Client meetings. Web conferences. Conference calls. These are often considered the necessary evil of doing business and collaborating. Virtual and remote meetings are becoming the standard in working remotely, providing a convenient and casual atmosphere to have conversations, share computer screens, and even files and photos. What if there was a way to turn these often technically awkward meetings into a real estate business strategy that provided a red-carpet treatment for your buyers and sellers? Here are 7 ideas to rolling it out.
Rolling out the Red Carpet
1. Schedule your meeting with flair. Send a personal video email reminder the day before, and let your client know you’re looking forward to it! Send it along with a calendar event they can RSVP to. Give them a brief run-down of the agenda that gets everyone on the same page. Let them decide if they would like a video meeting, or just a screen-shared conference call.
2. Be an expert in your meeting technology. Make it yours. Adopt a web meeting platform that you are comfortable with using, and know it well. Liveminutes.com is one that I love. Have your headset, mic, and PC/Mac compatibility factors all figured out. Include some connection tips to your clients to give them a chance to be prepared before the meeting. Let them know if it will be recorded to review later.
3. Be prepared. Only invite essential people to the meeting. Have your documents and files ready to share from Evernote or Dropbox, and know exactly what your agenda is. Connect to your meeting 10-15 minutes before the start time to get any glitches out of the way. Keep the meeting connection links and numbers handy to send again to your clients if needed. Try to keep it 45 minutes or under.
4. If using video, create an inviting, distraction-free backdrop off camera. Whether in the office, Starbucks or at the home office, try to have an inviting or clean area behind you. Take a look at what your best lighting is and keep personal items, pets, and messy desks to a minimum. Cups of coffee or tea permitted. Dress as you would for any other business meeting, even if it’s only from your waist up. Be professional.
5. Focus on your clients. Put away your cell phone. Turn off social media. Close your extra browser tabs. Close your door if possible. Look into the camera. One of the greatest attributes of online meetings is the advantage of face to face expression, eye contact and personality. Show them how important they are by not allowing yourself to be distracted. In this day and age, it is a breath of fresh air to focus on the person or people you are talking to.
6. After the meeting, follow up with even more flair. Send a handwritten note saying thank you. (consider a Starbucks gift card they can use to get them through future meetings.) Email them with appropriate notes or documents for them to have copies of if needed. Get that to them right away, it’s easy to put that off.
7. Consider a private client Facebook Group to collaborate in a more casual environment. Keep your meetings relaxed, fun and social by creating another place they can find you, get updates, see photos or videos in between more formal meetings.
Everytime we touch technology we have the opportunity to turn it into a better user experience for ourselves or our clients. Sometimes it’s not enough to just have a tool. Make it yours. If you love it, fit it into your customer’s user experience. Every client deserves a little red carpet treatment. They will love you for it.
Online Meeting platforms that are fun and user-friendly. Do you have a favorite?
