Dare to be different and be remembered by your market

In business, whenever you do something a bit different, it can leave a lasting impression on your purchasers, and in their eyes, you stand out from the opposition.

I remember a few years ago that we tried (unsuccessfully) to sell our house.  Nobody’s fault that it didn’t sell - just the state of the market and we were not prepared to meet the downward trend in prices.

On listing the property we were delighted to receive a bottle of wine in return for the listing.  I remember commenting at the time that it was the first time I had received a gift for a listing. The agent obviously recognised that without a listing they have no business, and the people you need to thank in order to get return business are the people who make it possible for them to make a sale.

Not only that, but at the end of the campaign we received an invoice for advertising. Again we were delighted.  The receipt for payment came attached to a big thank you card – simple stuff but extremely effective.

I remember speaking to a group of real estate managers and made the same point. The majority response was that their focus was to reward the eventual buyer of the property because that is where there next listing may come from.  Nothing wrong with that approach, but I think the person listing the property is just as important, and our agent at the time was the first to do that for me in 40 years of buying and selling properties. 

The point is that no matter what business you are in, if you do something different you will stand out in the crowd.