How Supporting Agents Can Provide Boost Consumer Loyalty Rates
Randy Coffman
President
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE)
Wine Country Group
Sebastopol, California | www.winecountrygroup.com
Region served: Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties
Years in real estate: 35
Number of offices: 11
Number of agents: 150
Motto/work philosophy that you live by: Always be better. I use that a lot, and my staff gets a kick out of it—but I’m always striving to be better.
Jameson Doris: What is your secret to staying relevant in today’s ever-changing real estate landscape?
Randy Coffman: We’re working on tailoring our service to our clients’ lifestyles. The technology we use has enhanced the client experience tremendously, but our personable agent-to-client contact must be just as convenient and accessible. What that means is adjusting how we communicate, where we meet and how we complete paperwork.
JD: How are you preparing agents for the upcoming season?
RC: I don’t know if prices are going to get higher, but I do believe business is going to pick up, so I’m preparing my agents by giving them the tools to get in touch with their database. Whether it’s custom mailers, magazines or social media content, our agents need to be anywhere they can be so that they’re top-of-mind when their clients are ready to make a move.
JD: How do you stay in touch with your clients?
RC: I form personal relationships with my clients so that it’s easy for me to reach out via text, email or social media. I try to be a resource for all things pertaining to their home, and more often than not, clients reach out to me if they need a recommendation for a painter, a contractor for their new kitchen remodel or someone to remove a swarming beehive…beekeeping is a hobby of mine.
JD: How have you helped your agents cope with the challenges associated with the pandemic?
RC: One of the things is being available. I tell everyone that I’m just a phone call away. I also encourage everyone to have face-to-face conversations. I do everything I can to be a responsible broker, which includes providing sanitizing wipes, masks and hand sanitizer. So many agents have excelled during the pandemic. We have staff who reach out to every one of our agents to see how they’re doing.
JD: How do you attract the top agents in your area?
RC: We recently hired a brand ambassador who works with us on recruiting as well as marketing so that we’re conveying who Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wine Country Group is. I’ve taken a good hard look at our staff throughout the pandemic, and I’ve had to let go of people who were rowing the boat in the opposite direction. I have since filled those positions with people who have a strong background in digital marketing.
JD: Where do you see your business in five years?
RC: We recently purchased three new offices in Lake County. We’re now in four counties, and we’re working to strengthen our presence in those areas and move farther north. I see more expansion through M&As with quality staffing and good agent retention to make it all happen.
For more information, please visit www.bhgre.com.
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s social media/blog editor. Email him your real estate news ideas to jdoris@rismedia.com.
