If everyone is a concierge, then no one is a concierge.

 

But the terms “concierge style real estate” or “concierge real estate services” or “concierge broker” have in the last four or five years, grown so ubiquitous that they’re losing meaning.

 

Let’s get into the fine details and think about how best to distinguish your service in a market saturated by so-called concierge agencies and brokerages.

 

After that, give yourself an assignment to brand your office with terminology other than concierge.

 

 

In the most literal terms, concierge services are free, value-add offerings provided above and beyond what the recipient expects to receive for the amount paid.

 

Think of a hotel concierge: While you may be thrilled to receive extraordinary service, you don’t expect it. At the very least, you expect the concierge to provide informed, prompt, good-quality recommendations and advice during your stay.

 

For home sellers, the bare minimum might include anything the seller receives from the listing agent above the expected listing service, sales advice, negotiation skills and closing services. For buyers, the bare minimum includes the buyer’s agent’s area knowledge, willingness and ability to show several properties, the ability to negotiate for the buyers, and understanding of contract nuances.

 

True concierge service features the ability to deliver direct access to anything or anyone a client may need during the selling or buying process. Another edition of this blog will focus on buyer’s agent services.

 

This time, let’s delve into how listing agents’ services can define a brand.

 

For-sale-by-owner or discount brokerage programs may appear attractive to sellers who don’t want to pay 4 to 5 percent of a home’s price to agents, especially when the home may sell for several million dollars.

 

While services such as photography and basic digital marketing may fall under the concierge umbrella, they’re by no means differentiating.

 

But in California’s competitive landscape, the bar for concierge service sits a lot higher than it used to. A listing writeup, a pre-listing walk-through with an associate and iPhone pictures posted to social media simply won’t cut it.

 

To get multiple, competitive offers, planning starts long before the photography, which always should be completed by a professional.

 

 

Tailor your service to sellers:

 

Going beyond concierge means anticipating questions and providing answers before questions need to be asked. It means educating the seller on possible problems with the listing and helping solve those issues before they arise with buyers.

 

And every seller is different. Client education alongside full understanding of the seller’s priorities and a go-to-market plan tailored to their goals (not yours) will result in a seller feeling they received customized attention.

 

Stay upfront and Transparent:

 

Going beyond concierge means being transparent on day 1 about what services are provided by you and your agency at no cost to the seller and clearly informing them which services they may need to pay for themselves.

 

What costs can you cover fully?

 

Consider covering professional pre-listing home inspections; window or carpet cleanings; staging consultations; professional photography and video tours; digital marketing and custom advertising; qualified lead-generation; and more.

 

Can you defer payment of some of the seller’s costs?

 

Even if selling a multimillion-dollar property they’ve owned for decades, sellers may not be comfortable with or able to pay upfront for major necessary repairs or improvements. This is especially true if they’re under contract for another home purchase.

 

A loan offering through your brokerage, or an upfront allowance delineated within the contract can help sellers decide what improvements they’re comfortable paying for – especially if they know they won’t have to pay until after the home is sold or the contract is broken for any reason.

Use a customized, digital marketing suite:

 

Let your sellers know that after all the listing preparation, you’re going to do much more than list the property, send links off to anyone and everyone in hopes that something sticks. Show them what you can do with digital assets. Show how these intelligent assets free you up to do the in-person work of advising, counseling, communicating, networking, negotiating, and making any changes that the market demands from the listing.

 

Targeted digital marketing reaches its intended audience so you don’t spend money on home repairs, staging and photography only for the ads to reach everyone but the qualified buyer persona.

 

 

LeadHax simplifies the effort of targeting listing advertisements and getting 5,000 or more impressions so you can focus on your sellers’ other needs while the digital marketing magic happens.

 

Let LeadHax show you how to build a listing advertising campaign that regenerates  itself in various forms such as open-house event marketing, Facebook listings, brand awareness, listing promotion, custom video marketing and more.

 

Even as a first-time user of LeadHax, you might be eligible for discounts on already low-priced services that move properties through tailored, customized digital marketing. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which brokerages are LeadHax partners and enjoy significant savings.

 

Let us know where you need help making listings marketing an intuitive process that lets you focus on what matters – your clients.