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I am fortunate to work alongside my parents, Roger and Rachel Leblanc, as Realtors®, every single day at Re/max Avante.
Recently, both Dad and I engaged the help of a local agency to conduct research with our past clients. The firm interviewed people who had worked with either of us throughout the past few years and asked them a series of questions about their experiences.
In the feedback that came back, both Dad’s clients and mine talked about traditionally big things - things like experience, knowledge and professionalism. You know, the factors that are usually mentioned in these types of interviews. But there was something that really surprised me about the interview responses. Something that had been so deeply ingrained in me from my parents, that I hadn’t realized just how important it was.
What really stood out to these clients? What did they spend the most time talking about?
The little things.
They talked about how we both always answer our phones.
They talked about how we give advice on how to prepare their homes for sale.
And one particularly engaged out-of-town client raved about the fact that Dad offered to pick him up at the airport - he could not believe that a Realtor® would take time out of their day to go the extra mile, so to speak. But, as I’ve learned through my years in the business, these seemingly little things make a big impact.
In an era where automation is at an all-time high and texting is preferred to a phone call, people have become accustomed to the fact that others simply aren’t listening the way that they once did. After all, when was the last time you looked forward to calling customer service?
We are used to leaving a message and hoping for a call back. We make our way to the automatic checkout for the items that we forgot to order on amazon. With the rise of convenience in our culture, great service doesn’t only help you stand out… it can be downright shocking (in the best of ways).
Lisa Kent, from the Forbes Agency Council recently put it this way:
As they seek to reduce costs, many companies and organizations are moving away from live interactions, preferring instead to offer a chatbot feature on their website or to direct inquiries online. This is a crucial missed opportunity. A live interaction -- of course, a satisfying one -- has the power to instill a very different brand message and sense of connection.
While it may sound old-fashioned to always answer the phone or to offer someone a ride, these little things are the kinds of opportunities that allow us to connect with each other more than we are accustomed to. These moments feel special. These conversations become memorable. I believe that they are what make service feel exceptional.
So, what little things matter to your potential clients? If you’re not sure about this, listen to them. What frustrates them? What inspires them? What matters to them the most? If they’re not sharing this around you then I encourage you to take the next step and ask them. Your ability to do the little things for your clients comes down to whether you create the opportunity to do so.
Looking for ways to do the little things, to deliver moments of awe, is a lesson that I’m grateful to have learned from Dad and is a standard that I will always be committed to.
When was the last time a business did the little things when serving you? If it meant a lot to you, why not take the time to go give them an online rating on Facebook or Google? I know that it would mean the world to them.