First impressions can play a huge part in everyday life.
In the world of estate agency first impressions are essential from when the client first comes into the office to when their property is marketed online for prospective buyers to see.
Let’s start with how first impressions apply when a client first walks into the office and meets me.
Scenario 1:
Mr and Mrs Smith walk into the office and rather than welcome them, I stay sitting behind my desk, asking how I can help while eating a tuna baguette. It probably won’t be up there with the best customer service they have received and definitely will not make them feel welcomed.
Scenario 2:
The client walks into the office, I stand up and greet them asking how I can help. I then offer them a seat, ask if they would like a drink and talk about what I can do for them with regards to arranging a market appraisal for their property. This results in Mr and Mrs Smith leaving feeling delighted with the service they received. My directors will be pleased to hear that customers receive scenario 2 when they walk in to our offices.
Now over to my Branch Manager Joe, no pressure! First impressions apply from the moment he arrives at Mr & Mrs Smith’s front door, ready to value their home. Joe could introduce himself and come across as the most polite and charismatic person Mr and Mrs Smith have ever met, however, the way he is dressed could affect their first impression.
For example, if Joe looked like he had a few too many drinks when watching the rugby the night before, clambered out of bed and got ready in the dark, then it would not leave a great impression and he would be remembered as the scruffy one out of the estate agents that had been round. This would not do S&G any favours when Mr and Mrs Smith choose who they are going to instruct. However, in this example he looks smart and professional, helping him build rapport with the client. Ultimately this could help them make the decision to instruct S&G to sell their home.
So moving on, thanks to Joe being a great ambassador for Sewell & Gardner and Mr and Smith being pleased with the professionalism they have seen so far from us, we are instructed. On instruction we arrange for our in-house professional photographer Martyn, whose service is provided at no extra cost as part of the Sewell & Gardner package, to visit the property. We advise our client’s to make the house look presentable, after all the photos will go online for the world to see and you want to present your house in the best possible light. Martyn will spend time taking the best photographs and a virtual tour video which will be used to market your home.
Before
After
My advice is to make sure you instruct an agent that takes pride in all these things. Frankly, in my opinion, if your agent has taken photos of unmade beds, has last night’s dinner in the photo or themselves in the reflection of a mirror then they don’t care enough. It only takes a matter of seconds to do these things and they could make the world of difference.
If you are looking to sell your property and want an estate agent who can deliver in all departments and achieve the highest price then please give us a call 01923 252505. I look forward to hearing from you!
Ben Howard
Property Consultant