feedback sites, which agents should claim their profile on. They have the added advantage of promoting the agent’s name and brand.

▪ Google.com/business ▪ Yelp.com ▪ Ratemyagent.com ▪ Realtor.ca ▪ Zillow.com

Clients Need To Be Asked For Feedback

Consumers are accustomed to reading and giving feedback on merchant sites like amazon.ca, but they may not be considering the benefit an agent could realize by having positive feedback on the various sites mentioned above.

At the end of each transaction, those clients whom the agent feels would be good candidates for providing positive feedback should be formally asked. Agents or the Professional Assistant should email the client thanking them for choosing the agent or team to assist them in buying or selling their home. Then the client should be asked to take a moment and provide positive feedback on whatever platform the team selects for that client. Encourage the client to give the feedback by letting them know how much it will help the agent in the future.

Some professional marketers suggest rotating which platform to ask for feedback on, as most clients are only going to provide feedback on one site, but eventually the agent will want several positive reviews on a variety of sites.