IT’S THE END OF MOVING DAY AND THEY’RE EXHAUSTED.
Their backs are aching, their stomach rumbles with hunger and the only thing pounding harder than their sore feet is their throbbing heads. What they wouldn’t give for a hot shower, a glass of wine and an early night in with a movie.
What if you, as your clients’ trusted real estate agent, could deliver just that?
Forget giving vendors and buyers the staid coffee mug with your corporate logo, you have the power to make their lives a whole lot easier simply by extending your customer service long after the ink has dried on the contract.
BACK TO BASICS
As real estate agents we are often caught in the trap of looking for the next big deal and we forget to focus on what’s right in front of us.
Human nature dictates that we seek out the new and exciting, while our job as agents encourages us to engage with the next batch of clients long before we’ve finished with existing ones. There’s a lot to be said for having such a persistent, unrelenting approach but it can also rob us of the focus we need to get the basics right.
In every home we sell we have two customers to serve, the vendor and the purchaser. If we get it right that’s two opportunities to secure a referral down the track. The horrors that are moving day give you the opportunity to secure lifelong, happy clients that will return to you again and again and refer their family and friends.
Often lamented as one of the most important but most stressful times in a person’s life, moving day offers you an opportunity to take your customer service to the next level. It’s at this critical time where one per cent effort can make 99 per cent of the difference.
At this vital juncture we can be more than just real estate agents; we can be confidants, consultants and counsellors.
Our job shouldn’t just be to help someone buy or sell their home – we should help them move into their home.
IS CHAMPAGNE REALLY ENOUGH?
Everyone loves a bottle of bubbly, but is it really enough?
When I’ve moved, a refreshing drink is really nice, but do you know what’s nicer? Having a working fridge to chill it in and enjoying it sitting in front of the gas log fireplace.
You can make this happen by continuing your customer service to moving day. You can:
- Turn up on moving day and help cart the boxes inside
- Connect the electricity so the fridge can be plugged in and the champagne chilled
- Have the gas connected so the hot water is ready for showers to ease aching muscles
- Connect the phone and internet
- Arrange the pay TV.
I can hear you thinking ‘great idea, but I don’t have time for that’ and ‘there’s no bang for your buck in doing that’, but I urge you to keep in mind that a happy customer equals more referrals, more listings and more success.
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
Providing better customer service, more of the time and for a longer period doesn’t mean you have to be sweating over your desk 15 hours a day.
Service providers such as connectnow can be a great business to partner with as they take care of everything for you and your client.
They connect:
- Electricity
- Gas
- Water
- Home phone
- Internet
- Pay TV
- Car, truck and van hire
- Insurance
- Cleaning services
Again, I can hear your brain ticking over and querying if you could rely on a third party to provide good customer service linked with your name. Is it a risk that’s worth taking?
It is. You just need to make sure the partner you choose meets your requirements, so make sure they:
- Are people focused. 92 per cent of people still want to deal with another person. An Australian call centre is a must.
- Put experience first and aim to make moving simpler.
- Connect more than just power. You need a one-stop solution.
- Have making moving easier as their core business and not a side attraction.
In my experience, connectnow ticks all these boxes. The important thing to remember is to be diligent in choosing the right partner. A little hard work and research will be rewarded in the future.
PROCESS PRECEDES RESULTS
Once you have selected your partner you need to cement the new process into your daily routine for each and every client.
Once you have the parameters of how to introduce the moving day solutions into your client journey you’ll know that you’ve made an often stressful event a lot simpler and easier. Whether this results in referrals in the future, only time will tell; but I can’t imagine too many buyers and sellers would turn down a hot shower, a cold wine and their favourite TV show binge session in their new home.
