Honest? Let Me Be The Judge of That.

Here's a selection of local experts from a well-known online, turned hybrid estate agency.

The About US page.

Where, theoretically, potential customers go to learn as much as they can about the agency and staff.

Before they choose.

Ben "approaches every situation with dedication & empathy. Understanding the needs of my customers is paramount."

Thanks Ben, but no thanks.

Cameron "loves working with people in South London and  always goes above and beyond to exceed customer expectation."

Cameron's in the wrong job if he doesn't like working with people.

Gregory is "based locally and perfectly placed to provide you with an honest and accurate valuation."

An honest and accurate valuation? Isn't that just 'table stakes'?

Matthew had this:

"Whether you're ready to make the big leap or just curious to see what your property is worth right now, get in touch & I'll give you an honest and accurate market valuation."

Mark continued with the honest approach.

Thomas and James, ditto.

"I'll work with you to understand what you're looking for in an agent and offer you my honest advice to get you the best price for your property."

Honesty is apparently missing from so many agency valuations.  Because all these 'experts' say it is so.

They're honest.

Honestly.

Mani was more succinct.  As in. "I look forward to listening to what you're looking for from an estate agent and helping you with the process."

As Shania Twain puts it: That don't impress me much.

Wait, there's more.

Try to stay awake, please, at the back.

Suffice it to say there HAS to be something more interesting about us than a string of meaningless words on a page.

This agency isn't unique.

I see it everywhere.

More passionate is neck and neck with honesty in the race to win Meaningless Platitude of the Year.

Other than being a waste of time and space, it tells the potential vendor absolutely nothing about what they want to know.

What's the origin story?

Where's the belief and conviction?

Contrast that uninspiring claptrap with that of Steve Morgan, Chairman of Redrow Homes.

This piece appeared in the Sunday Times 16th September article by writer, Katherine Forster.

Talking about his wife, Sally and how they first met.

"I was going to propose to Sally in Venice, but the night before she told me her ex had proposed on a gondola there and I thought , "Shit, I'm not coming second." so I pushed our flight back and proposed over a cup of tea in a café in Delamere Forest.  It was where we'd had our first date."

Talking about his origin story:

" I know what it's like to have it hard.  I can't say I had the happiest childhood.  It was flight or fight.  When I was small, I lived with my mother and grandparents in a two-up, two-down house opposite the gasworks in a tough part  of Liverpool. There was rising damp in the house and we'd buy from the rag-and-bone man.

My dad was in the RAF.  I went to nine different schools and lived in nine different houses, so I was always the new kid on the block, which means you're always tested out - and that means scrapping.  It wasn't great, but the good thing is it shaped me because now I'm tough as hell.

I got thrown out of school when I was 16, for hitting a prefect.  It was the luckiest break of my life because I went laboring on a building site and absolutely loved it."

It's open, honest and transparent.  There's a vulnerability to that confident exterior.  A story that delivers Steve's values, beliefs & convictions.

The more one learns about someone, warts and all, the better the prospect of forming a relationship.

And as an estate agent, if you continue to hide behind a corporate brand, you're missing one of life's greatest opportunities.

The opportunity of creating your own unique Personal Brand.

 

" In three years from now, if you don't have a Personal Brand, nobody is going to do business with you."   Nicolas Cole

 

Personal Brand works whether you're in an independent agency, or a corporate environment.

Personal Brand works whether your role is customer-facing, or administrative.

Personal Brand works when everyone of your competitors sounds exactly the same.

How then should one create a Personal Brand?

Turn your life into a 'soap.'

Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale.

They manage to 'hook' 9 million viewers each week.

How?

By the use of story.  Or script in this case.

Stories that run the full gamut of tension, intrigue, conflict and emotion.

The inescapable truth is that without a story, nobody cares about you.

Or your agency.

And if you don't tell your story, other people will tell it for you.

Witness the online turned hybrid agency at the start.

 

Clueless.

As to how to connect.

Clueless.

As to how to develop relationships.

Clueless.

At sharing their story.

If online agencies can't figure out how to talk to one person, it doesn't really pay to scale up their efforts to talk to thousands.

More real, more human, more personal.

That's all it takes.

Check out our website at www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

mob: (44) 07875141436

We're here to help.

And thanks for reading, as always.

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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