Keeping You Ahead of the Pack

Commentary by Matt Tillotson

RISMEDIA, Sept. 19, 2008-In a competitive climate, top agents are driving word-of-mouth referrals by leaning on a network of business partners that deliver added value. These partners save end customers money, provide critical information throughout the sales process and deliver experiences that reduce the stress and uncertainty of buying, selling or moving into a new home. By leveraging partnerships, agents enhance their own brands and deliver on an end-to-end, consultative customer experience that drives future business.

Take some time to think about your customers’ experience from beginning to end. Lay out all the components of a home sale or purchase and then perform a gap analysis. Where do the opportunities exist for you to add more value through great partners? Are your customers getting all the information they need? Is everything being leveraged to help a home sell as quickly and for as high a price as possible? Once you’ve identified gaps in the customer experience, you can then begin to search for businesses that improve your customer experience.

It’s also important to think about your current partner network. Are your partners best-in-class? Can you borrow on their brand equity to enhance your own? Your partners offer customers clues about your business philosophy and values. Align with brands and standards of service that reflect the image you want to convey in the marketplace.

To select great partners, look for companies that truly understand the real estate industry from the agent perspective. Your partners should understand not just how they help your customer, but how their offering enhances your business as well. In addition, partners with well-known and respected brands enhance your own brand image.

As an example, PODS, the moving and storage company, discovered through research with our real estate partners, that 98% of agents thought PODS helped with the sale of a home following a service referral. Agents pass discounts on the service through to their customers, and use co-branded collateral and online marketing tools to leverage the partnership.

Take time to understand where you can add more value to the customer experience and find partners who fit the bill. You are the company you keep.

Matt Tillotson is marketing manager of PODS.

For more information, please visit www.pods.com.

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