In part one of this series, we heard about the importance of local knowledge, new business models, and research skills for agents who want to provide value in age of online real estate. These are themes that our next two industry commentators are in tune with.
Kelly Millar, CEO of social marketing tool SOBOX and former consumer marketing manager of Australian property portal realestate.com.au, says agents need to position themselves as “trusted advisors” for those looking buy and sell.
“It’s not just about the actual transaction,” Millar says, “but building long term relationships with customers and prospects, and positioning themselves as a credible and knowledgeable resource.”
“Whilst agents have always understood the value of a database of prospects and customers, social media channels provide an avenue for agents to take these relationships to the next level,” Millar adds.
“They can engage with people in the most interactive environments, be it via their blog, Facebook or Twitter page. They can listen to their prospects and customers in ways they never have before, and find opportunities to build their business through online engagement with consumers in a timely and relevant manner.”
1000wattconsulting.com’s Brian Boero has plenty of insights for agents in his blog posts, and says a seemingly obvious yet fundamental shift needs to take place if agents are to stay relevant.
“Agents who want to prosper today must get better at things that are important to their clients,” Boero says. “Better at marketing property. Better at negotiating. Better at pricing. That sounds like a rather obvious statement, but when you consider that real estate has been conditioned to recruit marginally skilled people and train them on selling themselves it’s actually quite radical.”
“Agents that can’t work a spreadsheet, pull the right online marketing levers, and price and negotiate in a manner commensurate to the gravity of transacting shelter are going to struggle,” Boero adds.
What are your thoughts on the role of real estate agents in the online age? Let us know in our comments.
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