Repeat Business Happens When Repeat Service Does Too

13 months ago, I wrote this post about some great service that I received from the management and staff at Bar Louie in the Arena District of downtown Columbus.

That night I was with my daughter Riley to celebrate her 11th birthday with two of her best friends, Rachel and Lauren. We had a great time that night and became loyal clients of Bar Louie. We got to know Kelly Stein (the general manager) and Rich Folk (assistant general manager) and many of the awesome wait staff over the next year and there wasn't a Columbus Blue Jackets game that we attended when we first didn't visit Bar Louie beforehand for some pre-game food, drink and friendships.

For the last 13 months we have continued to enjoy our visits to Bar Louie. Kelly and Rich continue to make an effort to stop by our table to say hello and make sure all is well. The wait staff has changed but the service hasn't. Attentive, friendly and quick is a great asset for a restaurant food server...especially on a game night.

The service we got that first time made us consider going back the second time. The consistency of service is what continues to bring us back.

How's your service? How's your consistency?

It may be cliche in a service business like real estate ...or mortgage, title or any other type of buisness to consumer offering for that matter, but there's only "one chance to make a first impression." That's a great message to remember everytime you come in contact with a new customer or client. Who doesn't strive to create a 100% referral based business?

With that said, if you've done a good job, there should be another opportunity to get in front of that client in the futire. Depending on the business you're in, that cycle between purchases could be one week or one decade or somewhere in between.

Hopefully it comes through repeat and referral business. The question your client will ask themselves before they call or visit you again will be - "Can it be as good or better the next time as it was the last time?"

The Bar has Been Raised Again

Riley received tickets from her grandpa for tonight's game. It was her "birthday game" because I had to be out of town last month on the game closest to her 12th birthday. She once again invited her two friends, Rachel and Lauren, and we headed to Bar Louie before the Blue Jackets game versus the Nashville Predators.

We sat in the same spot and had great service from Shannon. The food was great, the atmostphere welcoming and both Kelly and Rich were working tonight so they each stopped by to say hello and wish Riley a "Happy Birthday."

As we awaited the check and we planning to head over to Nationwide Arena for the 7pm faceoff, the bar was raised. Out came the flaming desserts.

A trio of sweetness - Banana Creme Pudding (with Nilla wafers, thank you very much), a S'mores Sundae and a Carmel Brownie Deluxe - arrived compliments of the staff for Riley. They graciously brought three extra spoons so Rachel and Lauren and I felt like we had to help polish off the goodies.

It was awesome and it was unexpected...but then again, it wasn't unexpected. It's what we've come to expect the last 13 months.

Ask yourself these questions;

• Is your service so good that people would be more surprised if they DIDN''T receive remarkable service?

• Do you seek opportunities to "raise the bar" for your customers and clients?

• Are you looking to create remarkable experiences for the people you serve, so they not only will return to you for help, but they will regularly refer others?

Imagine what would happen to your business if you did?


Until next time, keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.

...Oh yeah - the Blue Jackets won 4-0

Do You Stand Out in the Crowd? A Glimpse into the 2010 NAR Member Profile - Part II

We're taking a "below the surface" view into the 2010 NAR Member Profile to explore some of the habits and business practices of today's real estate agents. In Part I we looked at such segments of the report covering "who is the typical agent," income of REALTORS and some of their technology habits.

In this post, we'll explore some business practices of today's REALTOR. My comments on the figures are in blue.

15% of all REALTORS say they work 60+ hours each week while the median hours worked each week is the typical American standard of 40. (Managers surveyed work a median of 50 hours each week). ~ The real interesting question would be to discover how much of that "hours worked" was spent on Business Development activities (prospecting, negotiating, listing and buyer appointments and closings) and how much was spent on Business Support activities (paperwork, computer searches, market analyses, email, social networking, attending home inspections, etc.)

When it comes to the question of where does a REALTORS business come from, 16% (median) of an agents business is from past customers and clients. This means the listing or purchase came directly from someone you have done business with in the past. That median jumps to 39% of an agents business for those REALTORS with 16+ years of experience.

20% of an agents business came from referral business from past consumers and clients.

These numbers, coupled with the NAR Home Buyers and Sellers survey results from 2009 show the importance of the referral business for success in today's market.

How do Buyers select an agent?

44% are referred by (or is) a friend, neighbor or relative
10% used the agent before
5% are referred by another agent
4% are referred through a relocation company

How do Sellers select an agent?

40% are referred by (or is) a friend, neighbor or relative
24% used the agent before
5% are referred by a relocation company
4% are referred by another agent

When it comes to spending money, or shall we say "investing" in one's business, here's how most REALTORS spent their money. (all numbers are median)



REALTORS spent $670 on business promotion

REALTORS spent $720 annually on professional development (training, coaching, continuing education)

REALTORS spent $720 on technology products and services

66% of REALTORS have no designations. Of those who do, the most common designations are the GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) with 13% and the ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative).

If you're reading this as a REALTOR, hopefully you have identified a few areas of weakness within the industry that you could really exploit into business opportunities for yourself. Perhaps in other areas, you now see where you could invest a little more time, money or effort.

I encourage all members of the National Association of Realtors to log on to the member website and check out this report as well as the many other tools, reports and links which may help you grow your business in 2010 and beyond. You're already paying for it so you might as well get some value from your investment.

Until next time...keep building relationships...solving problems...and having fun.