What is value-proposition? It's what you do that's different/better than your competitors. So how is giving good service going to make your value any better than your competitors? It's interesting how much marketing in the real estate business is devoted to saying what nobody cares about wants to hear.
"Top-notch Service"
"We put YOU first"
"FREE! Market Analysis"
"First-Class Service"
"Two Realtors for the Price of One"
"I Sell More Homes in (Add your city name here) Than Anyone"
"Top 1% Internationally"
Any of this originality sound familiar? They should- they're plastered on bus benches and shopping carts in every city across the country. And, a side note- those 1980's glamour shots make you look ridiculous (public service announcement).
Conduct a poll of 1000 home buyers and sellers and ask them how many of them chose to work with that particular agent because their marketing said that they offer "First-Class Service" or were in the TOP 1% Internationally and you'll probably have agents lining up to throw rocks at your results because they won't believe them.
"What do you mean NOBODY listed with me because of my "Selling Homes One Yard at a Time" marketing? Of course they did!
Agents won't believe this because we all want to think that other people care about how creative and clever our slogan's are or about how successful we are. "If they know that I'm a top agent they'll know they can trust and respect my service"- or maybe they'll think you're too busy for them. Or maybe they'll think that you have a slew of twenty assistants doing all the actual work in the office and they'll never hear from you again after the contract is signed.
Increasing value proposition is not about good service or being an agent who knows what you're doing. It's not about being one of the best in your field at negotiating or about how amazing your CMA looks. These things don't matter because they are all expected.
If you're looking for a landscaper would you be impressed with someone because they advertise, "We plant trees" or "Number one in sod- laying for the last five years", or if they had a slogan that said, "The Grass is Always Greener on our Side of the Fence" ? Or would be more impressed by seeing a list of past clients and referrals who loved that their jobs were done in less time, and on time, and for thousands less than other quotes you'd gotten?
Increasing value proposition is about giving people choices that will make/save them time/money/frustration. It's about surprising and delighting the consumer so that they are compelled to say, WOW! So they actually say, out loud, "Wow!". That's an increased value proposition.
Maybe it's an amazing website that allows them to find what they want more efficiently and increases their experience so much that it's actually really FUN searching for hours on-line for homes. Maybe it's a price point that surprises them and delights them so much that they say it. Or maybe it is the act of your service and the incredible attention you give them so that at the end of the transaction the culmination of your efforts draws out that validation of "Wow!"
Whichever way you do it- increasing your value proposition will be relevant in the RE 2.0 realm and it won't happen by giving the client what they would expect from anyone else.
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