Be Positive

I went to see an estate agent this morning to go through their requirements for a new website.

This company has been specialising in the sale of residential property for 30 years, has an untarnished reputation in the locality and is unlikely ever to have been the subject of one of the increasing number of complaints received by the Property Ombudsman.

I came in to the office this morning to be greeted by a plethora of gloomy news:

"Fall in take-home pay "worst since the '70s" http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/

"A third of Britons to retire in poverty" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Not the kind of thing one wants to read......but the press, collectively, does tend to like to wallow in the swamps of pessimism.

The agent I went to see this morning mentioned that he had not known the level of new enquiries to have been so low for as long as he can remember. This is not surprising. Whenever individuals start to feel the effects of a country-wide tightening-of-belts, then businesses really start to feel the effects.

However...what is this estate agent doing?


He is investing in a new website.

He knows he cannot afford to fall behind in his marketing efforts. A client can be a fickle beast, and when faced with incentives and discounts forced by a becalmed economy, jumping ship is too easy.

Our estate agent needs to keep his competitive edge; he needs to be seen to be instilling a degree of confidence, and keeping his vendors and applicants abreast of the prevailing market fluctuations. His years of experience and his knowledge of the local market count for a great deal when home owners and prospective buyers are facing ongoing uncertainty.

There is an old saying: "Market your way out of a Recession". Never before has this been so relevant - sitting back and hoping that you will weather the storm is not the answer. Your astute competitors are ensuring that they are tightening up the effectiveness of their marketing activities. This does not necessarily mean spending more money; it does mean thinking outside the box and being creative in your approach.

Above all, be positive and ensure that your clients and customers absorb your optimism.