Whether discussing the underpaid nurses working in hospitals or the overpaid players of our football Premier League, it IS true that the cream does always rise to the top: The property industry is no different.
This brings me to my first question on Customer Care and Business Growth: How do you become the best??
Could it be by providing a customer service that is truly exceptional?
Could it be by creating new innovative ideas in order to improve marketing and productivity?
Could it be training staff to be the best they can possibly be?
Well I believe, as do Sewell & Gardner, it is all of the above!
Our competitors, on the other hand, often believe in a slightly different way of gaining business, mainly being the reduction of their fees. It is my belief, for want of a better word, that this is incredibly ‘short sighted’. Reducing fees may seem attractive to clients in the short term but I can guarantee you that the agent that slashes their fee is not looking at the long term growth of their business, or looking after the customer’s best interests for that matter (because we know full well how much money it costs to run an agency well, train the staff correctly and
Ask yourself this, how hard will they work to secure the right tenant/buyer for the right property, to achieve the highest possible rental/sales figure and provide a stress free, professional service to match?? Not very hard is my guess, this is based on the fact they have to let/sell twice as many properties in order to keep the business afloat meaning they don’t have the time, manpower or simply the desire to care.
Our fees are set at a level that offers fantastic value for money. Sewell & Gardner have the honour of being voted for both Estate Agency and Letting Agency of the year at the Sunday Times and ESTA award ceremonies in 2012. An amazing achievement even if I do say so myself. From Director to Junior Negotiators and everyone in between we are all proud to be part of a company that pushes the boundaries and grows on a daily basis by producing a quality of work that is unmatched in our highly competitive industry.
Please remember: Gaining new business is about improvement and growth, NOT about slashing fees and cutting levels of customer care.
Ben Smith
