Blocked Drain Lesson.
I came home to be told, “the drain is blocked, there’s water everywhere” and although my DIY skills are worse than zero, I usually end up making problems worse, I attempted a diagnosis involving lifting a manhole cover and peering in, (reminiscent of scenes at roadsides under a bonnet), with absolutely no idea what to look for!
So having poured twice the suggested quantity of “Super High Strength” clearing fluid down the drain, and making no impact whatsoever, my thoughts turned to who might be able to help. And guess who I thought of first? Yes, my estate agent.
I emailed Andrew Giller of housepartnership.co.uk who I bought my home from over a year ago. He replied straight away reminding me of the handyman he’d previously suggested and continued: “I’ll ask the Cranleigh guys today and get back to you”. As a footnote he also mentioned, “we are due to launch our first international partner in Shanghai today…”, and I thought, here’s someone who gets it – on the one hand taking his business internationally and yet still able to help a past buyer with a comparatively trivial domestic issue.
This is what personal service looks like in action. Going the extra mile with nothing to gain immediately. There will be no invoice for the handyman recommendation or the consultation to find a drain expert if subsequently needed. But when it comes to selling, or having friends locally thinking about moving, guess who I will be in touch with?
I hear many agents talk a good game about personal service but how many actually deliver as Andrew does. As importantly, how many cause their past clients and customers to think about them, to have their estate agent at the top of mind to help when needed? Agents are in a brilliant position to be the “go to person” for everything property, not just for selling/letting. Sure, it’s these two activities that make you money, but giving clients a reason to get in touch fairly regularly, and to do so when they have a problem to solve, is CRM gold – and not nearly enough of you exploit this opportunity.
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