The Human Touch Still Matters
Several months ago, I finally gave in to the dreaded task of looking for a new vehicle. My lease was expiring, and I’d been putting off the shopping experience long enough. To some, all the test driving, bargaining, and dealer research is invigorating. To me, it feels like a chore and, at the time, something I would have gladly paid someone else to do for me. I have many connections, but strangely I don’t have any close friends in the car business able to guide me through this type of painstaking venture.
I started online and began narrowing my search down to several brands, models and price points preparing to head to the dealerships with notebooks full of facts and figures. I was ready! However, when online shopping became in-person shopping, my confidence wavered. I quickly learned excellence in customer service is not the norm. Sure, the first two dealership representatives were polite enough, but I quickly sensed they were looking for a faster transaction. They wanted someone that had a better handle on what they were looking for. I wasn’t an easy sale so their interest in me wasn’t strong. Incidentally, no follow up calls from either salesman.
Dealership three was amazing and the vehicle I purchased was everything I was never looking for. However, it was the customer service that sold me and fully captured my interest from the minute I walked in the door. Sure, there were the bells and whistles – the smell of baked cookies wafting through the dealership, the offerings of fresh brewed coffee or juice, and the shopping voucher I was given to use while reviewing paperwork. But it was the kindness, the patience and the overwhelming sense that my business mattered that made all the difference.
Have we become so conditioned to mediocrity that we become excited when someone acts like they want our business?
I liken my experience to real estate. While 92% of home shoppers begin their search online, at some point human contact becomes a necessity. Buyers and sellers should be valued. They should feel, with each contact they make, they are truly seen as unique and not just a means to a quick sale. Quality service and trusted communication must be the baseline for doing business. Excellence should be the expectation, not the exception.
Thank you to everyone who has done business with our team over the years. You aren’t a number and I hope you feel just as valued and appreciated as I know you are. Many of you have become valued friends and our continued resolution for 2020 and beyond is to make your real estate experience with us a positive memory!
Happy New Year!