by Pam Snyman
When my husband and I decided to start our own real estate agency in an entrepreneurial fashion in 2012, we already went ‘digital’ with REDZetc. We did not want to use the existing real estate business model as we felt that we needed some change in order to provide opportunities for entrepreneurial agents with a keen business sense to work in an environment that speaks to our clients’ needs and not necessarily those of our company alone. Our aim was to train our agents to self-promote by utilization of personal branding and providing outstanding service in order for each individual to build his/her own database of satisfied and loyal clients.
We wanted to change the soul of our professional business environment into a more caring one where we do not sell property, but get people with the desire to own a home or investment property to buy from us. Looking from the outside in… by working with passion for the right reasons, demonstrating integrity, transparency and expertise at all times.
The challenge was of course that we wanted our agents to work from home in order to cut costs of overheads so that we could pay them a higher commission percentage. We could then simultaneously deviate from the existing business models which had become outdated with offices in each area of operation with photo’s in the windows and agents sitting behind their desks waiting for the phone to ring!
This ambitious desire obviously prompted a more digital approach and pushed us to operate in the digital space by providing them with a single virtual office which takes care of all administrative, marketing, HR and compliance issues.
When COVID 19 struck, we were not particularly thrown off course because we were already operating from home and utilizing digital means for promotion of properties. Our agents at REDZetc were trained and prepared to up their game in the field of digitization and we were then forced to focus on protocols to ensure that clients (buyers and sellers) were specifically qualified in terms of many more aspects than what we would ordinarily do. We upped our game. No superfluous viewings that could endanger our agents or clients are allowed. We also needed to improve our marketing techniques to include virtual tours, WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms for quick communication.
There are 5 important issues that we have identified that need to be addressed to ensure that our digitized methodologies answer to our ambitions:
Connectivity
Cyber Security like firewalls and secure service providers
Speedy client liaison to provide immediate responses
Real-time data and information for own utilization and clients’ benefit
Keeping up to date with technological progress and social media offerings
But, most important of all…
We must always keep focusing on the fact that we deal with human beings that need sincere and open communication. I am referring to our REDZetc agents as well as our clients: buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords.
Technology is important but not all-consuming.
Pam Snyman has been actively involved in South African real estate for more than 34 years. She owns an innovative real estate company, REDZetc and has been involved in training and education in the property sector since1986. Pam has a Masters’ Degree in Higher Education, a Diploma in Advanced Property Practice, a Diploma in Property Investment and Valuation and is a qualified workplace assessor and moderator. She has also achieved the highest possible status in real estate in South Africa: that of Chartered Practitioner in Real Estate (CPRE) – a professional real estate designation that has been awarded to only eleven doyennes of Real Estate in South Africa jointly by the Estate Agency Affairs Board and the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SSETA). Pam is also a member of the Institute of Directors of SA and is a designated Certified Director.
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