The View From The Cheap Seats - Neil Gaiman
An entertaining collection of nonfiction essays from best selling author, Neil Gaiman.
The title of which recounts his experience's at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Some would say it's better to be in the cheap seats than not be invited.
Better to be a 'bottom-feeder' than a starving artist.
Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts, Mark Whalberg.
Neil's in good company, but knows his place.
The view from the cheap seats.
Still, a sense of 'on the outside, looking in.'
It's no different in the glamorous world of estate agency.
The ESTAS awards.
The Negotiator awards.
And the award for Best Independent Agency goes to............
Even for those not in receipt of a piece of perspex, there's a sense of achievement at having being nominated.
That same sense of achievement that occurs when a satisfied homeowner sends a box of chocolates and a bottle of bubbly. Or the video post gets a few thousands likes and shares.
We all, apparently, like recognition.
But there's a danger that with such recognition comes complacency.
'We must be doing something right. Let's keep doing much more of the same.'
"Being compliant with best practice is being complicit with creating commodity work." - Jay Acunzo
Best practice?
It's might win your agency an award.
But is it going to move the agency forward in terms of how it operates. How it communicates. And how it grows?
Or may it hold back the agency?
Take customer service.
That's the buzzword in real estate.
Better customer service.
Five star service.
Thousands of estate agents & realtors competing to provide the very best of customer service.
All doing pretty much the same to deliver that service.
All happy that a simple nomination, or an award, justifies their tireless work.
Might that, though, indicate an acceptance of mediocrity?
Not in the level of commitment to this customer service deity, but to the belief that your agency's worth is ultimately determined by the objective view of an awards committee.
Estate agency is a people business.
You've heard that phrase a thousand times.
And those people have emotions.
Their subjective opinions are ephemeral.
And complicated.
They choose an a realtor/agent based on the emotional story they tell themselves.
Not on the objective facts that you recount.
Not on the data. Not on the awards.
Not even on the brand.
The story they tell themselves is founded on what they know about you and simply,whether they like you.
Or not!
So, when every other agency is careering down the road to customer service nirvana, it might benefit your agency to explore other roads.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost.
One such road is Personal Brand.
Your subjective opinions, colored by your character.
What you believe and why.
What matters most.
What, are your hopes and aspirations.
Then begins the journey of sharing those opinions with others that, we hope, will have a similar view of the world.
It's how all relationships begin.
With a story.
Not with an award.
If I can help you tell your story, just drop me a line
Or call on mob: 07875141436
Happy to help. My advice is always free.
Thanks for reading.
Chris.
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