If you see a bandwagon, it’s too late!!

Like so many great and inspiring statements, I think the brilliance of this one by James Goldsmith is two fold. It’s memorable and it has a subtle message at it’s core. It underlines the importance of differentiating yourself and your business from the competition, taking the less trodden path, being bold, creative and innovative.

During an interval at a recent conference I was exchanging some interesting banter with a group of Estate Agents. I asked them about why their business was different to the competition. Needless to say the responses were mixed, but most were less than exciting. What was interesting however, was that if they were asked this question during an appraisal by a potential vendor, then most of the agents were convinced of their ability to overcome it. Not completely surprised by this I decided to probe a bit further. “So how many appraisal appointments are you getting during an average week”? I asked. “Not enough, it’s very quiet” came the reply. “That’s Interesting” I said, “what’s the point of having the answers if you are not creating the questions, the demand or the opportunities?” I asked.

And then there was silence, for a reflective minute or two!

So I come back to my earlier point about differentiating yourselves. Think about the activities that will generate the required result. For example, if you need more appraisal appointments then what is going to generate them, why should a potential vendor use your agency? What stands out? Why are you different?

Whether we like it or not people form a perception based on what they see, hear or read, it’s human nature. So do your future clients ‘see’ your business in a way they should see it, or is their perception of it different?

And as everyone talks about providing great customer service – what exactly is it, what does it look like and when does it start?  Because only when you know the answers can you start delivering it.

So if you really do want to see a bandwagon -make sure you got it rolling first!

www.madconsultancy.co.uk – Consultants to the Property Services Industry.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

AI in estate agency letting agency property
Estate Agent Talk

5 Practical Examples: This is How AI is Changing Real Estate

There does not appear to be a single industry that is likely to be immune from the impact of AI. Therefore, it is no surprise to learn that seismic changes are happening in the world of real estate, thanks to the increasing influence of artificial intelligence. From using the technology to identify ways to save…
Read More
Crowded beaches - Clacton-on-Sea in Essex
Breaking News

Overheating moves up the housing agenda

441,000 rental homes fail thermal comfort standards The latest analysis from Inventory Base has found that an estimated 441,000 private rented homes in England failed thermal comfort standards in 2024, accounting for 40.3% of all non-decent private rental properties, as major reforms to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) came into force on…
Read More
Breaking News

Annual house price growth slows in June

The latest Nationwide House Price Index for June 2026 shows that: House prices fell by -0.0% between May 2026 and June 2026. Annual house price growth increased to 2.2% in June 2026, up from 1.7% in May 2026. The average UK house price for June 2026 now stands at £277,484, down slightly from £278,024 in…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index May 2026

UK annual house price growth picked up to 3.0% in April, from 2.2% in March House prices were up 0.4% month on month Headlines Apr-26 Mar-26 Monthly Index* 554.8 552.7 Monthly Change* 0.4% 0.9% Annual Change 3.0% 2.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £278,880 £277,186 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that monthly % changes are…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 1/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Construction entrepreneur and TrueNorth Capital Group founder has a ten point plan for the next Prime Minister Mr Bradley Lay wants Andy Burnham, or whoever becomes the UK’s next Prime Minister, to overhaul the policies which are holding Britain’s construction sector back. And to…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 30/6/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   8% of commercial real estate investors and owners have started AI pilots – the reasons why most fail Only 5% of CRE operators achieve most of their AI program goals According to JLL’s 2025 Global Real Estate Technology Survey of more than 1,500 senior…
Read More