Real Estate 'Passionista' Relies on New Tools, Tried-and-True Customer Service to Help Agents Sell Homes

Londonderry, NH - What’s it like to sell your home in a competitive New England market? What do sellers care about? How much time do they have? What is their definition of good customer service?

These are some of the questions that longtime real estate professional and president of sales at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty (Verani) asks every one of her clients, and recommends that the 500 agents she oversees across 13 offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, ask as well.

“You have to consider the busy schedules that sellers have,” said Debra “Debbie” Russell Gallant, who recently shared her insights with more than 300 people at last month’s Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Estate Convention in Phoenix. “Mastering the art of asking the right questions is the best way to help a seller because it lets them know exactly what I can offer them – whether they need staging help, drone footage of the property, or an infusion of positivity from a self-proclaimed ‘real estate passionista.’”

In a sense, it’s all about marketing.

“They say in the real estate industry that it’s all about location, location, location,” Gallant said. “I say, it’s marketing, marketing, marketing; you must differentiate yourself by being an excellent communicator, no matter what.”

Gallant’s approach has evolved throughout her 30+ year career, and says the internet is the biggest change, but she sees technology, social media and digital communications methods as additional ways to market herself, and her clients’ properties.

“If you don’t differentiate yourself, you become a commodity, and are instantly exactly the same as your competitor,” said Gallant, who has also been a certified training instructor for 20 years. “I tell my colleagues that the only way they can offer good customer service is to ask their clients what they expect first. Then you can meet and exceed that.”

And while Gallant won’t give away all her trade secrets (she saves those for her colleagues at Verani and her clients), here are a few tips designed to help sellers and buyers be successful.

• Leverage your brands – For Gallant, she has the might and resources of a global organization, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, to help her with outreach and listing technology systems. She also has the Verani brand, and aligns with its core values of community, ethics, and customer service. Her personal brand – the compelling reasons that people say they enjoy working with her – centers on expertise, energy, and passion.
• Be thankful – Gallant once wrote a congratulatory letter to Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO and investor Warren Buffett after reading one of his now-famed letters to shareholders, which she was happy about. She was even happier after she received a handwritten note back from him. Her takeaway: if the third wealthiest person in the world can take the time to hand write a note, so can you.
• Think of listing presentations as business plans, and do your preparation: highlight your differentiators and the tangible ways you are better suited than your competition; make your listing packages unique, helpful, and clear about “what’s in it for me.”

To learn more about Gallant and her and her team’s approach to real estate, visit verani.com.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty has been serving the real estate needs in the communities of New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts since 1967. The agency has a reputation for innovation and exemplary customer service. As a full service agency, Verani has been expanding and now has multiple offices across Southern and Central New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts with over 475 Real Estate agents available to meet client real estate needs in NH, MA and ME.

With an emphasis on customer service, commitment to training, affiliation with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Real Estate network, adherence to the Realtor® Code of Ethics and utilization of the latest technological resources give us a competitive edge in our real estate dealings. Verani is committed to bringing these resources to your New Hampshire and/or Massachusetts real estate needs.

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