Right now, people who are thinking about selling their property are going online to find good agents like you. But they don’t just want to know how many properties you’ve sold, or the total sales value.
They want to know about your client service. How well do you know the local market? How well do you know their property? Will you keep them in the loop at all times and make the sale process as smooth as possible?
In other words, now is the time when potential vendors are conducting a ‘digital interview’ to decide who they’ll approach about selling in spring. They’re not ready to call or email you yet, but they’re laying the groundwork for a decision.
It’s not possible to deny human psychology
It’s plain old human psychology. Most people dislike confrontation, and they’ll go to great lengths to avoid it.
When they’re looking for the right agent for their property, sellers want to know about two key things:
- Your experience – how many properties have you bought or sold in the local area in recent months?
- Your level of service – how happy are your clients? Would they come back to you to sell their property in the future?
Before online reviews became available, sellers were forced to call multiple agents, interview them in person, compare them and (feeling awkward and apprehensive) call the agents they decided not to go with.
If you read reviews about a restaurant, and decide not to go based on those reviews, you’ve just conducted a digital interview – and the restaurateur doesn’t even know they’ve lost business.
Now, the ‘digital interview’ cuts through this obstacle.
The advantage of conducting multiple interviews without having to call or interview agents in person – and not having to call agents back to say they’ve chosen someone else – makes the digital interview more important than the physical interview (or listing appointment).
Yes, the listing appointment still counts – but evidence shows that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. What’s more, a 2018 report from the National Association of Realtors found that 75% of people contacted just one agent before choosing them to sell their property. In other words, they’ve made up their mind before they even pick up the phone.
As in real estate, so in life
Think about other transactions for a minute. If you read reviews about a restaurant, and decide not to go based on those reviews, you’ve just conducted a digital interview – and the restaurateur doesn’t even know they’ve lost business.
If you’re hiring for a sales or administration role, and you check out someone’s LinkedIn profile, you’ve conducted a digital interview – without even having met the person.
They could be the finest restaurant or best job candidate in your area – but if their online presence doesn’t communicate this, you won’t book a table or consider the candidate any further.
It’s the same in real estate. You could be the best agent for a particular seller’s home – but if the seller can’t see that online, you’re losing business without even realising it.
How to ace your digital interview
Quite simply – keep your reviews up to date, share them as far as your budget allows, and respond to reviews wherever possible.
RateMyAgent has a number of tools to assist in getting as many eyeballs onto your reviews as possible. One of these tools is Promoter – a powerful way to boost your digital footprint. Promoter turns your chosen reviews into attractive display advertisements; then harnesses the power of Google’s powerful AdNetwork by displaying your review thousands of times to buyers and sellers in your local area. Just one review can really supercharge your digital footprint. It’s a low-risk investment with a big return!
RateMyAgent maximises the power of your digital interviews by:
- Making your reviews easy to find. Each review on ratemyagent.com.au creates a unique webpage, so it’s far more searchable and accessible on the internet.
- Making your reviews easy to trust. Each review on ratemyagent.com is linked with the relevant transaction, so sellers know that what they’re reading is the real deal.
Want more tips on putting yourself front-and-centre of people’s minds when they’re searching online for an agent? Read more about your Digital Footprint and other suggested reads below.
Suggested reads:
Why online reviews are more important than ever
5 tips to get all your missing reviews
Optimise your social media reach – with Facebook Business Pages
Have any questions?
Contact us at support@ratemyagent.com
