Best Practices for Working with Realtors

If you’re like most entrepreneurs breaking into the drone business, you’ll likely work with realtors early on in your career.

Just like any other professional, a realtor is an expert in his or her field.  They are good at what they do.  In choosing to work with a drone pilot like you, they’ve taken a significant step toward turning their listings around and making a quicker sale.

Often times, however, our friends in real estate don’t understand what it means to work with a drone pilot.  

Here are some best practices to consider as you start working in the real estate business:

BE FIRM ON PRICING

Often times, real estate agents have to spend their own money in order to invest in the marketing of their property.  As a result, being budget conscious is important to their profitability.

Price sensitivity is invariably something that any drone pilot will deal with from clients, and the real estate segment is no exception. Be respectful, but always stick to your guns when pricing a job.

ESTABLISH THE SCOPE OF THE WORK IN WRITING

Many disputes when it comes to creative projects happen when the two involved parties don’t understand one another’s expectations. This makes a working agreement vital.

By placing the expectations of the project in writing and having both entities sign off, the level of ambiguity is reduced dramatically.

LOOK THE PART

Being professional in every aspect is important in any business. When working with realtors, however, first impressions can go a long way toward augmenting your credibility as a drone pilot.

Showing up with clean attire head to toe will put you in the best light possible and give you the first impression you need to show everyone involved that you’re serious about providing a viable service.

BE RESPONSIVE

Another aspect of sound professionalism is being available. Sometimes, availability is as good of an ability as any to have in one’s toolbox. As a drone pilot and a purveyor of creative products, it’s incumbent upon you to be responsive.

Realtors have to work at odd hours to include holidays, weekends and other off-peak times when others are out having a good time.

That’s where making yourself available, and responding in a timely manner, is directly related to your future profitability. 

UPSELL

Another key element of profitability is the ability to sell products that your clients weren’t planning on purchasing.

Contracted for a simple shoot of exterior photos? Why not take a 360-degree panorama and offer it to your client? There are chances they will see the value in it and be willing to pay for it. Just remember tip No. 1 in the process.

Michael C. Jones is the founder and chief pilot of California Aerial Media based in San Diego, California. In addition to hundreds of hours of UAS flight time, he has over 20 hours logged in single-engine manned aircraft. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara who enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Questions? E-mail Michael: [email protected].

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