American realtors – the same as us… but different

We Brits often look cynically at the way USA estate agents work. American Realtors go to great lengths to deliver extraordinary customer service, yet some of the initiatives employed might be regarded by some as cheesy or outdated. I wanted to investigate whether the latest techniques and concepts used by agents across the pond might be usefully employed in the UK – the National Association of Realtors annual conference was the place to find out. NAR, the largest estate agency trade show in the world, is inevitably focused on the US market. Nevertheless I spotted a handful of progressive British agents there. Interestingly these tend to be agents who are successful here, in part due to their open-minded approach to embracing ideas they see working overseas (eg Newmans, Sarah Mains, Robinson Jackson, Martyn Gerrard and suppliers such as Reapit) and they continually research new approaches to differentiate themselves. The four-day event, in a 1.1m sqft venue with 400 exhibitors, attracts 20,000 delegates attending seminars presented by over 200 speakers, including astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly and former US President Bill Clinton. There is clearly an appetite for personal development and the best attended seminars were those by high profile trainers such…

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