How Do You Know What Your Customers Really Think (Part 2)?

Posted on 18. Aug, 2010 by Jeff Lefkowitz.

In my last blog I opened a discussion on customer exit surveys.  In this edition, I would like to start discussing how to find out what your clients think about you and your firm. It isn’t as obvious as it may seem.  For example: An agent trying to measure how he can improve referral business [...]

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Beta Brokerage Unveiled at Inman 2010 (#icsf)

Posted on 10. Aug, 2010 by Wendy Forsythe.

Each summer for the last several years I’ve packed my bags and headed to San Francisco for the annual Inman Connect conference. This is one of my favorite work trips of the year not only because I’m a big fan of San Francisco, but because I always leave this event with a bunch of ideas [...]

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The Love Triangle Between Broker, Agent and Consumer

Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Wendy Forsythe.

I often find myself in conversations about the dynamics between real estate agents, brokerage owners/managers and the consumer. Frequently I’m asked to debate whether our industry should be consumer centric, broker centric or agent centric. I love a good debate, but picking sides on this issue is a no win proposition. Picking a side would imply [...]

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Week in Review: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 08. Jan, 2010 by Sherry Chris.

The new year is already starting out with a bang, with a plethora of news buzzing about in the real estate industry. As positive and negative reports and articles surface about what’s to come in 2010, we have learned that—in the words of The Wall Street Journal—“the outlook for 2010 is uncertain, at best.” There [...]

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Next Gen Lead Generation

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by Wendy Forsythe.

As the business continues to change and consumers demand a different type of interaction between themselves and the real estate professional the techniques and responsibilities of lead generation will also continue to evolve.

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Friday Blog Scan: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Sherry Chris.

Can small businesses be just as successful using social media as the big brands like Ford, JetBlue and Comcast? “Absolutely” according to Casey Yandle at Clix Marketing. “There are many advantages of using social media during the sales process for customer service, sales prospecting and customer retention for small businesses”. Read it all here. Can [...]

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Average Broker Commission Rate: An Indicator of Consumer Perception?

Posted on 21. Jul, 2009 by Robert Albanese.

Sales agent’s competency in demonstrating the company’s value proposition greatly impacts a company’s ability to deliver value to consumers.  This in turn impacts how consumers perceive the value of your marketing services. Listing Presentations should include highlights of all products and tools that differentiate you, as well as all listing statistics that show where you outperform the [...]

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What Happens when Your Identity is Confused with Others?

Posted on 11. May, 2009 by Wendy Forsythe.

Unless you have a very unusual name, chances are there are several other people in the world that share your first and last name. This is kinda neat, but what if your name twin doesn’t do the honor justice?

Before the Internet, you may have never known. Now a simple Google search can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings. What if a client runs a Google search and instead of you turning up, your name twin does?

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Don’t Say These Things If You Want to Attract Gen Y Women

Posted on 20. Apr, 2009 by Wendy Forsythe.

I was at the gym last weekend reciting the no pain no gain mantra while trying to block out the noise around me, when my thoughts got interrupted by two words “real estate” — spoken by the ladies chatting next to me. Enough with my personal pep talk, this peeked my interest.

I gently nudged myself into their conversation. As it turns out, one of the women is in medical sales but also happens to be taking her real estate course. I asked her if she had spoken with any brokers yet regarding work and she explained that she had one interview with a local office.

“Tell me more,” I asked.

She said it was a good meeting. The broker seemed knowledgeable and very eager to help her. The company had training programs and a good reputation in the community. She was speaking so positively that I assumed she was ready to join the office. I congratulated her, but she stopped me and said that she didn’t think it was the office for her. I asked her why.

She explained that upon leaving, the broker’s farewell included the following statement:

“Kiddo, we’d love to have you join the team.”

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Friday Blog Scan: Things We Liked from the Week That Was

Posted on 17. Apr, 2009 by Jason Steele.

We know how well the big sites in real estate (Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia) rank in the search engines. And we are clear about the vast amount of traffic they receive. We also know that consumers are drawn to these sites first before drilling down to the local broker and agent sites. What we inside real estate know that most consumers may not is how many local listings are actually missing from these search sites. Jay Thompson digs a little deeper into this discussion in his post this week titled Where to search for homes online.

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Why is Change So Difficult & What to Do About It

Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Robert Albanese.

Through all of the turbulence of the past three years, it is interesting to look back on it all and ask, why is change so difficult for most of us to negotiate? More changes are likely to occur as we move toward the real estate industry of the future, so it would be helpful to deal with the concept of change-resistance and to better understand the reasons behind our change-averse culture.

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