WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH UK ESTATE AGENCY TODAY? (PART 3)
Part 3 of a series of articles about the problem with UK Estate Agency Today (in case you missed it – links to Part 2 can be found here).
In Part 1, I said don’t be a local property expert, be the authority –
in Part 2 – Told you not to tell people you are an authority – just prove it.
In Part 3 – In the story below … I want to show you that you shouldn’t be part of the local property scene – you need to be the local property scene
.. so here we go!
How many of you know someone who has degrees and letters after their name? Many of you. You need to be pretty smart to get letters after your name ..but letters after your name doesn’t make you smart … doesn’t make you a brilliant estate or letting agent – far from it.
If you want to be THE Property Authority, the PROPERTY GURU that people flock to (see Part 1), you have to get people to talk about YOU.
Look at the smart people in life, the Sir Richard Branson’s of this world. He is an Authority as is Lord Sugar. The path of a true authority is not that Sir Richard B. or Lord Sugar are the cleverest people in the discussion, it’s that they are making the discussion.
You need to make the discussion in your town .. you (just like Sir Richard and Lord Sugar) need to talk about things that no one else will talk about, you need to ask the frightening questions, you need to take a stand.
Myself, my opinion is that 80% of UK estate agents are sleep walking, zombie-like into oblivion .. walking towards the cliff edge – lemming-like, because the definition of a lemming .. .. “a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to destruction.”
Wake up UK Estate Agents – if you continue to offer mediocre service for mediocre fee – you will perish. And don’t think you Letting Agents are safe either … did you know there are firms out there that will sell your competition the whole of your stock list, with the landlords real home address, real telephone and social media … and its all legal – you arent safe
If you are an agent, why do you follow the set path that every other agent does to try and drum up business?All of you go on two of the three main portals, all of you have a website that if you changed the background colours and name of your agency at the top, they would be identical, all of you have boards, all of you are the same. In the crowded marketplace, where there are 20, 30, 40, 50+ agents in your town, fitting in is a failure, because not standing out is the same as being invisible.
That’s the difficulty you have with having so many competitors, is that it takes away the requirement to set your path, to invent your method, to find a new way.If you are an agent, be it lettings, be it estate agency, don’t be a lemming like, don’t unthinkingly join a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to jumping off the proverbial cliff to oblivion.
Some would say some agents are like zombies.. like the walking dead .. following the same old marketing techniques, like its Groundhog day every day
The future of lettings and estate agency is about having connections to homeowners and landlords and the knowledge of what those homeowners and landlords want.
The future is to think differently, to start thinking about what your potential clients want, what they need, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY what they care about
… because homeowners and landlords don’t care about you, don’t care your agency, don’t care your services, don’t care your website, don’t care the awards you have won, don’t care about the fact you are professional, don’t care you go on this website or that website, don’t care how wonderful you are, don’t care the fact you have smashed your targets this month, don’t care you have let/sold 30 properties this month, don’t care the fact you are opening another branch, don’t care you have the highest scores in ARLA, don’t care you have bought a competitor out .. you care, and your Mum cares .. but homeowners and landlords simply don’t give a sh*t (harsh I know but you know its true)
People only care about themselves, they only care about what interests them, they care about what excites them, they care about what keeps them up a night, .. but they don’t care about you or your agency
.. but do care about what their property is worth, what is happening to the local property market to their property (be it rental or homeowner). Think about it, 100% of the homeowners in your town …live your town (because they live in the property they are interested about.. in fact some might say obsessed about). On the rental side, apart from five small locations in the UK, 50% to 60% of landlords live in the suburb / town (and immediate area / villages) where they buy their buy to let properties….
Stay with me on this … Think about it, 100% of the homeowners in your town …live your town (because they live in the property they are interested about.. in fact some might say obsessed about). On the rental side, apart from five small locations in the UK, 50% to 60% of landlords live in the suburb / town (and immediate area / villages) where they buy their buy to let properties….
Therefore, its all about connecting with every homeowner and landlord in your town and knowing what interests them …
Just become the fountain of all knowledge about your town’s property market, become the property guru of your town, newspapers will ask you for comment, BBC radio stations will ask you to be interviewed, and vendors and landlords will want to do business with the best person .. you
By becoming the guru, the authority, then you will break the mold and you will become the daddio agent in your town .. I guarantee it
You need to make a stand, in a big way, on a regular basis.
Controversial (not for the sake of controversy, but because you are vocal about what you stand for), and the homeowners and landlords pay attention. None of this Top 10 Tips for landlords crap or talking about de-cluttering or what makes a good estate agent rubbish or just retweeting what everyone else is saying. No … You need to tell the homeowners and landlords in your town, “This is what we need to be talking about. This is what is important to tackle. Like it or not, popular or not, this needs to be said.”
These people are authorities because they are making discussions worth following. None of this “Nice post” crap – they are saying things no one else has the balls to say.
You do the same.
You have got balls haven’t you? – Then bl**dy well use them.
If want to see some examples of what agents with balls are talking about .. take your time and actually read what they are writing click here to see the one simple but very effect way to get their message to all the homeowners and landlords in their town
Want to know how to put it all into action – watch these three FREE TRAINING VIDEOS
- Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYBy0eLR07k
- Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoeRVg5mlt4
- and the Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIYm-yNJOxA
kind regards
Christopher Watkin
Some chap that helps new and existing Estate and Letting Agents get more instructions, more listings and bigger market share - but you wouldn't be interested in that - would you? Oh you are? Well - have a look see below - you might find things of interest?
email christopher@christopherwatkin.co.uk
400+ blog posts on getting more people (house sellers or landlords) for your estate agency or lettings agency http://how-to-grow-your-lettings-agency.blogspot.co.uk
my thoughts on how to succeed in UK estate/letting agency on videos (15+ videos) https://goo.gl/Zzw4LN
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