How To Get Google Reviews
The Real Estate Gold Star Treatment
Jennifer Spencer, team lead and owner/broker of Spencer Properties in Raleigh, North Carolina, shares the approach to customer service that earned her company more than 100 five-star reviews on Google.
As one of the top real estate firms in the Triangle of North Carolina, Spencer Properties has built a reputation as a trusted source. Collectively, the 15-member team averages about 180 sales per year. She ranked No. 50 Teams By Side in North Carolina in the REAL Trends + Tom Ferry America’s Best Real Estate Professionals and No. 32 Teams By Volume.
Clients have said: “[When] relocating to a new area, it is important to have someone in your corner who can help you … Spencer Properties went out of their way to help us” and “If you want a team that will work with you and will do what it takes to get your home sold, then look no further.”
Here are their keys to success:
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Celebrate Every Sale
For every listing that sells, Spencer Properties places a giant golden yellow star in the front yard. The stars, which are die-cut out of corrugated plastic and attached to a metal yard sign, have turned into a prized emblem for homeowners around town. “We have a reputation for putting those stars up quickly and doing it again and again,” Spencer says. “We put ‘SOLD’ and however many days it took to sell the listing and people have really responded to it. When we ask people why they decided to call us, the answer we hear over and over is: ‘I see your sold stars and I want a sold star in my yard.’”
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Establish a Niche
The majority of the team’s clients are owners of high-end 15- to 30-year-old suburban homes. “The neighborhoods are a mix of townhouses, little houses, and big houses,” Spencer says. “It’s a good niche but higher-end homes are a little harder to sell, especially if they are at the point where they need updates to compete against new construction.” Many are from an era when ornate designs and dark cabinets were popular, which Spencer says makes them look dated. “We provide a great professional stager who goes in and says, ‘Let’s switch your gold and brown countertops for quartz, paint your cherry cabinets white and replace [the hardware] with chrome.’ Our goal is to do the necessary updates so the listing sells for top dollar.”
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Hold Mega Open Houses
The Spencer team believes every open house should be memorable, so they do it up right with live music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres. “We have flags and signs that guide people all the way there, like South of the Border does [along the interstate],” Spencer says. “Attendance has grown from an average of eight people to 30 or 40, and that produces new clients.” Two team members attend each open house: one to register guests at the front door before entry, and one inside to answer questions.
• Fine-Tune the Team
Spencer says everyone on her team focuses on the job they do best. “My listing broker doesn’t do lead generation calls, for example, and my inspection specialist only does inspections. My service people are excellent but they aren’t salespeople. Also, most of the team is on salary and that has made our retention level high.”