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Customer Experience After the Sale: How Real Estate Agents Build Trust, Reduce Friction, and Earn Referrals · Know Like Trust for Real Estate

0:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I've actually partnered with each customer to determine what are of the important milestones that we hit and do these address all of your concerns.
0:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's lay it out together.
0:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's work through it.
0:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's hold each other accountable.
0:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that that's super important and helpful to keep everybody as calm as possible because you know what to expect.
0:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say the same is true for real estate agents working with customers, laying out.
0:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's all the things we're going to do for you if you work with us as a seller or a buyer, you know, to me that is so important to show in managed expectations that way because you know what to expect and I think that's just one of the most important parts.
0:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to no leg trust real estate where I help you craft branding and marketing strategies that align with your unique strengths.
0:45
[SPEAKER_00]: Agents who work with me grow their business on average by 40% by aligning their marketing with who they are, not what they sell.
0:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Today is the second in this customer experience series where I'm talking to leaders all about the customer experience.
1:00
[SPEAKER_00]: If you were here last week, you heard our great conversation with Brittany Hodak who talks about how to acquire super fans.
1:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, today I'm talking with Melissa Anderson.
1:10
[SPEAKER_00]: She is the director of success at Moxie Works.
1:13
[SPEAKER_00]: And the conversation today is a little bit different.
1:16
[SPEAKER_00]: It's less about how to create super fans.
1:19
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's more about what happens after the sale.
1:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So what happens when a client is onboarding or making a transition or trouble shooting through tech that might be challenging?
1:29
[SPEAKER_00]: That's everything we're talking about today.
1:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Melissa is an absolute pro.
1:34
[SPEAKER_00]: I've had the great...
1:36
[SPEAKER_00]: benefit of working with Melissa at Moxie Works.
1:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me tell you, she is incredibly calm, incredibly patient and incredibly dedicated to making the customer experience the absolute best that it can be.
1:49
[SPEAKER_00]: And I really think a lot of what she does isn't taught.
1:52
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really a very raw natural talent.
1:56
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm super excited for you to meet her today.
1:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's get to it.
2:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey Melissa, welcome to the no-like trust pod.
2:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so happy you're here.
2:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you're seeing happy to be here.
2:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for having me.
2:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh my God, so good to see you after all these years.
2:14
[SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna dig right into it.
2:17
[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about customer experience.
2:19
[SPEAKER_00]: You come from the tech side.
2:21
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been talking to people on the retail side in the real estate business.
2:26
[SPEAKER_00]: You come from the tech side, which I think is a really important perspective to have.
2:31
[SPEAKER_00]: agents are people think of customer success.
2:34
[SPEAKER_00]: They often think of like the support desk.
2:38
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's really not really what it is.
2:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you define what customer success is for you at MoxyWorks?
2:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, for what it's worth, I think that's a common misconception.
2:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And I say that having been in the support world.
2:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So here at MoxyWorks, I would define customer success on our team is helping our customers accomplish their goals with our products.
2:59
[SPEAKER_01]: digging into it a little bit further though.
3:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's really critical and crucial to understand what matters most to each customer because that's different depending who you're working with.
3:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Success can look different from one customer to another in terms of what they hope to accomplish, you know what they are not focused on currently and maybe what's more future state.
3:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Additionally, I think it's imperative to understand a customer's business goals overall.
3:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So take the product away from the equation for the moment.
3:27
[SPEAKER_01]: What actually matters to them in their business, because sometimes I think a customer may have this idea of what they want to accomplish with your tools, but you're the expert.
3:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And you kind of know what you can accomplish.
3:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think being able to tie back to those overarching company goals is where customer success comes into the picture in not only understanding what my customer coming in want to achieve with your products and your technology, but what might they be missing that you know about that ties and really well to what they hope to accomplish in their business as a whole.
4:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And some of these things may just be things they're not aware of, that could be automation equating to time savings.
4:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He takes us 10 hours to accomplish all this automation for our agents.
4:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Ooh, well, we can help you reduce that with this tool over here and with the specific rhythm that we would put in place and help you put in place.
4:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So things like that, I think,
4:24
[SPEAKER_01]: are going beyond just here's the button you click to do something or here's how we can troubleshoot a bug you might be encountering.
4:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Please don't get me wrong.
4:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Our support team is, you know, they play such an important part in ensuring success.
4:37
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think they're not thinking about the strategy and the customer goals that customer success really comes in.
4:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think can execute on specifically where support is there to troubleshoot the things that might
4:53
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a great way to kick off the conversation at, so I think, you know, as you were talking, I was thinking about the word communication, so so much of what you were talking about comes down to both communication and relationship building, right, and trust.
5:09
[SPEAKER_00]: But how do you handle when a customer tells you their goal is X, and then when they actually get into it, you realize or they realize that their goal is just something totally different.
5:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Like how do you, well first of all, like how do you actually get at what the real goal is, I guess.
5:28
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, and if there's a miscommunication, how do you temper that when they think that they've signed up for for X and what they're actually getting is Y?
5:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, I think being in customer success, especially with technology, it is often the case that you are resetting expectations and or showing how something works.
5:50
[SPEAKER_01]: that might be a little bit different to what a customer first thought or to your point maybe the customer comes in and thinks this is actually different to what I was expecting and now I'm seeing something entirely different.
6:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I think within customer success you have to be ready to pivot but I feel like
6:05
[SPEAKER_01]: A big part of it is getting down to the problem you're trying to solve for.
6:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And that involves great discovery questions.
6:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I use a lot of different questions so it is my team.
6:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Help me understand what's changed.
6:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it something in your business?
6:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it something within your workflows that's just different or that you've identified as being problematic?
6:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I think questions are where it's at to uncover what's causing this to be a pain point or what caused this shift.
6:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Often you uncover a lot more than you would if you just took someone's initial words and ran with it.
6:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that can really help you understand.
6:43
[SPEAKER_01]: where something is coming from, whether that's a change in direction or a change in what the customer first thought versus what they think now.
6:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And it also ensures clarity and understanding.
6:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I think sometimes if you just run with a solution, thinking you understand, you may have all the best intentions, but then come to realize after you've done something, oh, that actually wasn't the right thing.
7:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's why I think questions to understand and listening to understand instead of just running with it is so important and I think it helps to build a great relationship along the way because you're truly asking questions to understand before proceeding.
7:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It also, in my experience, tells the customer, I truly understand.
7:27
[SPEAKER_01]: or sorry, I want to understand better what the problem is.
7:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me, you know, can you please help me gain clarity?
7:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And then playing it back to show, I've listened, I've understood, here's what I hear.
7:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Do I have all of that correct?
7:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Or is there anything that I'm missing?
7:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And that way, you know, no matter who you're bringing into this, uh, to solve this potential problem or find a path forward, you're making sure you've got a great understanding.
7:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's just critical.
7:54
[SPEAKER_00]: that active listening, asking the discovery questions.
7:58
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a really important part of the equation.
8:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I totally agree.
8:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it really transcends into the real estate business, too, and real estate agents are working with clients.
8:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Clients might think that they have one goal, and then they decide that that's not really their goal, when they start to go down the path with the agent.
8:16
[SPEAKER_00]: My next question to you is, you are so incredibly patient.
8:23
[SPEAKER_00]: and come.
8:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know, just from working with you, like how tense different parts of the technology account relationship can be when you're onboarding new products, when you're transitioning off of one system into another system, when your clients are frustrated, because often technology is just so intimidating to people.
8:45
[SPEAKER_00]: especially real estate agents, which is your client, right?
8:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, how do you, Melissa, stay calm during those like really intense times when the clients just are out of their mind?
8:58
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know that happens to you.
9:00
[SPEAKER_00]: I know it does.
9:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You are not wrong.
9:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's just true, you know, having been on the buyer side myself working with an agent.
9:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I definitely see parallels in what we do, but you know, to answer your question.
9:10
[SPEAKER_01]: For me, there's no problem that doesn't have a solution.
9:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know, and I feel confident in the experience that I have that my team has that will figure it out.
9:23
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, once we can kind of uncover exactly what it is that is the problem, there's no problem in my opinion that doesn't have a solution is it always a solution that you think it is not necessarily, you know, and I think sometimes it's hard to see that when there's a lot of stake and often that's the case to your point when you're switching technology, there's that change management component, this is a big change for us, this is something that, you know, we had a bad experience prior we need this to go really well.
9:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think unpacking the things that matter most and coming up with a plan that isn't something I've just come up with, I've actually partnered with each customer to determine what are the important milestones that we hit.
10:10
[SPEAKER_01]: and do these address all of your concerns.
10:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's lay it out together.
10:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's work through it.
10:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's hold each other accountable and determine who's going to be working on each of these different, really important steps along the way.
10:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And let's come up with a plan.
10:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think getting buy-in on that plan, what the milestones are, who's responsible for what, both on the customer side as well as on my side of things in keeping each other accountable along the way.
10:38
[SPEAKER_01]: In my opinion, important to have something that brings clarity on both sides.
10:43
[SPEAKER_01]: So back in the day, we used base camp, but you can use literally nice thing.
10:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't use it anymore, but.
10:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a fan.
10:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But it makes it really clear.
10:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's what we're working on now.
10:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's what we need in order to get to the next milestone.
11:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's who's owning this component from your team.
11:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be owning this component.
11:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you have that open line of communication dialogue on both sides.
11:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So that nobody is, you know, not aware of kind of what's next.
11:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Once we complete this, we'll move on to this next thing.
11:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that that's super important and helpful to
11:21
[SPEAKER_01]: keep everybody as calm as possible because you know what to expect.
11:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say the same is true for real estate agents working with customers, you know, being really clear on what to expect, whether you're a buyer or a seller, having, you know, and I've seen this with customers I've worked with, laying out.
11:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's all the things we're going to do for you if you work with us as a seller or a buyer.
11:44
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, to me, that is so important to show in managed expectations that way because you know what to expect.
11:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's just one of the most important parts.
11:53
[SPEAKER_00]: What I've heard from you so far is asking those, it really important discovery questions, building the trust and the open communication and then laying out expectations.
12:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's so important, not just in what we do in our work, but it's so important in our lives too.
12:11
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I mean, oh my god, I always bring my son into the podcast conversations, but I'm going to do it again.
12:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's this kid who from day one doesn't do well with transitions.
12:23
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, we have learned as parents that we have to
12:28
[SPEAKER_00]: let him know ahead of time what to expect and that helps keep him calm and it gives us a better life as well and so I think I think people in general they want to know what to expect and even if they've done
12:43
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing, whatever it is, millions of times, it doesn't matter.
12:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It's still important every transition, every purchasing sale, every onboarding, it has its own challenges.
12:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And so laying out those expectations.
12:59
[SPEAKER_00]: And then when there's a bump in a row in the road, like, or what if somebody's not accountable?
13:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Melissa, like, what if you get onto base camp or whatever project management tool you're using?
13:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And the client hasn't done what they needed to do to push things forward.
13:15
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you handle that?
13:16
[SPEAKER_01]: That can be really challenging.
13:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to lie.
13:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it ties back to that accountability for me personally and for my team.
13:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's really important to go back to the why.
13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, you may need to have a challenging conversation with either the person who isn't delivering what needs to be delivered in order to move forward.
13:38
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think ultimately, when any customer buys a technology, they've done so for a very specific reason or set of reasons.
13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And I tie back to that.
13:48
[SPEAKER_01]: you know, I understood that XYZ was important and in order for us to move forward, we need to complete why over here.
13:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand things may have changed or maybe there's someone else that can step in to take care of this if the person who it's been assigned to is just busy with other things.
14:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's just about having that transparent conversation after tying back to the
14:14
[SPEAKER_01]: deliver or hit the next milestone until we get this part of it done.
14:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And so this does push out our timeline.
14:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We may have even had a very similar conversation.
14:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think so though, because everyone on your team was super on, you know, off of everything.
14:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'll just say that.
14:31
[SPEAKER_01]: But things come up, you know, people have arguments.
14:33
[SPEAKER_01]: We have lives, different things come up.
14:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Priorities might change.
14:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And I so I think it's just having that partnership in the conversation to better understand.
14:43
[SPEAKER_01]: What's changed?
14:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Do we need to move this out a little bit?
14:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it's just as simple as moving it out a couple of days because something else Critical came up often happens in real estate and then let's just real line.
14:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's make sure we understand on both sides where we're at in order to move forward.
14:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know what I think like anybody you might be a little bit scared of having that conversation, but at the end of the day,
15:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It actually does what it needs to.
15:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I've never had it not do that and gets you to a better place.
15:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And they say, thank you so much for actually asking the question.
15:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Things did change a little bit.
15:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we do have to push this out.
15:16
[SPEAKER_01]: But we're on it.
15:17
[SPEAKER_01]: We understand how important it is.
15:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And we do want this to be successful.
15:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I've never regretted having a tough conversation in order to just get that contract and make sure we have what we need in order to be successful.
15:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think that speaks again to what you were talking about in the beginning, which is asking the questions that they actually helped to build trust and build a deeper, trusted relationship.
15:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's just as simple as that.
15:43
[SPEAKER_00]: And I also love how you said, no problem can't be solved.
15:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's you go into the conversation.
15:51
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, knowing that whatever the issue is that may or may not come up, you'll work it out.
15:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll figure it out.
15:57
[SPEAKER_00]: There's, you know, it's not the end of the world.
16:00
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not cheering cancer, right?
16:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Is come something that you feel like is a natural talent of yours or is it something that you feel like you've tuned over the years or you've learned as a skill?
16:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Or is it just like who you are, Melissa?
16:17
[SPEAKER_01]: It's funny.
16:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to think about that when I think back to my past experience, I've worked in either customer support or customer success for a number of years.
16:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And I do think that it takes practice because I do think especially the types of personalities that end up in customer
16:42
[SPEAKER_01]: want to say yes, want to do the things that are going to make their customers happy.
16:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think sometimes you have to take a step back.
16:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I had a manager who said we can't both be panicking at the same time.
16:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think, you know, when I'm working with a customer or when a real estate agent is working with their client,
17:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I see myself as being the expert and understanding a lot, the experience that I bring to the table, the expertise to the conversation, knowing that I have access to the teams that might be needed to address a problem.
17:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel confident going into that conversation whereas I know my customer doesn't know the engineer that I might go to or the product manager that I might speak to to articulate.
17:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's the problem that we're trying to solve or the pain that this customer is experiencing.
17:31
[SPEAKER_01]: So I do think that it ties back to asking great questions to better uncover what is the actual pain point or problem we're trying to solve.
17:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I feel calm because I know I have a great team behind me that I can go to in order to explain the situation and come back with
17:51
[SPEAKER_01]: options to choose from.
17:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Because, like I said, it may not be the solution that a customer has in mind or a thinking about, but I can come back to the table having really understood the problem talked to the relevant people to bring back some solutions that we can talk through in order to find a path forward.
18:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And so
18:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I think knowing that I have a great team behind me, knowing I have a wealth of experience to pull from, helps me to be calm in those moments, and I think discovery mode.
18:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like, I want to know all the things, I think I'm curious to understand.
18:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So if something jumps out at me, I'm like, oh, tell me more, why is that so important?
18:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Because maybe I don't know, I can't claim to be an expert in everyone's market, you know, some states I haven't lived in, but I'll hear something.
18:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think you just get used to that, and you're like, oh, tell me more.
18:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it helps me to understand.
18:40
[SPEAKER_01]: and helps the customer open up and share more about the problem that they need to be teaming a little bit panicked about.
18:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, I think asking those questions helps to calm everybody down and then I'm in data collection like making sure I have great notes that I can take back to the team in order to bring forward those solutions that I mentioned.
19:00
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19:08
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19:10
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19:16
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19:19
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19:31
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19:38
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19:39
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19:43
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19:47
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19:52
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19:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that.
19:55
[SPEAKER_00]: So now that you have a team of people working with you, like how do you inspire them to do the job that you do so well?
20:05
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you create culture within your team to achieve your goals?
20:09
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the next question really is what metrics do you use to measure your success?
20:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So one thing that I absolutely love doing especially since I've been in the role and I know a lot of managers may not be able to say that depending on kind of the background that you have, I love to lead by example.
20:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So if there's something that's come up for someone on my team that maybe I have experience with.
20:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I may lead a call or lead or coach them through a moment and then encourage them to then go and do that themselves because I truly believe you and I learned this way too.
20:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it depends on your learning style but helping through the moment letting them see kind of what approach I would take.
20:49
[SPEAKER_01]: then making it their own.
20:51
[SPEAKER_01]: So, okay, now that you've seen me do it, you do not have to do it exactly like I did, but there are certain elements that are important.
20:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And then kind of letting them take that next approach and we use conversational intelligence probably won't surprise you with technology and everything that helps with coaching.
21:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I don't necessarily need to be there.
21:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But I can say let me know how you think it went and then also listen back to that call so that yeah, you know, my team is getting that critical feedback that helps highlight what went well kind of where's their opportunity to get better what were some things that were missed or what were some things that I loved.
21:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I think coaching in the moment like having it be really quick is important.
21:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I also have sessions across the team.
21:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So we are all in many conversations with our customers.
21:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We're all hearing different things, sharing different things.
21:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think there's an real opportunity for us to come together and say, you know, how have we tackled this challenge before?
21:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Has anyone had this same issue come up?
21:51
[SPEAKER_01]: So I mentioned going to some of our cross functional partners and having conversations with them, whether that's product engineering, et cetera.
21:59
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think the same is true across our team.
22:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So I try to bring all of our team together so that we can talk with each other about how we tackle the problem that's come up.
22:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, okay, there's this problem I'm trying to solve.
22:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I think someone mentioned this in the past, you know, what experience do you all have?
22:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd love to run, you know, love to hear some ideas from you so that I can think about how I want to approach this.
22:20
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a lot of role-play style sessions.
22:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So I know that might not,
22:25
[SPEAKER_01]: sounds like fun in the moment, I think there is definitely some people who like it, some people don't, but it makes us better so that we can have those conversations in the moment with each other in a safe space and then go into those conversations with customer feeling confident.
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So those are some of the things that we do on our team as well as some of the product knowledge that we gain as new features are introduced.
22:47
[SPEAKER_01]: How do we position them?
22:49
[SPEAKER_01]: What's the value and why should your customer care about this
22:52
[SPEAKER_01]: specific feature, a wide variety of things that I do to try and set my team up for success.
22:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think a lot of that helps them feel confident going into those conversations.
23:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that comes across with their customers as well.
23:04
[SPEAKER_01]: That's amazing.
23:05
[SPEAKER_00]: And what metrics do you guys use to measure your success?
23:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, Mr. Part, didn't I?
23:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so one of the things that we look at that I think is really important.
23:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Especially when you think about the full customer journey is okay, I started with
23:21
[SPEAKER_01]: this product and I onboarded with this product.
23:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I have access to it, but am I being successful?
23:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what are the things that I'm doing with this customer to be successful?
23:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And that can look very different.
23:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So one of the initial metrics that I measure across my team is, are we meeting with this customer?
23:39
[SPEAKER_01]: We, by weekly, monthly, the answer hopefully should be us.
23:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And if yes, what are we focused on?
23:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So one of the things that I think is very important and ties back to something I mentioned earlier is each of my CSM should know their book of business.
23:58
[SPEAKER_01]: They should understand what's important to each customer, what they're working on, what they're focused on, and a key element to
24:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I like to call it a success plan, but it could be called a value plan.
24:09
[SPEAKER_01]: It's, what's our North Star?
24:11
[SPEAKER_01]: What are the things we're working toward?
24:13
[SPEAKER_01]: That should be really clear because if you don't know, that tells me already we've got a problem.
24:18
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're not meeting with your customer, I'm worried to me that is a red flag.
24:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it that your customer doesn't want to meet with you?
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, are we not focused on the right things?
24:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's try and level set and bring things back.
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's one KPI that I look at specifically is, are we meeting regularly?
24:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And you'll remember back from the day, we used to meet regularly, you know, to talk through, yeah.
24:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
24:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
24:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
24:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that is important to stay aligned and over time that tends to Peter out, you know, you customer will become expert at certain things and no longer need as much time to talk through things or as business changes, they need want to meet more frequently.
24:58
[SPEAKER_01]: The other things I look at, it's funny, I think they're more qualitative than quantitative in some ways, how are we driving value in every conversation that we're having, how are we sharing best practices, tips and tricks, what
25:13
[SPEAKER_01]: is this particular customer missing?
25:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Where are the opportunities?
25:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I do think it's super important to be generating value in every interaction, whether that's email or conversation.
25:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want my team sending out something that is just, well, why did we send that out?
25:29
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're calling out something that should be providing value, I feel the same and it's, by the way, a similar conversation we have with,
25:36
[SPEAKER_01]: real estate agents.
25:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Be very targeted in what you're sending.
25:39
[SPEAKER_01]: If you know someone cares about something, you can really focus in on that.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And to me, I think that shows that one needs understood them really well.
25:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Understand what's important.
25:50
[SPEAKER_01]: You're tying back to previous conversations that you've had.
25:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that goes a long way to make one make the customer feel heard.
25:57
[SPEAKER_01]: But to deliver value that matters, that resonates with the customer.
26:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Otherwise, you risk just
26:05
[SPEAKER_01]: almost causing them to ignore you because they're like, why are you in sadness to me?
26:09
[SPEAKER_01]: That doesn't really matter for me.
26:10
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I totally agree with you.
26:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, you know, a lot of people check the boxes.
26:18
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I posted on social media today.
26:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I sent an email.
26:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I made 10 calls, whatever it is.
26:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And if there isn't, you know, a very intentional goal in sending those out
26:33
[SPEAKER_00]: or to answer a specific question or maybe a question you get all the time, whatever that piece of value might be, it needs to be able to resonate with the people on the other end of it.
26:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Just checking a box doesn't do the job.
26:48
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not going to deepen those relationships.
26:50
[SPEAKER_00]: It's certainly, you know, it just creates more noise in the atmosphere, you know.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: For that reason too, personally I call them and I think many do vanity metrics.
27:02
[SPEAKER_01]: they don't actually matter.
27:04
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't move the needle.
27:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, you know, one of the things that I like to do is especially to just check that my team, the CSMM working with understands what was the goal in sending that why why did we send that.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that helps to reframe the situation, understand, okay, I'm sending it for the specific reason because I do think that it is something that will matter.
27:28
[SPEAKER_01]: to them, and I would like to have a conversation about whatever it might be, but if you can't answer the question on why you sent something or what the goal was, then I think it's important to take a step back and think about what should I be sending, and it's so true, it's so true for agents, we talk about like, harmless, we talk about, you know, fear, selling, and really focusing and then segmenting your people into the things that matter, because I will tell you
27:58
[SPEAKER_01]: if they act like they don't know something that I've shared, maybe multiple times, and they're sending me stuff that's irrelevant, they'll teach me not to open your emails.
28:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll probably start ignoring you.
28:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it's important to think about that.
28:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's your audience?
28:13
[SPEAKER_01]: What are you sending and why?
28:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, exactly.
28:16
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, one of the questions I get all the time is, you know, how big should my database be?
28:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Like when I think about, you know, email campaigns
28:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's really no right or wrong answer to that, but I think the more important question is, are these people in my database people that know like and trust me?
28:37
[SPEAKER_00]: And enough that I know enough about them, too, that I'm going to send them information that's relevant to their lives, that they're actually going to want to receive from me.
28:49
[SPEAKER_00]: If you've got thousands of people in your database and you're just shooting information out there, it's not to your point moving the needle at all.
28:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You're better off having a smaller database where you can go deep with the people.
29:00
[SPEAKER_00]: So I have a question about churn.
29:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that is a major metric I know in the SaaS world.
29:06
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, churn is a reality.
29:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Why are some companies better at it than others?
29:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, for my perspective, and having worked with a few different companies, not just in real estate, but I think one of the things that I think is really important and it's kind of something that I take very seriously is knowing your customer and
29:30
[SPEAKER_01]: being there for them, not just when the contract is signed and when the account is set up, but therefore the long haul, right?
29:40
[SPEAKER_01]: You're there to be the person that you can go to and don't get me wrong.
29:44
[SPEAKER_01]: This isn't for everything, but if something's going wrong, I want to hear about it.
29:49
[SPEAKER_01]: if something's not working correctly, I want to know so that we can write the ship so that we can talk through it and come to an understanding, get aligned, find a path forward, and I think sometimes and I've experienced this myself by the way being a customer of a SaaS organization.
30:07
[SPEAKER_01]: If I can't reach out to someone and connect with them,
30:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And or if I don't hear from them or couldn't even tell you who my person is that should be my strategic advisor for that company, I feel like they don't necessarily care and I do think that that can result in turn because there may be great opportunities that I'm missing because I can't necessarily self serve and find them easily.
30:35
[SPEAKER_01]: on the website.
30:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Additionally, there might be opportunities for configurations that are not something I can do myself, but that someone from their team can help me with.
30:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And some of the partnerships I have with vendors that I work with that I think reduces the chance of turn, are deeply understanding that customer, asking the questions.
30:56
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of things I've talked about to make sure,
30:58
[SPEAKER_01]: that without a question, you are able to accomplish the goals of that customer, and I think that's important.
31:06
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think when customers are kind of left to fund for themselves, and by the way, it doesn't have to be meetings.
31:12
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't have to be meetings all the time, but it is initially a lot of meetings to gather information.
31:17
[SPEAKER_01]: That starts at the sales side.
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So the sales team is gathering information.
31:21
[SPEAKER_01]: The onboarding team gets information.
31:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Then the CSM team.
31:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think all of those teams speaking to each other, it should be a spread throughout so that without a doubt the CSM who eventually is working with that customer understands everything that's important and can tie back to those things.
31:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And the customer doesn't feel like it's a disjointed experience.
31:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a journey for them that feels seamless.
31:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think when that's not the case or it's a little bit disjointed.
31:46
[SPEAKER_01]: or customers not feeling heard or listened to.
31:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that is when things can fall apart and in my experience.
31:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that as a customer that's when I felt like I don't even know if I'm being heard here, they're asking me this question they've asked 20 times.
32:03
[SPEAKER_01]: They give me to keys to the castle and now I can't reach anybody to find out how
32:07
[SPEAKER_01]: to do X. I think it's the whole experience, so not even just CSM.
32:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all the different teams working together.
32:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't even touch on education, but I think that's important.
32:17
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they all work together in order to success customers.
32:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And if any part of that breaks, then I think it can be problematic.
32:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But that's not to say it can't be fixed through the great relationships that you establish with customers in order to understand the problems, address them, fix them and move on.
32:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Because let me tell you, I don't think there's any SaaS organization that has like a complete, like, an experience with no problems.
32:45
[SPEAKER_01]: It's how you handle the problems when they come up and make sure that they are resolved.
32:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
32:50
[SPEAKER_00]: That's really important.
32:51
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really, you know, mapping out the entire customer journey and making sure that each milestone or each touch point along the way is being, you know, taken care of and that everybody understands, you know, what what what's important and what the ultimate goal is.
33:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
33:09
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a really great point.
33:10
[SPEAKER_00]: So that the communication needs to happen within your organization as well, not just you and the customer, but everybody who's involved in that customer journey.
33:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and there's people working in the background that the customer might never see.
33:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think there's a lot that's going on, but just communicating where things stand, I think, can be the difference between a customer feeling supported, and feeling like, is anything actually happening?
33:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Because there are a lot of things that might be happening that are super technical, geez, I'm not an engineer, but I can help to understand and say, like, let's understand what the path forward looks like, what the timeline looks like,
33:49
[SPEAKER_01]: customers not feeling like is anything actually going on.
33:52
[SPEAKER_01]: You're kind of there providing updates every step of the way.
33:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so what's one thing that it real estate agent could do in anticipation of a problem?
34:02
[SPEAKER_00]: So before it arises, that would dramatically improve the client's experience.
34:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I kind of touched on this a little earlier, but I truly think that making sure your client understands what the process looks like and is aware of some of the hurdles that they might encounter along the way.
34:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that this can include many different things, but like how you'll work together, setting expectations for when they can expect to receive things from me.
34:31
[SPEAKER_01]: whether you're working with a buyer or a seller.
34:34
[SPEAKER_01]: This may be the first transaction they've had because, you know, a consumer isn't often transacting a lot.
34:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they've never done this, at least when I was in school, this was never taught to me.
34:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So like, yeah, I'm truly like, I've taught you out because I'm looking for an expert in the market.
34:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm looking for someone who can help me every step of the way.
34:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't really know what that looks like.
34:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I've googled it.
34:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I have some idea.
35:01
[SPEAKER_01]: as an expert in the market, but also outline all of the things that you're going to be doing for your client, what the different stages of either buying or selling look like, things to avoid.
35:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So this is something it's so funny.
35:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I think through social media, I know this, but no one ever actually said it to me and I wish they would have, don't buy a big ticket item, you know, when you're purchasing a home, like don't go and buy a new car, right?
35:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes,
35:29
[SPEAKER_01]: did, right?
35:30
[SPEAKER_01]: But I found that out through social media.
35:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, don't assume that your client knows what not to do so that you don't run into those problems.
35:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's really important to lay it all out, being upfront about these things so that your client knows about it, your avoiding future problems, or if problems arise, you've talked about it before.
35:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And so there's not those panic moments that we talked about earlier, because you've set your client up for success in that they know some of the things that can happen, and some of the pitfalls
35:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Beautiful, I love it.
36:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Melissa, finish the sentence.
36:03
[SPEAKER_00]: No like trust is imperative.
36:08
[SPEAKER_01]: It really is.
36:08
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so important.
36:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I think in everything that we do, and it can be taken so many different ways, which is why I had to think about it for a second.
36:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Because, you know, I think it comes down to who you know,
36:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and speaking of like real estate agents, I think you're trusting that they're, they have your best interests in mind.
36:33
[SPEAKER_01]: You're trusting that they've listened to everything that you've shared about what's important to you and, you know, what you're looking for.
36:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is a huge transaction.
36:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think it's just so, so important.
36:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why referrals are so important.
36:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, sharing your experiences.
36:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I think today and today's world, the first thing I look at is reviews.
36:54
[SPEAKER_01]: If I'm going to buy something, if I'm going to think about potentially going to a different doctor or use like I will see what I can find first and so I think if you are not taking care of your current clients and serving their best needs listening to them, et cetera, I think it can definitely
37:12
[SPEAKER_01]: have a negative impact on your business in the future, because we are as a society, we're too ready to call out the bad things.
37:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes the good do, but often the bad things when something doesn't go right.
37:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And so it's your grand at the end of the day.
37:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's what you're putting out there into the world, and you need to protect it, make sure everything you're doing aligns to your values and what matter to you.
37:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Truth, preach it, preach, preach, preach.
37:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I love it.
37:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, so how can people find you?
37:42
[SPEAKER_01]: LinkedIn's probably the best.
37:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I think you have my LinkedIn already, but I can get the link for you.
37:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's a great way to reach me.
37:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I tend to use that probably the most in email.
37:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I have my email, both personal, as well as my MoxyWorks email.
37:56
[SPEAKER_01]: If your MoxyWorks customer could use some help, then I'm available there as well.
38:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And I can make sure you have that.
38:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's the same email as it was back in the day for steam.
38:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you still have it in your address book.
38:06
[SPEAKER_00]: I do.
38:07
[SPEAKER_00]: I do.
38:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Fantastic.
38:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for being with us today.
38:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I've loved watching you grow over the years and I love, you know, you are, I mean, I feel like you were a kid when I met you and now you're this experienced leader and it doesn't surprise me one bit because you just have evolved and grown into what you already were.
38:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So congratulations on all your success.
38:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks for being with us today.
38:32
[SPEAKER_00]: I so appreciate you.
38:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, thank you so much for having me.
38:34
[SPEAKER_01]: It's
38:35
[SPEAKER_01]: so great to connect again.
38:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's funny.
38:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think sometimes you don't reflect on all that you have accomplished.
38:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So when someone calls it out, you're like, oh, but you know, the same is here for you.
38:45
[SPEAKER_01]: The podcast everything from when we were first talking.
38:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember doing Facebook lives with you.
38:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like we both frown so much.
38:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But I love reflecting back on those moments too, because honestly, it was so much fun and enjoyed working with you then, enjoy working with you now.
39:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's all great things.
39:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for listening to the show.
39:06
[SPEAKER_00]: If you loved our conversation, I would love it if you would share it with a friend and make sure to hit that follow button.
39:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So you never miss another episode.
39:13
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're watching us on YouTube, hit that subscribe button.
39:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So you never miss another episode.
39:18
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Christine George, and you're listening to No Like Trust for Real Estate.