Great service... great tip!

I love to eat at restaurants. I am lucky to live in Miami where I have plenty of choices... indoor, outdoor, casual, fine dining, ethnic. You name it, we have it.

I used to wait tables when I was younger so I appreciate it when I get great service at a restautrant. It boils down to seven things for me:

-?????????How quickly I am attended to when I walk in;

-?????????How I am treated once I am greeted;

-?????????How much I like my table;

-?????????How much I like my waiter/waitress;

-?????????How much I like the menu offerings;

-?????????How quickly the drinks and food come out; and,

-?????????The overall experience.

If all those boxes are checked I always leave a generous tip because I know how hard it is to pull all seven of those things off. I truly appreciate a great dining experience.

Knowing that I am proud veteran of the real estate industry you might be wondering why I am talking about restaurants in this post.

Oftentimes, our industry, as a whole, does not do a good job with customer service with a much more expensive purchase than a nice lunch or dinner.

Granted, buying a home is way more complicated with many more people involved and with many more regulations. That said, running a successful restaurant is no easy task.

The restaurant owner has to hire and train wait staff that is primarily compensated in customer tips.

Great service... great tip!

Bad service... bad tip!

The restaurant owner has to hire and train a kitchen staff to consistently replicate recipes. How good or bad they do will impact the experience and, and thus, the tips the wait staff can make.

The restaurant owner has to depend on food and liquor vendors to deliver quality products, at a good price, in a timely manner. If the vendors are not good, it will impact the experience, and thus, the tips the wait staff can make.

You get the picture.

In our industry, the salesperson is going to be paid their full commission whether or not they deliver a good experience. Again, while we all know buying or selling a home is not the same as dining out, from a consumer standpoint, they expect good service regardless of what they are buying.

Some interesting statistics from the 2020 National Association of REALTORS? Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers point to an amazing opportunity for agents and their brokerages to do much more business by delivering an amazing experience during the homebuying/selling process AND, especially, after the sale is complete:

-?????????74% of sellers would definitely use the same agent again;

-?????????41% of sellers who used a real estate agent found their agents through a referral by friends or family;

-?????????91% of buyers would use their agent again or recommend their agent to others;

-?????????26% of sellers used the agent they previously worked with to buy or sell a home; and,

-?????????13 percent used an agent that they had worked with in the past to buy or sell a home.

It’s interesting that while 74% of sellers would use the same agent again, when the time comes only 26% actually do. Did they forget about their experience? Did they forget the agent? Did the agent stay in touch?

Similarly, 91% of buyers say they would use the same agent again or recommend them to others, however, only 13% actually do. Again, what happened?

While the percentage of buyers and sellers saying they would use the same agent again are both relatively high, the actual numbers are disappointing and point to an amazing opportunity to deliver an even better experience and generate more repeat business and referrals.

Here are some thoughts about how to deliver a better experience before, during, and after the home sale or purchase:

-?????????How quickly do you respond to an internet lead and any requests made of you by your client?

-?????????Are you transparent with your client in every aspect of the process (i.e. valuing the home, overcommunicating during the process, etc.)?

-?????????What environment are you bringing them into, regardless of virtual or in person? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Is it professional?

-?????????Are your support team and third parties as concerned about the client experience as you are?

-?????????Is the process smooth with clear explanations of everything that is going on during the transaction?

-?????????Are your mortgage, home inspector, appraisal, and other partners punctual and turning their work around in a timely fashion?

-?????????Are you staying in touch after the sale in a meaningful way that provides value to your client?

As you know, home buying and selling is a scary proposition for many consumers, you hold the key (no pun intended) to making it an amazing experience that will keep them coming back and referring their friends and family.

?Just give that some thought next time you have a great experience at a restaurant!