“I don’t ask for the listing. I just say, ‘Look what people say about me.’ My conversion rate once I get someone on the phone is very good.”
Clients will perceive the broker’s knowledge as a value-add, at all points of the pricing spectrum—but the more affluent the client, the more the broker has to know.
“Luxury buyers and sellers come into the process very educated,” Graham warns. “They enjoy looking at real estate; they will have done their research online.”
For the luxury broker, an attractive website isn’t enough. A presence in social media is vital. Graham suggests infiltrating “all things beautiful” sites such as 1stdibs.com. And, more so than in the mainstream market, print remains an indispensable medium.
“Rich people depend on digital media, but they still like to touch and feel glossy pictures,” confirms Martha Turner of Martha Turner Properties in Houston. “They want a glowing brochure, so they can take it and say to their friends, ‘This is the house I’m buying.’