New marketing slogan help needed

[betterletter]

Hi, we are just about to launch a new estate agent business. It is a different model to the traditional estate agents, where we dont have big fancy offices and overheads and we pass the savings to our clients to make us the cheapest in town.

We are currently getting some flyers designed that will be part of a big mail out to our local area to launch the company. With this i feel it would be good to use some catchy slogan or campaign wording. I have come up with two ideas:

"Does fancy offices sell houses?? NO, but pro-active highly trained staff do!!"

Or

"The new breed of local estate agent"

What do you think?? I really would be grateful for any other possible ideas? We are trying to get the following message accross:

1. We are a new model of estate agent that gets the job done with only the tools needed, so we save money and charge less
2. we dont have big fancy offices as they dont sell houses, but we have what is needed to sell houses. pro active sales and marketing etc...
3. We still have all the property marketing of a traditional agent i.e rightmove, findaproperty etc..
4. We are the future of estate agents, using the internet to its full advantage.
5. We are sick of agents charging high prices especially when homeowners are currently losing money.
6. We are alot of the times half the price, but twice the service.

I would be really grateful if anyones suggestions?

 

[mikelaluz]

Hi

You are making the classic mistake ie WE. Its not about WE its all about the Customer. If you are going to have a strap line make sure it is a benefit for your client. We do or We are usually gets the ''so what!" response which is not what you are looking for.
I suggest brainstorming to find your USP and then using that as your strap line.

Regards

Mike

 

[betterletter]

hi mike,
Our USP is that we dont have large "unneeded" over heads to get the job done, so our clients reap the benefits. Thats what im finding so hard to get a campaign slogan from?

 

[directmarketingadvice]

I have come up with two ideas:

"Does fancy offices sell houses?? NO, but pro-active highly trained staff do!!"

Or

"The new breed of local estate agent"

What do you think??

I think they're ghastly.

I really would be grateful for any other possible ideas? We are trying to get the following message accross:

1. We are a new model of estate agent that gets the job done with only the tools needed, so we save money and charge less
2. we dont have big fancy offices as they dont sell houses, but we have what is needed to sell houses. pro active sales and marketing etc...
3. We still have all the property marketing of a traditional agent i.e rightmove, findaproperty etc..
4. We are the future of estate agents, using the internet to its full advantage.
5. We are sick of agents charging high prices especially when homeowners are currently losing money.
6. We are alot of the times half the price, but twice the service.

I would be really grateful if anyones suggestions?

I think this is all too vague. And, as a result, it comes across as self-puffery and invoked the "yeah, right" response.

e.g.

"We are the future of estate agents" - no, you're not.

"We are sick of agents charging high prices" - puh-leeze, are you really trying to tell me that you'd like your competitors to charge less? Really? No, I mean "really"?

And so on...

Now, obviously, I'm having fun busting your 'nads on here, but there's an underlying piece of serious advice:

Get specific about the benefits you're bringing to the table... and then back them up with some sort of evidence.

Hope this helps,

Steve

 

[betterletter]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your blunt response. I welcome all feedback and thats why i posted here in the first place. As you feel i am coming from the wrong angle, then perhaps you would like to make some suggestions of your own ideas?

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your blunt response. I welcome all feedback and thats why i posted here in the first place. As you feel i am coming from the wrong angle, then perhaps you would like to make some suggestions of your own ideas?

Here's my suggestion:

Get specific about the benefits you're bringing to the table... and then back them up with some sort of evidence.

i.e. you need to sit down and do some hard thinking...

Steve

 

[FAB Enterprises]

Well there's one strapline in point six.

"Half the Price, twice the service"

 

[barney1]

The strapline needs to be sharp and to the point. You need to communicate the simplicity of your business not just the fact that you are the cheapest as at the moment i would suggest that most estate agents are offering very low percentages to stay afloat. And don't use others methods as a way of marketing your own - come up with positives about what you can offer the customer and why they should use your service.

 

[mum at home]

Hi all,

New to the site today and really enjoying how much quality information is being shared.

My take on this for what it is worth (on my 3rd property since first buying) is I personally have more issue with the "morals" and "ethics" of estate agents in opposition to the %cost.

Its great that you will be cheaper but we all know experiences where people have been gazumpted (sometimes knowingly by the agent) or where an offer with full mortgage and associated cross sales gets preference to a tied in buyer in a very long chain.

My suggestion would be to save your money on the gimmicks and slogan and just advocate good, transparent services.
Sponsor a couple of school fayres (infant/junior school age are statistically more likely to move as they outgrow current house) and utilise local mags/websites to sell your message, which is really selling yourself cost effectively.

Once you have a couple of quick sales, obtain testimonials from the clients and publish. Again I would probably be a bit different and video the clip to put them on your website as it turns it into a real testimonial not Mr and Mrs Smith thank xxx for all of their efforts.

Anyway just my thoughts - good for you taking the plunge at such a difficult time - best of luck

 

[betterletter]

ok thanks guys for taking the time to give me your thoughts. I am normally good with this sort of thing, but having a mental brain block. "mum at home" I completly agree with you, I have just come from managing a branch with the largest estate agent in the south east, and some of the stuff we are told to do by senior managers is just not right!!!

I would rather have good quality, honest service where i will get repeat business, then go into a business where i will just fleece as many people as possible for my own gain.

Let me know if you have anymore thoughts of what i should put on my flyers?? Or even any other good suggestions for marketing the launch of my company.

Your great guys and girls!!

 

[Simon-M]

We sell your house for less commission.

Job done.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

No I dont like the straplines but am no good at thinking of anything better!

Maybe look at why people dislike traditional estate agents as a starting point and then show how you are really much better.

I dont think its wise to sell yourself as cheap. Nobody likes to pay huge sums but cheap = rubbish, in my book anyway!

PS Your making a brave move at the moment going into this business. As an accountant I have many estate agents clients and letting agents who are really struggling. Make sure you have sufficient cash to fund the business, and good luck!

 

[betterletter]

Thanks guys,

Any other good ideas for my flyers?? Also i welcome suggestions on other marketing ideas for launching

 

[Babylon]

Hi, we are just about to launch a new estate agent business. It is a different model to the traditional estate agents, where we dont have big fancy offices and overheads and we pass the savings to our clients to make us the cheapest in town.

Where about in the country are you based? If you think location in no problem then we have some fantastic new retirement homes to sell in North Lincolnshire. Would you be interested?

As for a marketing slogan/tag line how about:

(1) Superior service | lowest commission in [insert town name].
(2) Find a buyer fast for a fee of £xxx
(3) Sell your home fast for x%

Good luck.

 

[Phill_Jenkins]

Hi

What about " Your Quality Home Quickly Sold By Qualified Professionals " if you are qualified in property sales or "Quality Homes Sold By Quality Professionals"

Just a thought

 

[betterletter]

Hi Joel,

I am based in kent, so not sure how much use i would be marketing your properties, as i certainly wouldnt be able to have a measure up and do viewings etc.. Maybe their would be a chance i could put them on rightmove etc...

Thank you for your suggestions

 

[Marky]

Hi Betterletter

Congrats on starting a new estate agency business right now.

I think however you are kinda ignoring some of the valid points being made, Steve Gibson especially made some very good points which were glossed over.
You are making your non-specific claims without back up.
Specific to me is instead of 'cheaper' it is 'we charge 5% and noone else currently charges less than 10% for exactly the same service' Which is almost a strapline ......

You say a lot about what you don't do - no fancy offices - though counter it with 'proactive sales and marketing etc'. I honestly do not want to come across as rude here, though I am sure most estate agents will claim they are pro-active. Well, what makes you pro-active - or more importantly, more pro-active ? WHat are the specific actions you take that make you different and more proactive?

What is your USP. Something truely unique? Or what have you specifically done to improve on the innovators?

I am sure you have got some answers, so get the specifics out there and am pretty sure you will have quite a few great marketing slogans/straplines to use


p.s. apologies for such a long post, is all meant genuinley in a good way

 

[betterletter]

Hi Marky,

Many thanks for the post. Its ok you havent offended me, thats the reason i posted on here in the first place. I know i am not perfect, so i welcome feedback to aid me.

I have been working in estate agency over the past few years and seen alot of companies that came about from the increase in the property market and not actually from their own skills and experience. Most agents that i come across seem to have lost the old fashion skills of actually selling a house, and not just waiting on calls and taking offers.

Also like i have said in the posting, I used to work for the largest estate agent in the southeast, as they had me doing some really imoral things in order for them to increase their pockets. Dont get me wrong we all need to make money, but i generally think people will prefer a very honest and efficent service. We estate agents have got a bad name for ourselves over the years, and it angers me that some of us actually do care and do, do a honest job.

What happened in the past is the property market boomed and every jack and harry was jumping onto the band wagon for a cheap buck. They started making good money (for little work) and splashed out on big offices, fancy this, fancy that!! And never actually realised that the market can change.

So my business model is about giving a really personal service to all my clients and using only the tools of the trade that really matter when selling a house. It amazes me that so many agents, still do not use the internet to its full potential. We cannot hide from the the fact the internet has changed estate agency forever. (As it has changed alot of industries).

So i feel that a personal, efficent and proactive service, along with using up to date marketing techniques is a far more efficent way of selling and renting properties these days. And as I have very little over heads, i will pass the savings onto my clients and give them an extremly high and personal service for in most cases half the price most other agents are currently charging..

For me its all about providing a service. Vendor are actaully parting with their own money for me to provide them with a service of selling their house and getting the best possible price for it. Simple things are often missed. like giving feedback calls to the vendors after viewings, touching base with the vendors once a week for a marketing chat, helping the vendors with advice on ways to improve the selling potential, chain building, property ring outs etc.. This is what they are paying for!!! Not for me to just sit at the end of a phone and take calls and book viewings after the public was clever enough to see the property advertise on rightmove...

Thats what I am trying to get over to my potential clients.

 

[thomasgalvin]

Hi, we are just about to launch a new estate agent business. It is a different model to the traditional estate agents, where we dont have big fancy offices and overheads and we pass the savings to our clients to make us the cheapest in town.

We are currently getting some flyers designed that will be part of a big mail out to our local area to launch the company. With this i feel it would be good to use some catchy slogan or campaign wording. I have come up with two ideas:

"Does fancy offices sell houses?? NO, but pro-active highly trained staff do!!"

Or

"The new breed of local estate agent"

What do you think?? I really would be grateful for any other possible ideas?

Hi,

There are other ideas too to get best slogan. You can search slogan generator in the google that will generate so many slogans for you for free. Just put the word related to your slogan and get so many then select one of your choice. If you can pay then you can also get done it for you by freelancers.

I hope these suggestions will help you.

 

[Mike W]

Betterletter...

Hope you take this in the right way. It's intended as a positive critical pointer for you.

It was only as I was reading through the thread that I noticed you hadn't received any 'Thanks' on the forum. That, in itself, tells a story.

It suggests that you're always thinking 'you', not others, which is quite possibly why you end up with your 'we, we, we' lines.

Mikelaluz and SteveGibson hit the nail on the head when they said what they said. 'We, we, we' isn't what people want to hear. They want to hear about them, them, them.

Maybe you need to look at your outlook entirely. You'd be surprised how the world looks from the other side of the fence.

 

[dagaul101]

I think the first slogan is straight to the point and tells what you are about