Is Your Niche Too Narrow or Popped to Perfection?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, make sure that when you research and identify a niche that it has the potential for growth as well as meeting your income goals.  Watch out for niches that are too narrow.

On our working visit to Naples, Florida we spotted a niche business, a store called, The Popcorn Cellar. Its slogan is “Too Good To Let It Age,” (a tongue in cheek reference to wine).  Popcorn Cellar offers 15 flavors of pre-popped popcorn, both sweet and savory. 

We tried a sample of Cinnamon Bun. It reminded us of Christmas gifts from corporate clients that came in big tin cans, that we promptly gave away to the garage attendants in our office building.  Although, we enjoy freshly popped popcorn once in a while, none of the pre-popped flavors appealed to us.   We wondered whether this establishment would last, because the niche is too narrow.

Our research into the popcorn industry revealed that the US per capita consumption is 52 quarts per person on an annual basis.  70% of consumption is in the home which indicated that most of the popcorn eaten was freshly popped, thanks to the microwave oven. Sales for popcorn (un-popped) are annually rising at 2-3%.

Gourmet popcorn falls into the “snack food” category.  Would you stop at a popcorn store like this, or would you prefer an ice cream store if you craved a snack?   Or would you do what we did, check it out, and then move on.  This may be a niche that is too narrow.  What do you think?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Cupid Marketing Or Stupid Marketing?

Niche marketing in the field of luxury real estate is very much like online matchmaking and dating.  The idea is to find your ideal clients. They are the ones who are looking for you, too, because of your extraordinary promise of value.  It is time to start marketing like Cupid and find more matches!

In real estate, the challenge is to identify the uncontested or under served market niche that is right for you, a niche that you can dominate.  The art of finding the best target market for you is your first step of could be called “Cupid Marketing”.  Wasting your time and marketing dollars without having the right target could be called “Stupid Marketing”.

For some matchmaking and dating websites and apps like e-Harmony 2015 will be a very good year for revenue.  But, the general category is getting extremely crowded.  Singles have become fickle about which sites or apps they use because they have so many choices.  Yet, if you were to interview them candidly, they would tell you they are frustrated about not finding their perfect match.

Does this sound a bit like the competitive landscape in your real estate marketplace? Without being presented with a sharply defined and clearly communicated value proposition that is the answer to your target market’s prayers they are clueless about which agent to choose.

Niche players have the best chance of making it.  There are now matchmaking sites for people of the same religion, sexual preference, age group and even racial preference.  This obviously narrows down the choices, but increases the likelihood of finding the right match.

We often hear real estate agents complain that, “there is not enough inventory out there”. This also mirrors the scarcity mentality that many singles have about finding Mr. or Ms. Right when they say, “all the good ones are taken”. Yet, if you were to see the overall stats in those “tight” markets you would still see that quite a few homes have sold.

You just need to gain a larger share of those homes that are selling to meet your personal financial goals.  You need to be the dominant player in your niche! Become Cupid Marketer!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Who Are YOU? An Apple or an Orange?

Market leaders in luxury real estate, or any industry for that matter, do not have to brag about being better than the competition.  They simply need to clearly and consistently communicate their unique promise of value to their target market with an economy of words or actions.  The self-confidence of market leadership comes from instantly articulating the difference between your apples and their oranges.

Here, in two simple sentences, Apple differentiates itself from Google and Amazon (“the oranges”) without even referencing its competitors:

“You’re in control of your data. Searches are not associated with your Apple ID and not shared with third parties”.

Gender discrimination has been a hot topic in Silicon Valley as of late, given the high profile case against the venture capital firm of Kleiner Perkins. Today, at the Apple WWDC 15 developer’s conference in San Francisco, there was a balance of men and women presenting.  With market leaders, actions speak louder than words.

Even if you are the challenger and not the market leader, it is mission critical that you discover how you are different and better than your competition. You will find that there are many independent thinkers out there who will give you a chance to prove yourself if your value proposition is compelling enough. Underdogs have more power than they might realize.  ASSUME the self-confidence of the market leader and you will become one, too!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Google's Anthem: Every Move You Make, I'll Be Watching You!

For those of you who are concerned about how much information Google has been collecting about you this should be good news. Prepare yourself for an eye-opening experience!  Go to https://myaccount.google.com, log in and see everything that Google knows about YOU and what you now can do about changing all that.

It appears that Google is being proactive by providing you with access to what heretofore was behind the scenes. In light of their potentially costly European lawsuits and mounting global concern about privacy, this was a very practical move on their part.

After viewing your account you will understand why there is so much concern. If you want to change your privacy protocols and delete past content be sure to be thorough as you go through your options.

Here is what was most alarming to us.  From your new dashboard, you can now easily download ALL of what Google knows about you including contacts, email, and calendars, browsing history, bookmarks, on and on. That means if someone were to obtain your Google password they could gain all of that info from anywhere in the world.

We were shocked to see that Google had kept track of every You Tube video we had ever searched for and searched for and watched while logged in. While we had nothing to hide we promptly deleted all 250 of watched videos and turned on the no-tracking feature for this. 

Google knew that we were in Boston in May and from which device we accessed our account. Add that to an exchange of email via Gmail, the web pages we visited during that time, what browser we used, and the people we interacted with the most over one “free” Google service or another (all of their detailed contact information could be viewed as well).  

We love Google search; it is an essential tool. We would gladly pay a subscription fee for its use if it were ad-free. But, as for all other Google services, we have decided to opt out and replace them with paid private services.

It is not just that they watch every move you make. It is what they can extrapolate by cross-referencing all that data to better serve you [and their advertisers, of course].

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

The World's Happiest Country? The Coconut vs The Peach!

Understanding international buyers is an important subject to delve into, if you are marketing luxury real estate to those interested in your marketplace.  Knowing the difference between Coconuts and Peaches (as absurd as it may sound) is important.  It might make a difference in selling or listing a home owned by the Coconuts.

This morning, I read an article by Chantal Panozzo, an American working in Switzerland, explaining why she had to retrain herself not to smile in the World's Happiest Country.

The world's happiest country according to the 2015 Happiness Report states that Switzerland is the happiest country because the country has safe neighborhoods, low crime rates, high levels of employment, generous vacation and leave policies, excellent public transportation, and pension and health care benefits.  Unlike us (Americans and other English speaking countries) they value privacy.  They do not believe in publicly expressing it.

In a book by Margaret Davidson, Beyond Chocolate: Understanding Swiss Culture, Ms Davidson talks about the Coconut Culture (found in Switzerland, Germany, several European and Asian countries).  In those countries, individuals draw a distinct line between the people in their outer circles defined as neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances, and their inner circle: friends and family.  They share smiles and personal information with the inner circle only.

The Peach Culture individuals (Americans) do not necessarily make the distinction between their outer and inner circles. They are more likely to call each other by their first name and share personal information freely with everyone and refer to acquaintances as "friends".  

Apparently, our happiness is expressed on our outer layer, and smiling is not indicative of happiness according to psychologists. We tend to be dissatisfied with the government, crime rate, and employment.  We do not feel that the U.S. government "inspires trust and confidence!"

Our inner layer hides the peach pit.  The US ranks 15th on the happiness scale. We are viewed as positive people with an unfriendly government.  It has been suggested, that it is time for our government to have more compassion and inspire trust, friendliness, and confidence to its citizens.

We could not agree more.  Are you a Coconut or a Peach?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

How to Achieve Top-of-Mind Status, Instantly!

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, you know you have selected a great brand name if your target market and potential referral base can remember your name after a single impression.  That is, after the first impression!

Yesterday we were cruising up the coast in Santa Barbara on Highway 101 and noticed a car covered with images.  As we passed by, we saw a clever cartoon graphic of a bunch of dogs on leashes dragging a person.  It was obviously an advertisement. The name was “Who is Walking Who?”. 

Can you guess what category of product or service this company was advertising?  If you guessed dog walking and pet sitting you are right!

Now, we are not dog owners.  But, if anyone were to ask us to recommend a local dog walking service one name would come to mind. It was indelibly imprinted in our brain in just one brief impression. And, we had do trouble recalling it the next day to write this post.  That company achieved has top-of-mind status for us in this category, instantly!  No doubt you will remember it, too.

When selecting your own personal or company luxury real estate brand name keep this in mind: It is possible to achieve top-of-mind status, instantly, with the right name.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Why Should I List With You?

Has anyone ever asked you at a listing presentation, “Why should I list with you?”  There are many agents wanting to list my home.  If you cannot answer that question quickly with certainty, the presentation is over.  What a seller is asking here, is what make you different from all the other agents, I have interviewed?

It definitely is not about being the best.  Every top agent can claim to be the best. You have to claim something no one else can claim. Words like integrity, computer savvy, top 1% in the company, mean nothing to the seller, many can say claim it also.    It does not differentiate you.  It just defines you as more of the same. 

For example, focusing on a niche that is dear to you, like historical homes, and learning every aspect of this area of specialization will make you stand out.   This increases your likelihood of getting this type of listing, because you will gain the reputation as the expert.

You have to claim something that is going to stick in that person’s mind and want you to represent their home.  One of our clients is one of the top agents in her marketplace: she regularly makes the Wall Street Journal’s top 100 list, as do three other agents in the community.  She is known for specializing in a neighborhood, which others can claim also. When she is asked, why should I list with you?  Her answer is, “I have sold more properties in this neighborhood than anyone else in town.” 

Checkmate, the game is over.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Announcing the 2015 Club e-Luxe Summit in Paris

The 2015 edition of the Club e-Luxe International Summit will place on Thursday June 4th in Paris, France. With the theme "SMART LUXURY", event will focus on the latest and most relevant digital tools, applications and platforms for luxury to thrive in the world of digital media, innovation and new technologies. 

Created in 2006 by our Language of Luxury media partner, Club e-Luxe, it is the foremost executive club for digital luxury professionals that provides luxury brands with access to the most advanced strategies, knowledge, applications, systems and tools required for a solid positioning in the context of the internet, digital media and innovation.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Do You Know Where The Bones Are Buried?

If you want to be top of mind in your luxury real estate marketplace, you have to be the most knowledgeable agent in your area.   As we used to tell our clients, when asked why they should work with us and sign an exclusive representation, “we know where the bones are buried.” 

This meant that we knew how to find buildings that could be sold that had not been listed, because we had relationships within our marketplace.  These owners would happily sign a one party exclusive.

Not long ago, we met with a local agent who wanted us to see a magnificent estate that was on the market.  What impressed us most about the agent is her encyclopedic knowledge of her marketplace.  We mentioned to her that prior to moving North from Los Angeles, we had put in an offer on a house on one of the streets nearby.  With our brief description from 10 years ago, she knew the house and gave us the history of it.  She knew the improvements that were done to it, and who owned it now.

This past week in Boston, we met an agent who specializes in one of the up and coming brownstone neighborhoods.  He was giving us a walking tour of the area.  What was impressive about him is that he knew the history of each building.  He knew what was being remodeled in the area. 

He knew every park and the improvements that were made.  He knew the people that lived there.  He could tell us the psychographics and demographics of the buyers.  He knew every retailer on the street.  He showed us the new dog park, and knew the people and their dogs. 

Later on, we went to lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, where everyone knew his name and were delighted to see him.  We even walked in to a competitor’s real estate office and everyone there was happy to see him!

Do you know where the bones are buried in your neighborhood?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

What Makes The Millennial Generation Run?

Long-term planning is important to include in one’s business plan if you want to be the market leader in your luxury real estate practice/company.  It means understanding the new agents you hire, as well as those you will be selling homes to.  It also means knowing how important spare time is to the millennial generation.

Next year, 80% of the work force will be comprised of millennials. Ten to fifteen years from today, the biggest spending group in the world will be those individuals who were born between 1980 and 1995.   After researching and reading several studies, it is evident that what makes the millennial generation run is the insistence on having spare time to enjoy their personal life.

What is notable about this generation is that in the professional service section, (accountant, actuary, architect, dentist, doctor, engineer, lawyer, management consultant, and pharmacist, for example) a significant number of the millennial set have entered and left this type of career path after a short stint. They are unwilling to sacrifice their free time to work harder for the traditional lure to advance their career by becoming a partner, or making more money. 

What is this sector of our population looking for?

A work culture that promotes and emphasizes work/life balance

Geographical convenience (work closer to home without a lengthy commute)

Technology in the workplace, focused on promoting flexibility and efficiency, such as having access to the best tools for collaboration and execution.

Having a policy of transparency regarding compensation, rewards and career decisions.

A working environment that feels like a community and emphasizes teamwork, appreciation, and support.

Even though this characterizes a large segment of the millennial generation, no one size fits all.  There are those in this generation, who do not fit these values, and there are those of us who are not by virtue of birth date in this category who have the same values as today’s millennial group.  Spare time to enjoy one’s life is definitely a high priority for many of us.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Market Yourself Like Fine Chocolate

Being at the top of your game as a luxury real estate marketing professional requires being consistently remarkable and this includes your presentations materials. In Boston, on our first day there, we went on a walk revisiting the area where one of my best friends (Alexandra) lived.

When we returned to the hotel, we took a different street and discovered L.A. Burdick Chocolates.  They are known for their Single Source Collection showcase from different countries where chocolate is produced. 

We selected the Venezuela region, because it is one of our favorites.  The cacao content is 80%.  Single source chocolate is akin to estate wines, where the wine is made from grapes grown on the estate.  This is a growing trend in chocolate production.

Like estate wines, it is priced higher, because it is not blended with other chocolate.  It retains the essence of its terroir, (the natural environment in which the chocolate is grown, and the taste resulting from the soil composition in which it is produced).

We were also impressed by the packaging, which differed from all other chocolate packaging we have seen.  This one was remarkable as was the taste! 

Are you marketing yourself like fine chocolate?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Earn More by Expanding Your World Beyond Real Estate

One of the characteristics of an excellent luxury real estate marketing professional is having a broad base of interests.  Those who can engage in discussions on topics beyond real estate have a greater chance of connecting with high net worth individuals and also of earning their business.  Embracing the fine arts can offer you an entire spectrum of potential topics that can help you differentiate yourself from the typical “one-dimensional” agent (We lovingly call them “uni-dems”).

In a world where we find ourselves spending way too much time in front of TV screens, movie screens, digital device and computer screens it is refreshing to go to a stage play.  Here, instead of being spoon-fed imagery, we actually need to engage our own imagination to fill in the details.

Recently we saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which received 6 Tony nominations (including Best Play of the 2014-2015 season).  The play was so good that I (Ron here) immediately read the mystery novel by British writer, Mark Haddon, upon which it was based. 

The entire story was told from the point of view of the main character, a 15-year-old boy, a genius with functional autism who is a mathematical savant. The staging was absolutely brilliant as it blurred the line between what was going on in the kid’s head and what was actually going on in the real world of the story.

Alexandra and I happened to be seated next to a woman who has an autistic boy.  During intermission she shared her own experience of coping with and ultimately embracing the gift of raising her son as a single parent. Her stories moved us to tears and enriched the experience of the play.  We wanted to give her a standing ovation like the actors received that evening.

Expand your horizons beyond your real estate expertise!  If you do, you will certainly see an increase of business and referrals.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

How to Avoid Becoming a “Go-for” for Your Clients

From time to time we hear about luxury real estate agents who think that offering “concierge” services will endear them to their clients and generate more referrals.  These “above and beyond the call of duty” services (for which the agents are not paid) include personally orchestrating service workers for such tasks as yard clean up, painters, plumbers, stocking the fridge, etc, etc.

We believe that kindness and good deeds go a long way. However, you may want to consider shifting your role from actively doing these things to becoming a resource, a communication hub, a switchboard to refer your clients to service professionals you can trust.  Do not fall into the trap of becoming a “go-for” or an interim “majordomo” (a person who makes arrangements or takes charge for another).

If you live in a major city you could even give your clients a list of the latest smart phone apps that can help them with their chores, shopping, cooking, cleaning, packing (and unpacking), shipping and more.  There is an entire “concierge economy” emerging. For example, there are services that will deliver liquor or flowers or meals in 10 minutes. Some offer pick-up and delivery from any shop in town.  

If you order goods via Amazon or other e-commerce sites there is even a service that provides a proxy shipping address, where they receive your goods so nothing is left at your doorstep. Then, they deliver the goods when you are home.

Think of placing a higher value on your own time and redirecting that good energy into drumming up more business for yourself.  Besides, you will gain more respect from your clients (and more referrals, too), by respecting your true worth as a luxury real estate marketing professional.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Know Your Local Schools

In marketing luxury real estate to buyers it is important to tune into the concerns parents may have for living in proximity to the best schools for their children. The more you know about the schools in your marketplace the more able you are to help your clients make the right decision. The right school can sell your clients on a neighborhood.

You should also stay abreast about the latest innovations in education.  Here is an exciting example of the most leading-edge schools in the country.(Be sure to watch the video too!).

If you work in San Francisco, or Palo Alto, CA or Brooklyn, NY you definitely need to know about AltSchool that just received a $100M in VC funding from the likes of Facebook’s Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, and also an organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs.  AltSchool brings together top experts in learning development, in technology and also in design that create best-in-class personalized learning experiences that prepare kids for their future in 2030.

AltSchool believes that all children have their own unique path to learning.  They truly honor their curiosity. Here are some highlights:

1. Rigorous academics
2. Personalized learning plans
3. Project-based learning
4. Digital learning tools
5. Low student-teacher ratio
6. Social & emotional skills
7. Foreign languages
8. Yoga, sports & physical education
9. Real world learning experiences
10. Engaging and inspiring teachers

In terms of “customer satisfaction”, here is a testimonial from a 10 year old AltSchool Student that says it all: “This is the best day of my entire school life”

Help your luxury real estate buyers with young children make the right decisions. Know your local schools!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Luxury Real Estate Branding: Finding the Perfect Brand Name for You

Finding your perfect brand name is essential to having a successful luxury real estate practice or firm. Ideally, your name should be is easy to remember and also be impactful.  Here is an example from the shoe industry.

The comfortable shoe industry is a $300 billion a year trade. It is continuing to grow rapidly. Women and men over 35 have been asking for a shoe that has both style and comfort.   Gentle Souls by Kenneth Cole is one of the latest entries in this industry.  The brand is a play on word: souls vs. soles. The word “gentle” evokes comfort and ease.

In just two words Gentle Souls communicated this brand’s entire value proposition.  The precision of communication is what makes it perfect. Not only is it easy to remember, it is also easy to share with others, thus facilitating word-of-mouth advertising.

What is the perfect brand name for you?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Is Your Brand Package Remarkable,and Reflective of Your Strategy?

Being at the top of your game as a luxury real estate marketing professional requires being consistently remarkable which includes your presentation materials.  These need to stand out and communicate your identity and its congruency with your target market.

This morning we took some time to do various errands, and some shopping for our upcoming trip.   We were delighted to see that one of our favorite stores from New York, Henri Bendel, had opened a small boutique in the Westfield Center in Woodland Hills.  We were both attracted to the bright display of merchandise, and the striped white and chocolate walls, which was even carried out on the chandelier shades.  Notice the display table with the polka dot border in the photo above.

We bought a gift, and the wrapping was delightful. It shows the congruency that this luxury brand has and maintains beautifully. P.S. The service was superb!

Is Your Brand Package Remarkable and Reflective of Your Strategy?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Are You Easy to Work With, And Easy to Refer?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, if you make it easy for your clients to work with you and you make it easy for them to refer you, you will see a dramatic increase in business. Ease is the antidote to stress and it accelerates word-of-mouth advertising.

Virgin Airlines understands the power of EASE in remarkable customer service. Their brand stands now for EASE. After booking our flights for an upcoming project via phone on Virgin, (the site was wonky at that moment) I stayed on the line to review the person that assisted me. The survey’s first question was “how easy was it to work with our team member?” on a scale of 1-4 (four being the easiest).  The other three survey questions revolved around the ease of my experience, also.

Being competent is not enough.  You need to be easy to talk to and well organized to ease the way for clients to work with you. And, like Virgin, you have to be well branded to empower your clients to easily refer new business your way.   

Are You Easy to Work With, And Are You Easy to Refer?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Thinking Outside The Box You May Find A Lemon Meringue Tart

Finding a niche in your luxury real estate practice where you can dominate is a daunting task, especially if your marketplace is crowded with competing agents.  It requires thinking outside the proverbial box. Here is an example of out of the box thinking

If you were to open a bakery/pastry shop in Santa Barbara knowing there were 19 bakeries catering to a population of less than 150,000 people, you would have to come up with a niche within this business category that is uncontested or serves a target market that is under served.

Lilac’s Patisserie a dedicated gluten free bakery and café opened recently to fill this niche market in Santa Barbara.   Since we have several gluten free friends and relatives, we have been open to trying gluten free desserts.  Some were good like Thomas Keller’s (renown chef of The French Laundry) brownie (made from a mix), and some we tossed at first bite. While I was shopping Ron walked out of the store and discovered Lilac’s a few doors up on State Street.  He bought a lemon meringue tart to test.

When Ron rejoined me, the salesperson started raving about Lilac’s telling us she tested her several desserts on here father who is not a gluten-free fan and he has loved every one of them.  Even though she is not a Celiac (not able to digest gluten), she is an ardent fan.  She was right.  Every bite was delicious including the crust.  We are looking forward to trying more of their dessert items, and having lunch there.

Will you take time to find your niche and look outside the box?  You may find the perfect way to dominate your marketplace.

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Twisted Tales or Trust and Truth?

The two governing principles in running any successful company are trust and truth.  These principles are applicable to the business of real estate, if market leadership is your quest as luxury real estate marketing professionals. 

“When they trust you, you'll get truth. And if you get truth, you get speed. If you get speed, you're going to act. That's how it works.” Jack Welch, (former CEO at GE who during this 20 year tenure increased the company’s value from $14 billion to 500 billion). 

In your listing presentations, be sure that you can pass the “no-spin” test.  Twisted tales about market value, eyewash or any sugar coated facts will most definitely come back to haunt you.

Your relationships with other agents in your marketplace should also follow the same principles if you expect to be in the business for the long run.  Be accessible and insure that your trusted assistant helps to get things done ASAP.

What will be your choice?  Twisted Tales or Trust and Truth?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

Are You In It to Win It?

Your Competition

Why on earth are you in the game of luxury real estate marketing if you are not in it to win it? Sure, there are plenty of agents who just want to eek out a living. But, they are missing out on all of the fun because they do not know the secret of winning the game!

The sweet spot in marketing luxury real estate is making the shift from being what we call a competent “transaction engineer” to being a true market leader. When market leadership is your quest, you become a strategist in a game where power, personal power is the biggest prize and the lion’s share of business follows naturally.  

As luxury real estate brand strategists we advise our clients to look at their competitors as if they were cartoon characters. Do not take them seriously. Factor them out of your mental equation completely and stay 100% focused on your strategy for winning the game, the inner game.

It really gets to be fun when you identify an uncontested or under served market niche that you can dominate, a niche that you can become passionate about.  Then, the competition really becomes irrelevant.  You are not out to “get them”.  You are out to achieve your personal best!

So, what is the secret to winning? Keep your eye the prize of the inner game of luxury real estate marketing-the game of self-actualization! Be in it to win it!

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

ABOUT:  Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry.  They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.