By Ron & Alexandra Seigel, Partners--Napa Consultants, International

Seven Essential Luxury Real Estate Marketing Tips

Here are seven essential luxury real estate marketing tips:

  1. Stay focused on the luxury market and its trends. Every market has its opportunities, and the luxury buyers can afford those opportunities.
  2. Make yourself visible in those circles where people are thriving and buying.
  3. Pay attention to the good news out there. It is more plentiful than the bad news, if you look for it.
  4. Get acquainted with the people who are buying luxury real estate, internationally. It is projected that by the year 2009, there will be 135,000 millionaires in India. Brazil and China are also spawning new millionaires every day. If an Indian, Brazilian or Chinese millionaire buyer crossed your path, what would you know about their countries, their customs, and their luxury mindset?
  5. Start researching other cultures that are producing new luxury buyers. This is the perfect opportunity to start learning. The internet is a treasure trove of free information. Learn a word or two in their language, connect, and be real.
  6. Stay focused on the world outside of real estate and learn the lessons of some of the best companies. They are the manifestation of the tenets of good business practices especially in terms of marketing and branding.
  7. Understand that time is the ultimate luxury.

Southwest Airlines is not a luxury brand. However, they do have a luxury mindset because they offer their clients the luxury of time. They have the easiest online booking system and simple policies. They are customer driven. For instance, if you have to cancel or change a flight, there are NO additional fees assessed to your new ticket. In terms of time, they pride themselves on turnaround time, so that the inbound flight is quickly turned into the outbound flight.

It is not surprising that Southwest Airlines is one of the most profitable airlines in the world. In January 2008, they again posted a profit for the 35th consecutive year.

Here are some questions to get you thinking about offering your clients the ultimate luxury--the luxury of time:

  • How can you simplify your web site, so that your clients can have a quicker and easier experience?
  • What is your turnaround time for requests, returned phone calls and emails?