Why relationship building is not enough

In the real estate market, being friendly and personable is a great asset that is encouraged for a number of reasons.

The main goal of attending leadership development and property training sessions is to developed communication skills to sell effectively - and being 'personable' plays a large part in this role.

However, the fact is that market pressures have shifted vendor expectations, with the increase in access to information bringing new expectations to the fore.

While people will still be expecting friendly discourse and personalised service from their real estate agent, gaining and maintaining an ongoing professional relationship cannot be based on personality alone.

To generate a sustained advantage, professionals need to be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of their market.

This is because the customers now have access to all the information they could ever need to make an informed decision - they just lack the time and experience to make the best use of it.

For this reason, being able to demonstrate granular knowledge and expertise in the area a vendor or buyer is interested in will be of more value to the client than an agent who relies on
a good memory for birthdays of favourite colours as the sole point of difference.