Passionate people – those iPhone App developers. After they create and share their magical App with the world, they don’t sit on their asses admiring their handiwork. Or take vacation. Hell no.
Raise Your Hand If You Love Presents
They guzzle even more Mountain Dew, scarf more Skittles and back to work they go. Like snarling rabid dogs, they attack the task of finishing their next even-cooler version. They fix the glitches, simplify and sweeten-up everything they can. It’s a race to impress, Velcro connect, delight and create a culture of equally rabid fans. It’s a never ending cycle of refinement and innovation.
For us customers, it’s Presents every day. I smile every time I download one. Don’t you love it?
It’s becoming a minimum expectation. We’re beginning to expect frequent and free upgrades and enhancements. And not just with iPhone apps either. We expect the same special treatment from all product and service providers and experience creators. When a personal or business product or service is slow to improve (upgrade and enhance) we begin to think them dull and replace them with something sexier. It’s natural human behavior.
What Does This Have To With Real Estate Agents?
I was thinking, hey, I’m in the real estate business and I’m a service provider and experience creator. How often do I roll out this-is-an-even-cooler-version of what I was offering and sharing before? Or, do I mostly roll with the tired tried and true?
If our clients are culture is becoming conditioned to expect Presents and I don’t have any to give, and others do, what will happen to me and my real estate business?
This line of thinking led me asking these questions:
- Is our listing photo quality any sharper or attractive than it was back in June?
- Is the quality of our connections and conversations within our networks, tribes and niches the same as it was last October?
- What about our primary prospecting methods? Are they the same tried and true methods or are we including new tools and tactics?
- What new things have we learned about marketing, trust and sharing? Are we doing any of them?
- Are we still blah-blah bragging and boasting harder than we listen?
- Are we using new tools like Rapportive.com to expand our social solar system empires?
- Are we sharing our knowledge and expertise in new ways? (SlideShare.net/Scribd.com/GoogleDocs/Dropbox.com)
- Are we responding to requests and unexpected opportunity any faster?
- Is our online presence and any mightier or than it was last August?
- Have we made the stressful process of selling and buying any easier, faster, simpler or less stressful? Or is it the same pain in the ass hassel it was a year ago?
You get the picture. If everyone everywhere expects more and I continue to deliver what I’ve always delivered, how long before my sexy-offering begins to shrink? How long before it dims and disappears altogether? We gotta make sure this doesn’t happen to us.
Better yet. Wouldn’t it be nice if we changed some things for the better. Instead of losing customers we would keep them smiling and referring us. At the same time we we would attract people who are in search of something better?
Here’s My Plan Man.
My first step is awareness. Now I’m aware – everybody expects Old-Faithful like upgrade-enhancements. If I don’t for them, they won’t for me.
To lock in success, I need to act like a Mountain Dew fueled, insanely motivated to Dent-The Universe iPhone App creator. I can’t sit on my ass and admire my past. I gotta work like a rabid dog to create and deliver upgrade-enhancements – over and over. No easy feat, eh. No worries though.
I have a 4 Point Plan:
1. Every time I download my daily dose of Presents, I’ll be reminded to ask myself, “Hey Ken Brand, what Presents are you delivering today? What unexpected cool-things have you done for them lately?” These daily self reminders will keep me aware, focused and quasi-accountable.
2. I’ll make a list of areas that need upgrade-enhancement and prioritize my list. Areas with the most bang-for-my-attention will sit at the tip-top.
3. Each week I’ll focus on the top three priorities. Underneath each of my listed items I’ll briefly describe the action steps required to upgrade and enhance whatever I’m currently doing.
4. I’ll Do It.
Well that’s my plan. I was wondering if you felt like I do about what it takes to create at culture of delighted clients who want to hire and refer you? If you do. . .
What Will You Do Next?
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Cheers. Thanks for reading.
PS. Ok. All you Smart Phone, Droid, Berry and only God knows why, Windows mobil users, your App developers are passionate too. No disrespect. I love Apple, so I wrote what I know. XO
