Ultimate guide to creating trust as a Real estate agent in Kenya
Real estate
investments usually take a bulk of peoples’ investment. For a customer to
invest their life savings, the need to find a trusted real estate agent is more
important than in other fields. As a real estate agent, this article will give
you insights on how to build trust with your customers to get that all
important deal. We shall go deep into
these 12 key factors that help develop trust.
1. Quality communication
2. Good online profile
3. Trust with other agents
4. Offering top notch customer service
5. Connect and Communicate on Social Media
6. Providing Clear Videos and Authentic Photos
7. Build Integrity and a Good Reputation
8. Provide Consistency and Regular Updates
9. Be honest
10. Avoid unnecessary promises
11. Start
and Participate in Online Groups
12. Join Industry and Local Professional Groups
1. Create a good online profile
Often, your
profile is the first impression you’ll make on potential clients, so it
shouldn’t be taken lightly. You can do this by creating a website for your company, or
yourself. Research shows 99% of millennials (and 90% of baby
boomers) begin their home search online (as opposed to in-person referrals). To
take advantage of this, your online profile should showcase your best assets
and displays past client testimonials. Recent marketing studies clearly
indicate that consumers believe about 14% of what we say about
ourselves but believe 78% of what other people say about us. Pinpoint
your specialties and what sets you apart from your competition. Remember to
share a bit about who you are as a person, so they’ll feel more connected to
you and confident that you’ll take good care of them.
Once you
have created a profile with us, we give you a chance to show crucial
information like your credentials, links to your social media profile, past
sales and customer testimonials. You can send your profile link to your
customers who can then provide ratings for you. Customer testimonials help
prospects to learn about actual experiences past clients have had with you and can
then easily imagine the possible experiences they could have, themselves.
2. Quality Communication
Customers eagerly anticipate information from you and the longer you go without
communicating, the more they become anxious. Maintain a system for keeping communication open with
your real estate partners and
customers so that you you will stand miles above the competition. Once you’ve established a
connection with your customers, always follow through with what you say.
This will show the customer that you’re not just in it for the
transaction or to make money. It shows you’re just as focused to help them get to
the final goal.
At premier
agent, we have created a leads section which you can access once you are logged
in and you can track and manage all contacts who have expressed interest in
your properties.
3.Build Trust with Other Agents.
Building trust with your fellow agents can
be a long and difficult process, but it’s an incredibly important step that
every successful agent will work towards. An agent that trusts you will be much more likely to
refer clients to you and work with you should you need their help. In addition,
an agent that you have built trust with will most likely notify you of new
listings and ask that you refer some buyers towards their property. These types of relationships are what make real
estate both a competitive and cooperative business, and successful agents are
agents that understand the importance of networking with their fellow agents.
4. Offering top-notch customer service.
The real
estate profession is and always has been a people business. People do business
with people they know, like and trust and at the heart of the business lies the
skills to cultivate and build relationships. Those who do not learn how to
build relationships and gain the trust of consumers will have just as much, if
not more difficulty, converting leads as they did in developing leads in the
first place. There are no short cuts to developing deep and lasting
relationships.
5. Connect and Communicate on Social Media.
Having a social media presence is one of the
best things real estate agents can do to communicate effectively in order and grow
their brands. Today hundreds of thousands of people are using social media to
stay relevant within the industry. According to a recent
study from the National Association of
Realtors, 47% of real estate businesses note that social media results in
the highest quality leads.
Facebook is a no-brainer and remains a staple of marketing for
real estate agents. Facebook allows businesses to publish listing-related
updates and content, book appointments, communicate with customers and curate
reviews in a single platform. You can also use Facebook
ads to grow your business.
6. Providing Clear Videos and Authentic Photos
Customers expect
to see videos and clear pictures of the properties listed following the rising
usage of technology. We have created a complete guide on how to take real estate photos.
The internet is one of the most influential and phenomenon sources of
information, making use of Facebook to Twitter, to photo-sharing platforms like
Instagram, there are all kinds of social platforms that you can use to connect
and sell your brand to people.
7. Build Integrity and a Good Reputation
One of the best way to build a
relationship of trust and confidence with clients is to ensure them of your integrity. This means managing the client’s
demands, meeting every deadline, and providing extra value whenever possible.
Nothing will ensure returning clients and referrals as much as the agent’s
integrity and quality of service.
Ensuring you know every detail about the market and the key steps in the process of buying land in Kenya, meeting the
client’s demands, and following up on what’s promised and expected will make you
reliable and trusted.
8. Provide Consistency and Regular Updates
Keeping
customers updated both online and offline offers the perception of stability
and longevity, both of which are essential aspects of trust in a company’s
ability to deliver the products or services they require. As a real estate
agent, ensure that you actively present updates on any new projects that you
have and supply customers informative information. Remember that everything you publish online should
be accurate and also well-written. Your messages should be precise and simple,
and they should reflect your expertise and competence. It will let readers
connect with you on a more personal level and set you apart from your
competitors.
9. Be Honest
To build
trust in your business, be as honest with your clients as you probably expect
them to be with you. Always tell the truth; otherwise, people are likely to
come to the worst conclusion about your motivation and competence. Dishonesty
not only makes your customers walk out but also seriously damages your
reputation.
10. Avoid Unnecessary Promises
Keeping your
word is a needed to build trust with clients and prospects. Avoid setting
unrealistic expectations as most customers want straightforward and realistic
goals in choosing a Real Estate Agent. Real
estate agent’s reputations often precede
them—for better or worse. Stories of your successes and failures will spread
like wildfire, and the reputation you build for yourself will either help you
get more deals or eliminate your chances of doing so. Besides being
professional, knowledgeable and pleasant to work with, you also need to be a
person of integrity by always following through on your word.
11. Start and Participate in Online Groups
Consider joining professional groups in the community to make meaningful connections to and build your brand. You can start or
participate in online groups for the same reasons. Look for neighbourhood and
industry groups where agents can post about community news, current listings,
and real estate updates. Groups on Facebook and other sites encourage sharing,
connecting, and creating relationships that help generate referrals.
Participate in community events and neighbourhood
improvement projects with other local professionals. Create a network of mutual
referrals to help locals find a team of helpful professionals they can trust. At
Premier Agent, we support several online and offline
community groups and can connect you with one.
12. Join Industry and Local Professional Groups
Clients want
to know an agent is competent and honest. An agent who belongs to industry and local professional groups proves his or her
expertise. Your office or online profile, post
licenses and group affiliations in a place where clients can see them. In Kenya, you can join the Estate Agents Registration Board which is the
regulatory body for estate agency practice in Kenya.
To register with the Estate Agents Registration Board, please read our guide on how to register with the Estate Agents Registration Board.
The real
estate industry has always been relationship-driven. If you’re focusing on
creating a long-term relationship with real estate agents, you’ll begin to see
improvements in volume and a wide expansion within your referral network. You
can also read our tips to Become a Trusted Real Estate Agent in Kenya
which we have created to help you transform into a trusted partner in the eyes
of your real estate partners.
Ultimate guide to creating trust as a Real estate agent in Kenya