Selling property is far more than just having nice houses on your books. This is doubly true if your buyers live in another country and you are selling off-plan homes, with the majority of the process conducted without any face-to-face interaction.
Yet this kind of selling relationship is the way of the future.
According to Gartner, by 2020 customers will manage 85 percent of their relationships with enterprises without any human interaction, highlighting how essential it is to have a known and trusted brand, in whichever industry you work.
For those selling overseas real estate, this means a serious focus on web and social media presence.
If you do not have a first-rate website, packed with information and images of the properties you are selling, your potential customers will have moved on to your competitors’ sites before you know it. If you do not also engage appropriately with social media, it can damage your company’s reputation and brand.
Companies need to be smart about their social media presence. A survey by Adroit Digital found that 60 percent of millennials in the United States said social advertising had the most influence over how they perceived a brand. Furthermore, 38 percent said they would be willing to leave a brand they perceived to have bad ethics. The figures highlight the damage that one disgruntled customer with a Twitter account can do
Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director of homebuilder Taylor Wimpey España, is well aware of the importance of his company’s brand when it comes to successfully selling luxury homes in Spain.
He explained: “We’ve worked hard over the last 50 years to ensure that Taylor Wimpey España’s name is synonymous with high spec, beautifully designed properties, excellent customer service and careful attention to detail.
“It is the reason we were able to weather the Spanish recession and carry on building during the country’s difficult years.
“We work on principles of honesty and trust with our customers and are running at a baseline satisfaction rate of 90 percent plus as a result.”
Taylor Wimpey España’s approach certainly seems to be paying off. Dutch buyers Eef Meijer and Lydia Kosijungan (pictured), who purchased their property at Los Arqueros Beach last year, summed it up beautifully when they commented,
They said: “We had a very good sales guy. He told us the truth, and he gave honest information. There were no defects on delivery. Everything was very well documented. We are very satisfied with Taylor Wimpey – an example for many other companies.”
The value to customers of buying overseas property, whether in Spain or Southeast Asia, through a known and trusted brand is clear: they get a high quality home, delivered on time and without the risks of using an unknown and untested company.
They also receive excellent customer service at every stage of the purchase process. The customer service element alone is so important: a study from Loyalty360 found that 66 percent of U.S. consumers were willing to pay more for a product if the brand delivered a positive customer experience.
Taylor Wimpey España’s Marc Pritchard concluded: “We’ve put a lot of work into building a brand that people can trust. It is a process that takes time and commitment but the result is well worth it.
“We look forward to many more years of delivering high quality homes and making buyers’ property ownership dreams come true.”
Andrew Batt, International Group Editor of PropertyGuru Group, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email andrew@propertyguru.com.sg
