What a pair of bollards, a career threatening crash and 100 deal clinching words

I’m cycling from London to Amsterdam this summer in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

Which means I’ve had to start training for it on my bike.

Now I’m more Bradley Walsh than Bradley Wiggins and as much as I enjoy the peace and fresh air cycling brings I’m not very good at it.

Just this weekend I had a crash. It was my fault. No inconsiderate driver to blame, no pothole to curse. Simply me.

Racing down a cycle path on a chilly Sunday morning I was faced with two, looming bollards.

Do I go left? Do I go right? Do I squeeze through the middle?

In the end I hesitated so long I ended up clipping one of the bollards and skidding across the gravel using my bum as a brake.

It hurt a bit but at the same time was enlightening.

Why?

Well I see that kind of do I, don’t I, indecision from a lot of estate agents.

Do we embrace blogging now? Shall we invest in content for our website? Should we get a professional in to write up our About Us sections? Do we invest in a PR strategy for the future?

Often by the time they’ve decided what they’re going to do their rivals are months further down the road of using regular content and profile raising techniques to win more instructions.

Back to the bike.

Following my potentially career ending crash (it was just a graze but where’s the drama in that) I noticed one of the brakes had got damaged.

Now living in a part of the UK where a lot of people cycle I’m spoiled for choice when it comes to bike repair shops.

But I made my choice using a method I’d use to choose an estate agent to come and give me a valuation.

I jumped on Google. Narrowed the search down to bike shops within 10 miles of where I live and looked at their websites.

Website A was lame. Generic photos, spelling errors galore, tired looking and didn’t work well on my iphone.

Website B was better. Easy to navigate and good images. But poorly written, felt bland and didn’t include testimonials.

Website C was the winner by a mountain mile. Obviously the content was written by someone who knew what they were doing, there was a page filled with testimonials from delighted clients and the clincher was its About Us page.

It showed me in no more than 100 words that Dan was the store’s mechanic. It had a photo of Dan, he looks a friendly bloke. It told me Dan’s favourite local cycle routes and shared a useful cycling tip.

This clinched the deal. I called feeling as if I already knew Dan, booked in the repairs and they even upsold me a bike fit session which I’ve been thinking about for ages.

There are parallels to estate agency in this tale. All of which are pretty obvious and I don’t want to patronise anyone by spelling them out.

So if you need help with your website content, newsletters, PR advice etc then I’m your man and feel free to get in touch.

If you need cycling tips and advice I’m rubbish, but Dan’s your man.

Thanks for reading and here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS: Below is a link to my Just Giving Page explaining my motivation behind taking on the London to Amsterdam Cycle Challenge.

https://www.justgiving.com/Jerry-Lyons1/?utm_id=13

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Popping the Asking Price Bubble

Where in the Uk Can Buyers Snap Up Property Bargains and Where Properties Go for a Premium Above Asking Price   New research from fast selling property company, Upstix has uncovered the UK’s most surprising postcodes for snapping up a property at bargain prices this year, highlighting a widening gap between sellers’ expectations and the…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Highest demand to lease office space since pre-pandemic

The latest insights from the UK’s number one commercial property website Rightmove, reveals that the number of unique enquiries to lease office space is at its highest point since pre-pandemic, as businesses look for spaces that meet modern requirements. Demand to lease office space is 19% higher than the same period a year ago and…
Read More
Planning disputes on new build land
Estate Agent Talk

Planning consultations for major infrastructure to be streamlined

Robert Bruce, a planning and infrastructure partner at law firm Freeths LLP, said he: “Welcomed the change as a significant step to speeding up the DCO process and the focus on the quality and effectiveness of the consultation, rather than box ticking and a risk averse approach to pre-application consultation due to the current legal…
Read More
Breaking News

‘The property ladder pulls further away’ warns Open Property Group

For many first-time buyers across England, the dream of homeownership continues to slip further out of reach. Despite rising wages, soaring house prices are making it harder than ever to get on the property ladder. A leading UK professional house buying company ‘Open Property Group’ based in Buckinghamshire UK, has raised concerns over the ongoing…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

How Long It Takes to Buy a House in the UK: 5 Common Delays That Can Slow Down Your Home Purchase

Wondering how long it takes to buy a house in the UK? The average timeline ranges from 8 to 22 weeks, but even that can stretch significantly due to unexpected delays, especially if you’re a first-time buyer or caught in a chain. That’s why working with experienced professionals like Belvoir — one of the UK’s…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rightmove to host Renters’ Rights Bill webinar with Guild of Lettings

Rightmove is hosting a live and interactive webinar session with the Guild of Lettings to help agents get Renters’ Rights Ready. The webinar will take place from 10:00am – 11:00am on Wednesday 23rd April. Susie Crolla, Managing Director for the Guild of Lettings, will be joining Rightmove to help agents with questions they may have about…
Read More