July is Luxury Month at Inman. We’ll take the temperature of the luxury market, talk to top producers in the ultra-luxury space and dive into the luxe trends of today — all culminating at Luxury Connect in San Diego, where we’ll announce this year’s Golden I Club honorees.
Whether you’re a real estate broker, team, office or global brokerage, established and effective routines and systems are integral to your success. Thankfully, in a world of increasing automation, so many of our daily tasks can be set on autopilot — from email marketing drip campaigns to set-it-and-forget-it seasonal ad campaigns.
While you can operationalize systems to support exceptional client experiences at scale, you must begin with radical personalization. In my career, this has meant elevating moments and creating touchpoints that make my clients feel so surprised, delighted and understood that they want to share that experience with others.
These rituals should feel authentic to you, meaningful to your clients and should build emotional connections that far outlast the transaction.
Treat clients with ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’
More than three-quarters of the U.S. GDP is driven by service industries, according to Will Guidara, restaurateur and author of Unreasonable Hospitality, whose ethos centers on treating clients like honored guests, not just customers. I built my business on that same foundation of graciousness, hospitality and what I’ve always thought of as radical personalization.
Guidara’s approach helped transform his restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, from a two-star brasserie into the best restaurant in the world. Similarly, The Agency has grown into a global brand operating in 13 countries — driven by the same hospitality mindset.
Guidara differentiates between service and hospitality — what you do for your clients versus how you make them feel when you’re providing that service. Adopting this approach means learning about and anticipating your client’s unspoken needs and, in the case of real estate, their deepest motivations, lifestyle and financial goals, as well.
Will Guidara once filled a private dining room with sand to console a couple whose beach vacation had been canceled. His team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a sledding adventure in Central Park after their dining experience. “The only competitive advantage that really exists comes through investing, consistently and generously, into relationships,” says Guidara, expressing a truth that’s so relevant to the real estate industry.
Create opportunities for joy
An agent’s routine should incorporate these intentional opportunities for joy. For your clients who mention their love of baseball, take them to see a big game or surprise them with tickets, and they’ll feel seen and appreciated. Going above and beyond should feel so tailored and generous that your clients feel compelled to talk about it. That’s the best marketing you’ll ever have.
In Los Angeles, some agents like to host an upscale espresso cart at open houses or send a case of Champagne as a closing gift. Guidara advocates for spending five percent of your resources on “unreasonable” gestures that have an outsized impact on the guest experience. These don’t have to cost money. Learn your client’s preferences and deliver in creative, unexpected ways.
When you’re in the early stages of building a relationship with a new client, you want to get to know them. I’ve said it before — listen like it’s your superpower. Ask strategic questions to get their real, underlying motivations. Don’t just ask, “What kind of home do you want?” but, rather, “What’s your dream morning routine?” or “What do you wish you had in your last home?” Use their answers to tailor their home search.
For a buyer’s very first property tour and all the ones that follow, I like to pick my clients up in my car. It’s kind of old school, but it’s my thing. Whether you offer them a strong cup of cold brew or a bottle of Dom sipped at their first showing, you can turn a routine tour into a ritualized first step in their homebuying journey — one that they’ll remember.
Before closing escrow, when you’re doing a final walkthrough with your client in their soon-to-be home, share a few personal reflections you’ve gathered during their property search and the course of your relationship, affirming how this home matches their story. Turn this otherwise ordinary moment into a ritual that adds emotional weight to the culmination of their homebuying journey.
Scale up your personalization
Finally, teach your team how to build systems that support radical personalization at scale. Tracking client preferences in your CRM or empowering your support team to act as a hospitality concierge can build on your goal of creating memorable touchpoints throughout the client journey.
At The Agency, we’ve built efficient, high-performing systems to market and sell homes — from listing photography and bespoke branding to PR and property storytelling — that give our agents the time to invest in what matters most: the client experience.
Radical personalization is the real differentiator that turns a transaction into a story and a client into an advocate. Because in the end, no one raves about your backend operations (as important as they may be). They remember how you made them feel, and it’s those thoughtful, unexpected gestures that your clients will remember and share.
Mauricio Umansky is the founder and CEO of The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
