Real estate as an industry is very focused on talking about records, and now more than ever! We do it because we are proud of what we do and what we achieve.
We reward our superstars who achieve incredible results, and rightfully so. Historically, we have operated under the premise that telling others about our great outcomes also helps us to generate more business.
But right now, almost everybody is experiencing record months, record sale prices and record numbers at inspections. Initially, these numbers were all incredible.
In saying this, having record months and achieving record sales prices by auction or private treaty, then broadcasting to anyone and everyone who will listen, does not make you unique right now.
We are all having them, RE/MAX Australia included. If you aren’t, you are either just starting out or something is going seriously wrong.
Everybody in the industry is currently a beneficiary of an incredible market, perhaps the best many of us have ever seen or ever will see.
By all means, express the extraordinary and celebrate the achievements. Life is all about balance and celebrating the results of our hard work is a part of a sustainable, fun career.
But we need to be careful about making our big wins central to our messaging, rather than the wins of our clients and our people.
Unfortunately, it seems to be the overwhelming message at present and we should consider whether this may be detrimental to our industry and your businesses.
If the message is about being proud of the individual, the team or the client’s result, that’s great, if it is framed the right way.
Observing the current social media landscape through the eyes of some of our clients may lead many of us to think a little more about the perception that is being created.
My intention is not to rain on anybody’s parade but there is another side to the story.
Consider that those big figures/numbers/dollars are not necessarily of greatest importance. What about instead considering how many people we are helping into homes and securing financial futures?
How are we doing our best for our customers? Are we innovating well? How are we differentiating from our competitors? Perhaps it is better to consider people’s perception of us in light of such things.
What does a record month mean if our market share is decreasing, something I am now seeing frequently?
There’s not a morning I wake up where I don’t see businesses, agents and even some franchise groups focused on amazing top line figures and records.
Impressive? Some maybe, but these things don’t make you unique in the market right now.
Push these points if you have a purpose, but not if that purpose supersedes the needs of the people that help you get there.
We’ve come a lot further in this industry than purely being concerned with numerical outcomes. Don’t brag. That’s history as an approach to measuring true success.
Our focus should be more on the success of our clients and our relationships with them than about transactional numbers.
What makes you unique is what you do for your client and how you make their life better. Be proud of these aspects, differentiate through them and take your reward from them.
Also, there is another side to this current market.
Recently a Facebook post by a very well-known media coach in our Industry, Immy Callister, articulated it very well.
There are people out there who are hurting, such a lot of angst for many buyers and renters who have tried and failed to find property solutions, through no fault of their own in many cases.
Another aspect, it is also our property managers, agents and business owners who are the shock absorbers in the property transaction equation.
Great markets naturally create the stories, but the consumers also see what we broadcast.
I hear, as I’m sure you do, about buyers unable to find property, ridiculously long waits at opens, sellers finding themselves homeless and tenants driven to poor mental health because they cannot find anywhere to live.
This is a side of this market that is very real, and perhaps the broadcasting of those top-line, dollar-focused numbers is having the opposite effect to what agents and business owners are trying to achieve and pushing the future customer away rather than attracting the customers as desired.
So, be proud, recognise and reward achievement but temper your conversations and messages through really thinking about the people behind all of the numbers being quoted.
How we conduct ourselves now is how we will be remembered in the future. This ‘brag-worthy’ market is special, but it will not last forever.
Build long-term relationships with your customer because you get to know them, their needs and wants, and you genuinely show you care.
The real winners from this market will be the agents, the agencies and the franchise groups that create the most positive relationships through the duration of this current market.
Enjoy its benefits, be humble in your victories and be respectful of the clients we serve and who help us achieve great things.
