It was Bob Hoskins in the BT advert in 1994 who said: “It’s good to talk“. That was almost 20 years ago and his words then are as important today.
Today I want to talk about communication. What makes great communication? Over the years the art of talking seems to have been lost as technology has evolved. First, it was texting, followed by emails, then Facebook messages and now people seem to be a fan of What’s app. But are they really?
I am a fan of using the telephone either for a voice call or a video call. It feels more personal, questions can be asked, ideas can be shared and decisions made, quicker and easier. I was beginning to think this was an age-related issue however it turns out more and more people are preferring the personal touch of a phone call – 70% of all sellers in fact!
The human touch remains an important feature of the estate agency sector. Over 70% of sellers, irrespective of age or previous sales experience, prefer using the phone when dealing with an agent for offers or agreeing to a sale. The phone is the preferred communication for much of the sales process!
The only exception is when signing contracts, where an equal split prefers email (38%) or meeting face-to-face (38%). To be fair, you can’t do this part over the phone anyway!
What I found really interesting was that only one in 10 sellers prefer a WhatsApp or text message from their agent when booking viewings and only a third prefer email to inform them of sales progression.
At JDG we are here to help. That’s why we like to know what your preferred way of communication is. There is no right or wrong answer, often it comes down to the individual and their lifestyle, sometimes where they work.
What I do know is that estate agency is a people business. Our clients both want and deserve a personal service where they know can they easily chat with us. At JDG that’s something we excel at and why much of our business comes from repeat clients and recommendations.
If you are thinking of moving and would like a chat, please call me on 01524 843322 – you could email me at michelle@jdg.co.uk but like Bob used to say – It’s good to talk!
Thanks for reading
Michelle x