The peculiar practices in some markets can often leave us thinking that companies don’t always have their customers in the forefront of their minds.
This seems a strange thing to say but we see it day in, day out. Product/service led companies create something and then try to push it onto a market segment they think will benefit from it. They have an agenda to sell as many widgets, insurance policies, after care plans as possible and work diligently to achieve that objective.
Take the residential property market. Estate agents are contracted by a property owner to sell a property for the best possible price. Normally on a % commission of the final selling price, it stands to reason that it is in the agent’s interest to secure the best possible price. In most cases they have also advised on the price they property should list for.
But this is rarely the case. In fact, rather than working to achieve the best possible price and a win-win for themselves and their customer, some work their contact list, encouraging interesting parties to view and then make any offer below the price requested.
This is reinforced by the advice found on the nation’s favourite property TV shows, dedicated property channels and websites, where there is now a prevailing tendency towards never offering the full asking price.
The lesson: Remember who you work for. Don’t act like an estate agent!
Why? They don’t have their customers – the sellers who write the commission cheque – foremost in their mind. They chase the fast, easy buck, they rail road people into viewing properties they don’t necessarily want to view, and they create the disconnect between asking price and offer price.
Harsh? Maybe. But grounded in experience. Have your say?
The Marketing Assassin 