We have been working for several months on a program of education, training and productivity that align with the business models of our broker clients and their use of realtor.com®. Early on, we discovered that what we perceived as a “gift” to the broker and agents were usually well received, but not always welcomed completely. By talking this out with our broker clients we learned that many of our customers have a clear line drawn between what they provide their agents and what they would be happy to receive from business partners like realtor.com®. We ended up with three categories:
1.) Interest in giving the broker’s agents a better understanding of how to use realtor.com®. This was unanimously accepted by all of our clients. We know we can get 50 percent or more consumer interest in a listing with a few simple adjustments an agent can make to tune up their listings. Brokers want our support to train and develop these practices.
2.) Extending the value of realtor.com® by educating on underutilized tools. This also meets with near unanimous acceptance. We can help the broker’s agents to capture more recommendations and referrals through some add-ons to the agent’s profile on realtor.com® – plus allow an agent to broadcast the fact that their listing is represented by a REALTOR®; showing the big “R” on their listings and letting the world know that they are held to a higher standard through the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.
3.) Tools and education – this is where we have learned to listen, adjust and customize our approach. It varies by business model, size of company and the plans of the broker; but what we have heard is that tools that compliment a broker’s program and are customizable to their approach and are not one-size fits-all are more welcome. If a broker has just invested 1 million dollars into a new mobile application, they would rather we mention theirs in our webinar when speaking to their agents. Conversely, if a tool or system makes the agent more productive and is not in competition with existing tools or can align in brand and function with the broker’s program, that can be considered; but this requires a conversation. These discussions are welcome and are a good way to build a successful partnership. To initiate a discussion on this topic please call 877 560 7386 or visit http://marketing.realtor.com/brokerage/.
Frederick Herot is the vice president of Marketing for realtor.com®.
