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Now, I don’t want to be too controversial (let’s be honest), but the existence of Rightmove is literally your biggest chance of winning.
Some of you have read enough already, you know what I am going to say but you rush off to the comments section, hide behind an alias that is not as clever as you think you are, and spew nonsense about the good old days…yawn….
Some may say I am intentionally trying to piss off agents, but if I am, it would be easier to say “you are getting what you deserve” and as caveat 2, I would be right.
There is nothing worse than a hypocritical excuse for poor performance, but the one I can think of is an agent who has worked for a company (or independent) for years, whether in a formal business or a commission-only “self-employed” operator (just kidding, I couldn’t resist saying it), waxing lyrical about how awful their previous employer was, how underpaid they were for handling all the leads the brand provided, and yet is super happy to have gained all that valuable experience, carrying around a little black book (iPhone) full of contacts, a Netflix star or an agent selling a house north of Watford for £90k. Horribly bad way to go. Yes, this is worse than blaming Rightmove for your current position.
So why is Rightmove your biggest winning opportunity? Firstly, video didn’t kill the radio star. The radio star meted out its own death sentence by failing to adapt to the times, the desires of its target audience, and the ever-evolving cultural environment. That being said, the radio star is alive and well, and many would argue that the thought process that The Buggles had when they wrote their classic song is a bit removed from what’s really going on. Some might even say it’s a bit like the people who thought the future of estate agents was online services… you two.
The most successful “radio stars” (let’s call them musicians for the rest of this article – this expression is getting jarring) understood the need to pivot and embrace the new technology that was taking the world by storm. Think Madonna, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper. They understood it. They didn’t resist it, they embraced it.
Contrary to what I said earlier, I am not saying you should copy what the most successful musicians did in the 80s. I am not saying that using Rightmove is the key to success, I am saying that it is now very easy to stand out, thanks to Rightmove. If everyone is doing the same thing, the only difference is the price you charge. Welcome to the race to the bottom. What can you do? Stop talking about Rightmove as a tool to sell houses and clearly explain what your competitors are not doing. How do you add value (hmm, sorry, sounded a bit like a real estate agent trainer, really sorry!)? What do others offer that you don’t? What results can you show to present yourself as the agent of choice for your target demographic? If your life depended on selling a house tomorrow and you didn’t have access to Rightmove, what would you do? The answer to that question might be a good place to build from.
To be clear, I’m not anti-Rightmover at this point. Consumers trust Rightmover’s product and it certainly makes their lives easier when house hunting. Could Rightmove be more proactive in engaging with agents? Yes. Could Rightmove be more proactive in innovating? Yes. Could Rightmove be more courteous with their pricing strategy? Yes. But I’m not really against Rightmover.
Remember, in the eyes of consumers, when they’re looking for something better, they’re not looking for the same, they’re looking for something different, so give it to them. You are the reason they should do business with you, and nothing is more important than that belief.
Ben Madden, 20-year real estate agent, data geek, positive mindset advocate, and host of the Pass the Syrup podcast
Property industry reacts to Rightmove House Price Index