Creating a point of difference

How many real estate ads are there in your paper on a Saturday? Go on, take a look. And how many stand out amongst the clutter?

It really doesn’t matter if you are in sales or property management, to make your property stand out from the rest, you have to be creative and think outside the box.

To put it simply, create a point of difference.

You can’t just put a sign outside the property or on the window of your office and expect the phone to start ringing. But far from dictating to the industry how you should do things, I speak from my own personal experience.

After a career in advertising prior to real estate, I have developed a philosophy that I live by: Failing to plan is planning to fail.

As an integral part of the letting process, and before I start marketing any property, I create a plan, including a marketing strategy for the client’s property. This is not rocket science; the landlord’s objective is to rent their property quickly and at the best possible price. Our goal therefore, is to figure out how.

So, where do I start?

Target market

Understand who the target market is.

Ask the appropriate questions – is the home suitable for the single, professional, executive, or family market?

Once you know the answer to this question, you can talk to them in their language. You wouldn’t write about a property that is ‘hip’ or ‘trendy’ if the client who is going to rent the property is an executive. All your marketing activity will be governed by this decision.

Pricing

Provide the client with pricing advice based upon real data for similar properties that have been rented in the same area, and provide proof from professional experiences within your organisation. These days, clients can access online data themselves, so transparency and honesty are integral in providing a professional service.

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