The content of this article is based on our webinar of 6 July 2021, hosted by Anaig Nouvel, Marketing Director at Immodvisor, and Vincent Bagourd, Senior Key Account Manager at PriceHubble. Please contact us if you would like to receive more information or to view the recording of this webinar.
In order to help them sell their property, many homeowners look for reliable experts. The role of these experts is to advise owners on a range of topics and ensure that sales proceed smoothly and as transparently as possible. They also help owners sell at the right price.
In order to find a trustworthy real estate agent, homeowners often research their options. Their goal is to pinpoint what sets a particular real estate professional apart.
Anaig Nouvel, Marketing Director at Immodvisor – a company that advises real estate agencies on how to manage their online reputation – gives us two telling facts about sellers on the lookout for a real estate agent:
- 97% of sellers base their decision on a real estate agent’s knowledge of the local market when choosing who will list their property (Opinion Way);
- 95% of sellers base their decision on how reliable a real estate agent is when choosing who will list their property (Opinion Way).
The real estate market is often competitive, with demand outstripping supply. This means that getting exclusive sales contracts, especially exclusive ones, is often tough for real estate agents. Nevertheless, real estate agents have a wide range of options available when it comes to persuading a prospective seller to trust them with their property.
Use your (online) reputation to show how reliable you are
Your reputation no longer depends on word-of-mouth alone. While this does constitute an important growth lever, Anaig Nouvel notes that 90% of real estate projects begin online. As such, your reputation now depends as much upon your profile on Google My Business (the frame appearing on the right-hand side of the Google search results page containing key information about your business) as on word-of-mouth recommendations.
How can you inspire trust and provide clear proof of your reliability and professionalism? Online customer reviews (on Google or social networks) communicate your know-how while being a testament to the trust that has already been placed in you. Once again, two statistics back up this argument:
- 78% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations (Bright Local);
- 75% of French people prioritise professionals who already have customer reviews (Yellow Pages).
Nowadays, writing reviews has become a common habit in France. Your customer reviews aree now a key part of your online reputation. They have the power to directly affect sales. Therefore, it is useful to appreciate this feedback over the entire digital journey of your prospects.
Our tip: Ask for feedback from your customers at the end of each project. This will give a boost to your image and presence online. You can collect this feedback in different ways: directly, by e-mail or using dedicated app.
Once these reviews have been collected, you will be able to use them in your communications, highlighting the parts that represent who you are as a real estate professional. There are various options for showcasing the feedback collected:
- Commercial brochure;
- Website;
- Social networks;
- The various platforms on which you have a profile;
- Other communication tools.
You can use tools such as Canva to create quality visuals for your most important quotes and reviews, and share them on social networks, for example.
Key observation: Anaig Nouvel notes that a “5 out of 5 stars” review is not seen as very trustworthy. “It is better to get a 4.7 out of 5 rating rather than 5 out of 5, because a maximum rating can make people think that a review is false.” So no need to worry if some of your clients don’t give you top marks. It just makes your average score more consistent!
Combining the human touch and market data to get more business
By showcasing your reputation and demonstrating the level of trust that sellers have in you, it’s only a matter of time before you attract more leads. Then there will come a time when you need to prove your expertise. There are two levers when it comes to showcasing your expertise and persuading a prospect to trust you to sell their property.
The first one is the human touch, which is a key part of the job of a real estate agent. A real estate agent will stand out from the competition and build trust by showcasing great listening skills during an appointment, and by showing that they can adapt their business approach and support to the client’s specific needs.
Julien Cornette, an expert on turning prospects into clients, emphasises this human factor. You can read our article with lots of tips to help you turn more leads into listings.
The second lever is to be able to leverage accurate market data. In order to provide the best possible support, market data is used to back up the relational and human side of the transaction. In this way, a real estate agent is able to justify the recommended selling price based on an in-depth knowledge of real estate trends and a level of consistency with the market. Using such information will provide both transparency and value to the client. This will foster a trust-based relationship.
Therefore, starting with the first appointment, you should communicate your knowledge of the market and your ability to provide advice. You will need to include different types of data in your real estate valuation report, including:
- Socio-economic factors;
- Detailed knowledge of the market (latest sales, current offers);
- Average selling time;
- Contextual information on the property (nearby construction projects, attractiveness of the area, accessibility, etc.).
To find out more about what you should include in your real estate valuation, take a look at our practical guide.
These different elements will help you put together a comprehensive, precise real estate valuation report, as well as a sales pitch based on accurate, tangible data. By using know-how that you can pass on to your clients, you can easily reinforce your status as an expert in your market. In this way, you will be able to persuade your seller that you can attract a serious offer at market price.
Putting together a comprehensive, accurate real estate valuation report can be complicated and time-consuming. This is where Property Advisor can help by providing you with highly accurate and up-to-date information on a given property.
Success is all about relationships
Trust is a cornerstone of a marketing strategy and the contact business. In order to gain this trust, you need to prove to your clients that you are the right person for their real estate project. You can do this showcasing your expertise, your reputation and your ability to understand your clients’ needs and potential hang-ups. Get on top of these areas, and your place as an expert in your market will be assured, making it easier to successfully convert leads into clients.
Get in touch with us for more information on how to turn your leads into sales contracts. Get in touch with Immodvisor to learn more about how you can collect, distribute and respond to customer reviews.
