Same Town, Different Roads
Earlier this year, Penny C. McBride, CEO of the Fredericksburg Texas Chamber of Commerce, wrote a wonderful article entitled, The price is the same but the experience is not. It caught our attention because it carried with it an insightful perspective that helps to frame the transaction business.
Multiple Paths to One Destination
Title services are, in essence, all about something basic: insurance. People need peace of mind that what they own will be theirs when they move in. It’s homogenous, regulated, and reliable. So what makes any one title service provider any different than the other, besides being legally capable of providing title services in the subject county?
We know we are all headed to the same place, a town called “Peace of mind” or POM. But arriving there can be characterized by many other experiences which cause a lot of other emotions outside the landscape of that peaceful destination. Think of a town, with many roads leading into it from all the various directions. We’ll get no disagreements from anyone, this is where we all want to end up.
Penny said, “ When we buy things... it’s the experience that often provides as much or more of the perceived value of the transaction.” Imagine landing in this town from the west road, one that was slow and arduous. You never quite knew where you were going, or how far away you were from POM, but one day you arrived, a little tired and still pretty confused. Others came in from the north. They encountered storms and setbacks. No one helped them get here, they did it all by themselves and they arrive in POM armed and defensive, they’ve been taken advantage-of during their journey and they don’t think that’ll stop any time soon. Some came from the east, and they arrived by a relatively smooth road, but when they got to the gate at the town of POM, they had to wait their turn. The closing calendar was all booked up, so they spent weeks and months waiting for the gate to open.
Then there are those who came by the south road. Delegates from the city of POM met them early in their journey and helped them navigate every section of the journey. When rain was coming, they found shelter and explained when it would pass. When they reached a part of the road where the storm had washed it away, the they had the tools on-hand to build a bridge. And when you arrive at the town of POM, the doors are open, your room is ready and you arrive to a group of smiling, welcoming faces.
It’s the same in any business experience. The destination is defined by the experience of the journey.
Handling Volume Gracefully
The article pointed out that our local labor shortages may be cause for complaints. She said, “Trying to absorb increased demand for that product/experience with a decreasing amount of human resource is a problem waiting to happen. No one does their best work when overwhelmed and tired.”
We couldn’t agree more. It’s from this exact issue that Select Title Fbg came to be born. People were getting stuck in line and the high-volume load of closings and title work degraded the client experience. So we challenged the old systems and constructed a deeper bench using technology and processes that could adapt to the number of people who needed help. We widened the gate and ripped off the doors so no one would have to wait unreasonably long on our account.
There’s one problem solved, but the other is more ingrained. Penny quoted her friend Susanna Coppernoll in saying, “Just remember, it may be the millionth time you have answered the question, but it is the first time the customer has asked it!” Dead on. We know title services inside and out, we’ve tried hard to make it as boring as possible, that’s our job right? We need to know every in and out of this technical and tedious world. But we remind ourselves that this is our gift to others. When we are asked the same questions a hundred times over, we take care to remember that it’s new to them, so we slow down enough to answer well. We don’t ever want to become the kind of place that makes light of questions that feel important to you or to your client. Every question is important and deserves as much explanation as is needed to make it feel clear.
The Experience of Calm
Imagine being on a fishing trip. You’re standing on the bank of a massive and raging river. You doubt whether or not you’re able to get down the bank and into the water, let alone catch a fish. Then your guide points out a small and hidden gap in the bank containing stairs. He tells you exactly where to walk and then points to the water where he knows fish are hiding out.
In a few minutes, you’ve forgotten to be nervous and now you’re just having fun! That’s the fruit of a calming influence. We didn’t just pick this concept out of thin air, we spent time listening to the issues people were having, we reflected on our own unique attitude toward them, and we found mutual value in the giving and receiving of this calmness. Real estate is inherently hectic, but we want people to stride confidently into Peace Of Mind by the southern gate, assured that they have arrived in a good place by a good road.
We know that the experience is what keeps people coming back, and we enjoy the relationships we build. So our quiet and modern way is reflective of what we value. Good people who enjoy working together in an environment that fulfills and releases everyone to spend their energy on the other good people around us.