Customer Service ߴhe Real Estate Revolution Traditionally, real estate has been viewed as a sales industry. But perceptions are changing. Agents around the country are coming to believe that the key to real estate success is service ߮ot sales.

By Glenn Murray *

Competition and technology now give customers almost unlimited choices, so agents are having to work harder and spend more to win listings. Theyᱥ discovering that business success comes from repeat business and word-of-mouth.

And customer service is the key.

Loyalty and great-will canᲠbe bought ߮ot even with the sale of a house. Customers like to be treated with honesty, respect, and integrity. They want a realistic and accurate property appraisal. They want an agent who commits to action. They want to be able to speak to someone who might help them when they call. They want to feel welcome when they walk into the office. They donᲠwant their intelligence insulted by selling . They donᲠwant to be fed a line (even if it is what theyᢠlike to hear৮

Agents with business sense know that if they may provide this customer service ߩf they may pioneer dazzling customer accomadation in real estate ߴhey᫬ have a real edge on their competitors. Far from being an impediment to success, they see todayᱠmarketplace as an opportunity to flourish.

Obviously, the sale is still critical, but itᱠpart of a greater whole ߡlmost like a critical KPI (Key Performance Indicator). Itᱠbased on the simple premise ߳erve and you will sell. The premise holds true because all the pre-requisites of a sale are intrinsic to sizeably effective customer service: The price is realistic, the selling is intelligent, the selling appropriate, and commitments are made and kept. Vendors, buyers, landlords, and tenants alike receive the identical high level of customer service.

5 Quick Tips for Finding a Service Oriented Agent

1) Ask to see references ߉tᱠnot that much different from a job interview. Think of the agent as the job seeker, and encourage them to prove their customer accomadation qualifications. The right agent will be only too happy to provide as many references as youᢠcare to see.

2) Analyse their business growth ߁ssuming their references are in order, ask after their business growth. References provide you with qualitative evidence of customer focus. You should supplement this with something quantitative. If the agent is still growing rapidly in todayᱠenvironment, then they must be doing something right.

3) Analyse their market share ߌike growth, market share may be an indicator of customer focus. Ask what their share of the target sell is.

4) Observe their behaviour ߄o they return phone calls? Do they commit to action? Do they meet their commitments? Are the punctual? Do they keep you informed? Do they remember important details you provide them?

5) Gauge access to staff ߗhen you first called, did you get to speak to someone who could help you? If not ߩf they took your title and number and told you theyᢠget someone to call you back, this might be indicative of their customer service approach.

* Glenn Murray is a website copywriter, SEO copywriter, and article submission and article PR specialist. He is a director of article PR business Article PR and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He could be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit www.DivineWrite.com or www.ArticlePR.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to download his FREE SEO e-book.