In case you’ve been living under a rock, Domino’s Pizza has undergone a major transformation. From the ground up, (namely it’s pizza) it listened to the criticisms of its patrons, especially those that were less than impressed with its product- they learned from it, and enhanced it. No longer satisfied with it’s fast and cheap approach, it’s now choosing to be great quality, speedy service, and inexpensive.
Behind this massive improvement, they’ve begun a very intelligent ad campaign designed to be honest and laugh at itself. One of the commercials goes so far as to have it’s chief chef in the same frame while hearing that their former pizza sauce tastes like ketchup. It’s humble, it’s refreshing, and it’s human. Domino’s had me at ketchup.
But what really should grab the attention of the real estate industry is their communication strategy via home delivery web order for their pizza.
From the minute you enter your order, your web purchase is personalized, it’s become your pizza, and the process is accurately reported back to you by the second. We as the consumer are no longer waiting in limbo, we actually know that Anthony just placed our pie in the oven to be baked to perfection, and I would argue that the days of ketchup sauce are over and their pizza actually IS substantially better.
Beyond transaction management
If real practitioners placed a value on the search process from day one that it meets the home buyer, you know, the day they began searching on your website, by reporting the consumer’s progress in searching, and semantically returning suggestions, the agent again becomes part of the search process. Continuing this same partnership as the consumer contacts the agent, with notes from the conversations, links to support the conversation, and so on and so forth.
The pain staking detail involved in this automated process guarantees consistent service to each consumer, as well as informs them throughout the process. Rather than call them directly, a daily report is received that you (the Realtor) spoke with the lender and the notes from that conversation. Suddenly, the hidden process is revealed and value is apparent, more so than ever before.
Getting real and getting human
I also think more than putting a new facade on a ketchup-like traditional industry, I think it’s time that Brokers consider getting real and getting human with consumers. I think Prudential has done a decent job at this, but could do better. Shedding the old man image is one thing, but I think their previous campaign around their mobile app diminishes the reasons many trust an established brand. No, what I’m saying is really laughing at ourselves as an industry, acknowledging the general complaints and criticisms, and showing what you’re doing that’s different in 2010.
I would start by watching everything Domino’s Pizza is doing, and the exact opposite of everything Starbucks (my favorite coffee) is doing. I’ll talk more about that next week.
Brokers, are you doing something phenomenal that stands out like Dominos Pizza that is innovative, human and fresh? Email the editor at talk at agentgenius.com and you may be featured on AgentGenius!
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