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If there was ever a teachable moment out of crisis and PR management, it was the situation Airbnb found themselves in a few weeks back.
We love the service Airbnb provides. They eventually got the solution right and I'm sure they wish they would've figured it out much sooner. Let's review some of the lessons you can learn from the young team at Airbnb and how they handled the ordeal.
The Backstory
Airbnb
Airbnb is a marketplace that brokers rentals of people's spare rooms, entire apartments, or vacation spots. The service is amazing, and very innovative. Airbnb makes it effortless to showcase your space to an audience of millions, and to find the right space at any price point, anywhere.
Here is a brief summary of what lead to, what some have called, Ransackgate. A member of Airbnb posted on her blog about a bizarre and brutal destruction of her home by someone who rented her space through Airbnb. Her things were stolen, her identity documents photocopied and her apartment destroyed. After the ordeal, she contacted Airbnb, with some difficulty, to let them know what had happened.
All of this started a frenzy online, with questions about the company's viability, if this was an isolated incident, to the topic of what other startups could learn from the fiasco. Airbnb took some time to handle the situation appropriately, but nailed it with a letter from their founder Brian Chesky and their new commitment to safety and damages. So what can you learn from this as a real estate agent?
Understand Your Client's Situation
With the firestorm around the situation it took Airbnb sometime too wrap their heads around the situation. You need to do that same for every client. When you start to look at every client as just another listing or just another buyer you're in trouble.
Take time to fully educate yourself about your client's wants and needs in a transaction. It's also important to stay educated on things that affect your client in ways they might not understand. Your clients probably won't understand how QRM will effect them, what rates do to their purchasing power or what it means for the real estate market that America got downgraded.
Staying on top of what is happening locally in your market, what's happening nationwide that affects your future clients and what your client's situation is will keep you ahead of the competition.
Find Trusted Advisors
As a real estate agent you meet more people than most any other profession. It should be easy for you to start developing a list of trusted advisors. You should have a list of people to call for help on marketing, recruiting, technology, etc. In every part of your business you need advisors.
It's surprising how many people will toil for hours before they reach out to someone for help. The days are too short for that kind of effort. Just like Airbnb relied on PR advisors to help them navigate their ordeal, develop your contacts into trusted advisors to make your life easier. And don't forget to be a resource when you can for someone else.
Get Some Training
Communication is a huge part of being a real estate agent. Many people are afraid of public speaking, but have no issue talking one-on-one with a client or colleague. I know many agents that have sought out public speaking training, and it has helped them immensely with their day to day communication skills.
With some simple media/public speaking training you can become a very effective communicator. A little media training goes a long way for a company in a situation like Airbnb experienced. Imagine what a little training can do for you and your business.
