Optimising every valuation lead. Do you do it?
Time to read – 2 mins
Do you spend a lot on generating valuation leads? Of course you do! Who handles those all important valuation / market appraisals enquiries in your branch? Everyone? Anyone? Well, maybe It’s a role which should be designated to the best person in the office for the job, not just the person who happens to answer the phone. Here’s why.
Many larger agencies for example have a branch manager and a valuer(s). These roles are separated. Why? Well, because the person best suited to running an office team may not be the best at winning business at the coalface. So the roles are split. Which makes sense.
And unless you’re a really small agency, you wouldn’t ask the admin person to value a home, or even to do a viewing? There’s’ a skill set required of each role that is specific. And so it follows with fielding market appraisal enquiries. It’s the first time a client will contact you, certainly in ‘vendor mode’, so why not give it to the best person for the job?
First impressions count
How the vendor is treated when they make their initial contact with your agency is vital – it sets the tone for the subsequent home visit. Getting every market appraisal to count starts with making every potential vendor feel special and showing a real interest in their home and them! It will really lay the foundations for a successful market appraisal.
Experts in their field
Wouldn’t it be great if one of the first things a potential vendor mentions at their home is how wonderful and professional the person who they spoke to in your office was?
I remember one neg I worked with was so good at this, who got so much info at the initial call (which could sometimes last more than 20mins) and established such a good rapport, that we were in effect halfway there by the time we got round to the client’s home. Very often the instruction was effectively ours to lose rather than win, because she did such a terrific job. The wealth of information she gleaned was always helpful. Little notes following her ‘chat’… about schools, interests, the client’s motivations etc… and other great titbits. E.g. other agents attending – info which she nearly always prized out of the vendor by the way! Simply because she took the time to engage with the caller and show a real interest. It all helped to create an indepth picture of the vendor’s intentions before we even stepped over the door. When she had taken the call, we knew that the valuation sheet would be filled out to the rafters with great information. And it worked.
We’re all victims to technology to a certain extent. Office processes in estate agency can sometimes take away the human element to a degree. EA software can guide negotiators through making a valuation appts and make the process ‘dummy proof’. But estate agency is a people business isn’t it? For something so important in a person’s life, shouldn’t negotiators be more than just appointment makers?
So why not take a look, and give the role of ‘valuation enquiry expert’ to the best person in the office for the job where possible? It may not be you. Or the valuer. It’s a small change that could pay real dividends.
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