Internet Shoppers - Who Are They?
We all know of at least one person who wants nothing to do with computers, right? I can think of several: my aging parents, a neighbor, and a few others who are just resistant to change. If that person is you – pay close attention to this newsletter!
Whether you “like” computers or not, your customers do, and they are using the Internet to find homes. So, failing to adapt to technology could kill a thriving business. Statistics show that today’s buyer is not the same as it was, even just a few years ago. The key to a successful business today is doing more with less and doing it right. Your competition is doing it. Your customers expect it. Where are you? There are still real estate agents who rely on the “small town” feel. Personal, face to face, friend of the family, long talks, luncheons and numerous visits to many different homes. While this type of agent still exists, they are in the minority and cannot possibly be very productive in today’s market.
Today’s buyers are different. Today’s buyer expects service and they expect it FAST. Today’s buyer wants to see the new listing the day it becomes available. Today’s buyer expects you to be there when they do call because they will not call until they are serious. Forty-five percent of buyers surveyed said that they expected to have a phone call or email responded to immediately or with in 30 minutes , maximum ! If not, they found someone else. Recently, a prospective buyer shared that they visited a town for a weekend, ready to buy. Five agents were contacted on a Saturday morning. None responded until Monday. Too late. Sale lost!
Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults are on-line. That percentage grows every day. The average buyer comes from an “instant access” world. Information and products are available instantly. Most people research even the purchase of a small appliance on-line before buying. Even if they purchase it in the store , they typically know which one they want before going. In most industries, the sales people will tell you that they are dealing with educated buyers. Buyers that require much less of their time. This should be good news for you – more sales with less work – but ONLY if you are using technology to your best advantage.
Driving down the cost of doing business should be exciting but it does require change: There is the need to be more competitive, to use marketing resources differently, to streamline your time , and to become more anonymous or even consider implementing a “team approach” in your office. The Internet shopper requires much LESS of your time. Today’s buyer has less time to spend shopping. The typical Internet buyer asks you to show them less than half of the homes that a traditional buyer does , and they usually buy within 2 weeks of contacting you versus 7 weeks for a traditional buyer! If you are busy showing twice as many houses for 3 times as long, how can you stay competitive?
Stay competitive by doing MORE with LESS. More with less means showing more homes to a larger pool of interested buyers by using the on-demand technology that is available through the Internet. It means having every listing in your MLS on your website – branded to you, without you lifting a finger. It means sending new and updated listing s to your clients the day they hit the market , automatically – even letting your client SAVE their SEARCHES in real time!
HomeSurf USA can help you get it done. With our custom or semi-custom websites integrated with your local MLS and our HOM@LERT system , you can meet buyers’ needs faster, more accurately and more professionally. Every listing is integrated with detailed maps and local school, government and shopping information that will help your clients learn more about the listing than they could if they actually visited the neighborhood. Finally, to secure your success, with our Search Engine Optimization services we direct the traffic to YOUR site instead of your competitors.
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