Since moving from estate agency to property education in 2002, I’ve been heartened to see that over the subsequent years the fundamentals of the profession don’t seem to have changed significantly.
Yes, technology now plays a more prominent role and there have been some hefty legislative changes.
But in general, estate agency still seems to follow the same process as always: win instructions, find buyers, hang on tight until completion.
However, I wonder now if I’m wrong.
I was reading a property article that was followed by a number of comments. One suggested that some high street agents rely wholly on technology to market property.
Picking up the telephone and calling potential buyers about a property for sale isn’t on their radar. Instead they rely on communicating with potential buyers using automated messaging via websites and text messaging to highlight the features of a property and persuade customers to arrange a viewing.
Is this true? Is the art of using oral communication to sell, dead to some agents?
Please say it isn’t so because it would break my heart if it is.
The thought of using technology to replace sales skills concerns me and three immediate questions come to mind
- How can we build financially lucrative long-term relationships with customers who we don’t personally help to reach their property goals?
- How can we discover hidden business opportunities and impress with our local property knowledge if we’re substituting the power of speech for digital information which takes minimal effort to produce or deliver?
- Knowing that customers buy a property that is often different from their initial expectations, how can we guide them without oral communication?
Even worse is the thought that anyone in the estate agency profession is now giving less service for their fee, especially at a time where there is a focus on agency commission levels.
Can an estate agent who takes the route of relying wholly on technology to sell property rather than human contact really be considered an estate agent? Aren’t they more order takers rather than professional, hard-working agents?
I’m looking forward to being told by readers that what I’ve heard is complete tosh and my beloved profession is still focused on building personal relationships with customers and providing the seller with overwhelming value that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
Right, rant over. I’m off to lie down in a darkened room with a cold compress.
Paul Jager is head of the property division at MOL, who provide a variety of training in property and management. For more details on these call MOL on 0345 203 2103 or visit their website at www.mollearn.com
Great article, Paul and communication is the bedrock of this profession. There is a requirement to make it more real, more personal, more human. If online agencies can’t figure out how to talk to one person in a meaningful way, it doesn’t really pay to scale up their efforts to talk to 1,000 because the message isn’t being accepted. Connection between people is always the result of emotional labour. It’s about a community rather than a network.
Technology is a useful tool but never a replacement for an innate desire to help grow the community.
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Thanks agency negotiation limited for the comment and support. You are right, technology is no substitute for good old fashioned, and effective personal contact. I should add though, before this becomes a high street agent vs online agent debate that the original article which led me to write this piece was about high street agents relying on automated technology for communication rather than online ones.
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We ,live in a society where young guns with little experience of life believe IT is the way forward and other use it to make their job easier or should I rephrase “lazier”. The wheel is round it cannot be made more efficient, it can only be assisted by greasing the axle and using better materials but it is still round. Our industry is a people business with no short cuts.
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This is a first i agree with a Trainer!
Yes your fears are to be confirmed.
The industry has “Dumb downed” in my opinion especially with the corporates.
They put too much faith and trust in getting the property out, so they can boast to the sellers they reach XYZ thousand sellers.
Gone are the days of call outs at corporates, if they are calling out its usually to try and bag a val or mortgage appointment. Hot buyers list are basically made up of people that have seen their mortgage broker.
This is whats scary in the news item today that connells apprentices are given a branch to run after just 2 years! – Not hard if all you do is rely on portals and emails!
The good news is independent agents with experienced managing partners who have been in the industry some time still get their staff to pick up a phone and sell, negotiate and progress a property – Its all about being a full service estate agent. These type of agents get you a better price and they have more chance of getting a successful completion.
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Yes I was just emailing my clients only this week !!!!!!!!
Doh !
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Thanks everyone for the comments. Seems that my fears weren’t unfounded. Now I’m really concerned! Surely this is a time where high street agents need more than ever to prove how hard they work, their exemplary personal service and ‘good value’ commission level? Otherwise do we run the risk one day of the public wondering why they need our help at all- they might as well deal with the property transaction themselves?
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