The Beta Brokerage concept shares case studies of entrepreneurial unaffiliated brokers that are breaking the rules of tradition. Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate works with these companies’ leaders to understand and share their strategies through the brand’s Beta Brokerage Directory.
“Our brand values the entrepreneurial spirit and idea sharing that will drive our industry into the future,” says Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “We salute these Beta Brokerages who challenge the status quo of real estate and value their willingness to share their revolutionary ideas so our industry as a whole can learn from them.”
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate identified the following five key trends from the 2012 class of Beta Brokerages:
New Approaches to Talent Attraction
Beta Brokerages take culture fit, interpersonal skills and marketing skills very seriously, sometimes valuing these attributes over a real estate background. Talent attraction has become a very diverse process and quality, not quantity, is of paramount importance. While past real estate experience may be helpful in securing a job, many growing brokerages are concerned with attracting technologically-savvy neighborhood specialists.
Expert Sourcing for Local Content
Beta Brokerages are hiring professional writers to develop local content that is continually refreshed, showing community commitment and engagement. Leveraging outside links to local businesses and events along with building close relationships with media bolsters Web traffic and increases overall brand awareness.
Identifying and Owning Trends
The key to being a real estate leader is to ask, “What’s next?” in real estate and outside industries. Tiffany Combs and Mark Choey, brokers at Climb Real Estate, forecast trends by monitoring neighborhood development and knowing that building plans typically are submitted years in advance. When large retailers are rumored to be coming to a neighborhood, one knows it’s on the verge of popularity. This insight helps brokers plan their business strategies accordingly.
Sophisticated Marketing and Social Media
Beta Brokers recognize the power of digital integration. These brokerages have built “friend-like” agent/broker profiles, focusing on selling services of its agents, not just homes. Kevin Lisota, broker at Findwell in Seattle, Wash., develops agent profiles with consumer reviews from sites like Yelp and Zillow, bolstering trust and credibility among consumers.
Other skillful marketing tactics focus on listings. Michael Meier, broker at The Meier Group, pulls inspiration for story boards from fashion magazines and uses professional photographers and models to cater to a high-end clientele in an eye-catching way.
Leveraging Technology to Maximize Efficiencies
Beta Brokers are adapting new technologies to make their jobs more efficient. Krisstina Wise, broker at The GoodLife Team, utilizes third-party transaction management, e-signature platforms and other paperless tools to create an integrated cloud-based system. This allows agents to focus on customer service instead of administrative support.
As more brokerages are added to this influential group of Beta Brokerages, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand chronicles the evolution taking place within the industry.
To access the complete Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Beta Brokerage directory, visit nextgenbrokerage.com.
