Month 1 – Set yourself some goals
Where do you envisage your business in six months’ time? Do you want to have grown your turnover? Be receiving more enquiries every month? Or be thinking about expanding? Now’s the time to sit down, think about your strategy and get real with your expectations for your agency.
Once you’ve identified where you want to be, you can begin to devise some SMART goals – by that we mean goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based. Using the examples above, these could be increasing turnover by 10%, receiving five times more enquiries per month or opening a new branch.
Setting the right goals is crucial to your future success. You will be able to break them down and put a plan in place to work towards achieving them (TIP: Our plan for the following five months might help you out!). And even better you’ll have a target to measure against to see whether you’ve done what you set out to do.
Month 2 – Attract the right properties
Attracting the right properties to your portfolio is vital. If you don’t offer what searchers are looking for, they will go elsewhere. So think about what international buyers will be looking for and make sure you actively source properties that you know are right for them.
Focus on finding properties with swimming pools to attract families and fitness fanatics. Choose gardens, terraces and verandas that will offer the outdoor lifestyle many international buyers are after. Seek out stunning views, welcoming communities and beaches within short walking distance. And make sure there are good local amenities and reasonable internet service. If you get the right properties onto your books, the buyers will soon follow.
Month 3 – Choose the right portal
Once you’ve attracted some top quality properties, how do you make sure those elusive buyers find them quickly? That’s where an international property portal comes in. A portal will help put your property listings in front of people who are searching for a new life in your area. But how to make sure you choose the right one?
Before investing in a property portal you need to make sure it will deliver a decent return for you, so do your research. Choose a portal that is well established and trusted. And one that has an engaged following – millions of eyes that are ready and waiting to view your property listing. You should also choose a portal that supports you and gives you access to statistics and advice so you can work to improve your listings over time.
For more help in choosing the right property portal see our blog: What to look for in a property portal.
Month 4 – Improve the quality of your photos
Once you’ve chosen your property portal, your next steps should be about perfecting the content or listings that you will share on it. It will take some time to be able to produce top quality listings every time. But you can find lots of helpful tips and advice on our blog, and soon you’ll become a natural.
Good quality photos are an absolute must if you want to get eyes on your properties. The right photos attract attention and increase interest. In fact professional photographs can increase online views by as much as 61%. Definitely worth investing some time in!
Top tips:
- Encourage your clients to present the house well – suggest tidying up and small DIY jobs for example.
- Use a decent camera and make sure your photos show off the property’s best assets and allow a potential buyer to imagine what it would be like to live there.
For more ideas see: How to take photos that will boost enquiries.
Month 5 – Improve your descriptions
Once you are attracting the right attention with professional images, it’s time to focus on polishing up your descriptions. One way to make them stand out from the crowd is to really think about what an international buyer might be looking for and their motivations for moving. And then talk directly to them.
Give the reader a feel for what the property is about, what special features it has that make it different from the others, and ultimately how it will improve their life to live there. A property is a huge purchase decision. Help potential buyers to find out everything they need to know.
Month 6 – Develop your customer service
It’s month 6. You’ve been working hard on your listings, and you’re starting to see more leads coming in. Your focus this month should be to work with your team to make sure you’re converting them.
Develop a customer service strategy to give all of your staff a good idea of what’s expected. It doesn’t have to be difficult. As a minimum, agree some basic principles for use when dealing with customers. These could be as simple as getting to know your customers well so you can help them as much as possible, listening carefully to what they need from you and being open and honest at all times.
Top tip: put in place a system for asking for feedback from your customers. That way you will receive some specific things to work on and can begin to improve the customer service you provide today. For more ideas, have a look out our recent blog post: How to get the edge with excellent customer service.
