Does your niche market reflect in your niche office? Virtual or not? To be or not to be.....
There is a lot of discussion going on regarding whether to be a virtual office or having a standing physical office location. Everyone has a different opinion and strategy and of course I do have my own opinion!
But my humble opinion is based on what has and is working for me. Your office, whether it be virtual or physical, needs to fit your niche market and what works for you, your clients and prospective clients. I am all for keeping up with the times and do implement where and when what works for me.
What works for me, may not work for you.
I think you first need to know who you are trying to target.
- DO you have a niche?
- Or are you looking for that niche?
- Are you looking for "out of thin air lead generation" or producing mass leads that you have to filter through to find "A" buyers and sellers?
- or working from an established database?
- Do your target clients require face to face contact?
- What type of community do you live in?
- What type of buyer does your community draw?
- Are you well known in the community?
There's a lot more to think about as well, but those are partly or mostly going to determine whether you need a physical location or you can be virtual...or maybe both is the way to go?(although I do think no matter what you do you have to also have a good online presence as well).
I am a huge, huge Customer Service person as well as a local resource. Being that local resource, it is important to me that when I am out in the small communities of Belfair, Allyn, Hood canal and Puget Sound, that they KNOW where to find me - whether it be on the internet or IN THE OFFICE. My presence is there for both.
I want anyone and everyone to be able to stop by and see me; ask me about the market, or just stop by for the "hello" and/or to ask a question. I also feel that I have a better chance at them stopping by if I have a centrally located professional office rather than saying "sure just stop by my house"?? Probably very few people who want to physically meet with me are going to come by my house.
And as for meeting in a location within the community, to me I would rather have the resource of an office where I know all of my tools are available and is a professional and quiet atmosphere. I want my clients to be able to focus on the matter at hand, not what's going on around us in a different location.
My niche market (although I like to think of my success market as my "niche "service") brings with it a fairly good following within the Belfair and Allyn community. Small communities also tend to be more "face to face" in general, where familiar faces walk and drive the streets every day- With that said, I base how I run and work my office for that niche.
My main focus is small town "Customer Service" and local resource. Sort of like a "live" person on the phone rather than 400 buttons and instructions to get to MAYBE a live person. If I am only VIRTUALLY out there in this community, I am not going to be very well known or looked for if I don't have a centrally located resource center (that would be my office).
We all have use of pretty much the same tools out there, but its how and what you utilitize that is important and tayloring it to fit YOUR needs and YOUR clients needs - not following what I do.
LEAD your business utilizing the tools that fit it. Just because "virtual" seems to be a wave of the future - don't give up on what actually works for YOUR business.
and that's just my humble opinion....
~~Valerie~~
If you would like more information about the Allyn, Belfair, Hood Canal and Puget Sound area and homes for sale, you can visit me on the internet at : www.valspaulding.mywindermere.com or my blog www.Belfairwarealestate.com; or if you would prefer to stop in and say hello or request some information stop on by at my LOCAL Belfair Office at 30 NE Romance Hill Rd, Suite 102, Belfair WA!
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