Liz has been volunteering with an organization for the past 6 years, but recently it appears that the organization has forgotten its mission. Instead of making it easier for volunteers to help, they're making it more difficult. In this case, perhaps so difficult that Liz will have to seek out another organization to do similar volunteer work. And fortunately, there ARE other options that offer equivalent opportunities.
Sound familiar? A business that has LOTS of equivalent options but sometimes makes things difficult? Pick pretty much any real estate affiliated business and we'll find the same: agents, inspectors, loan officers.
For most consumers, every one of us falls into the commodity category. If they don't like something about us, it's easy enough to move on to another choice.
So how to we gain business?
Obviously there's price, and for most of us a race to the bottom isn't a viable business plan.
So what else can we do?
IMO, a large part of it is remembering the mission: helping consumers and NOT getting "commission breath" while we do it.
If what we present is too self-serving, it's obvious and off they'll go to Choice 2.
So, it's not claiming expertise in an area that is beyond our norm (which I routinely see in Facebook referral groups).
It's not taking on a type of business you don't have the expertise for without a mentor guiding you through the process. (I've done the last short sale I will EVER do in my career).
Instead, it's using our blog to provide information that answers the key questions a home buyer or seller may have.
It's proving expertise without having to loudly claim"I'm #1!!!" over and over and over.
In my case, my best blogging value is plugging away at the Cincinnati low maintenance living niche. I can provide information home buyers and sellers aren't likely to find anywhere else, and if they find me enough on page 1 they'll draw their own conclusion as to who is the expert.
So I blog about things like:
Where are the new construction patio homes?
Is there a 55+ community?
What move-in ready patio homes are available this month?
It's information the 800 pound gorillas of real estate are NOT providing and realistically can't provide. They don't have the boots on the ground to know, and some computer algorithm by itself can't do the job.
So the overall answer to gaining business?
It's remembering the mission, what's in it for them, the consumer. If we can hit that target with our work, good things happen from there.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help!
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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