Consumers today are demanding more and more transparency in every purchase they make. They solicit input from fellow customers about everything from digital cameras to books to doctors. They look to sites like cNet for objective ratings on electronics and they look to sites like findadoctor.com and lawyerratingz.com to learn about the training, reputation and customer satisfaction levels of professionals like doctors and lawyers.
Feedback websites have become popular because they allow a consumer to get information from peers about their satisfaction levels with products and services. Unlike traditional advertising that has fallen out of favor with many consumers, websites that provide objective, honest, positive and importantly, negative feedback are ever growing in popularity. Interestingly, contrary to popular belief, negative comments can actually be one of your best marketing tools. If you are willing to be totally honest with your customers, they’ll actually respect you more for it. They believe the information is more credible if it includes reality, not just all of the “sugar coated” comments.
While not all REALTORS® understand the need for transparency, it is important to be cognizant of the age profile of who is buying homes these days. They are a much younger audience who demands transparency throughout their daily lives. They look to peers for feedback on movies, books, schools, and pretty much every decision they make. They expect to be able to find peer feedback on just about every topic. It isn’t just nice to have for them. It’s a requirement. Today’s homebuyers will often overlook companies that do not provide this type of service.
WAV Group has just published a paper called “Your Reputation, Your Secret Weapon for Securing New Clients.”
This paper will show real estate agents how they can take advantage of this consumer trend to grow their business. It will help agents understand why consumers want more information about the reputations of real estate agents online. It will also show how fellow REALTORS® have capitalized on this strong consumer need to grow their business.
