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Ben Davis

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PropertyHeads says yes!

From: Ben Davis 13 March 2020 05:27 AM

Absolutely! There are a handful of portals emerging with differentiated business models that don't rely on hefty agent subscriptions. Onedome, PropertyHeads etc - we encourage our agents to explore them all. I would add its on the emerging portals to show they are on the side of the agent. At PropertyHeads we do this by offering unlimited free listings forever, and 100% organic reach on our integrated social network. I know Onedome offers 100 years of free listings and revenue opportunities for agents. Emerging portals, agents and CRMs should all be working together.

From: Ben Davis 14 February 2020 08:19 AM

The article/video is the perspective of a large corporate agent - and they "enjoy" a very different relationship with Rightmove than the majority of readers here. It's right about one thing though, a Rightmove boycott will NEVER happen. Moreover, it is almost impossible for a number 2 or 3 portal with the SAME business model to usurp the market leader (based on evidence from dozens of markets around the world). So where does that leave us all?.... Andrew is on to something, the "solution" will almost certainly come in the form of proptech and social media. But lets focus on portals. For the first time ever, there are a handful of new zero (or sometimes very low) cost contenders, with access to capital, and business models that stand up without taking down the agents trousers. Some of these portals even strive to help the agent grow their own brand and or provide revenue opportunities. Why not get your agency/properties on ALL these platforms? And let the entrepreneurs that run these businesses focus on growing their consumer audiences. Yes I'm talking about our own PropertyHeads, but also Openbrix, Onedome, Residential People and any others I might have forgotten. I'd love to know what's stopping you - call me 0203 205 7266 (there won't be any up sell, but I won't be giving out free calendars either!).

From: Ben Davis 12 February 2020 10:44 AM

The question was is there anything new on the way. The answer appears to be a resounding "no". How about an article giving the emerging portals each a chance to answer the same question?

From: Ben Davis 12 December 2019 09:10 AM

Given the main issue is one of pricing, why not invite the free to list challenger portals to address the same list of questions? I think there are several very interesting new portal businesses out there that unlike recent challengers don't need ever rising agent subscriptions to turn a profit. The contrast not just in terms of value for money, but the ambitious use of tech to improve agent and consumer experience would be an eye opener for many. Agents dont need to cancel Rightmove to change the status quo. Instead get behind EVERY professional free portal and support these entreprenuerial businesses as they disrupt the traditional portals. Another difference with past challengers is that today at least three of us have access to multi-million pound business development budgets.

From: Ben Davis 23 November 2019 08:05 AM

I won't comment on any particular agency gaming the Trustpilot system. But it is clear that any review system (be it Trustpilot, Feefo, AllAgents etc) based on largely unidentifiable posters' comments being disseminated across the board, and attributed a 1-5 rating, provides both motive to game the system and no natural barrier to prevent it. We are therefore left to rely on those review companies internal checks and balances, and where they are paid by the reviewed companies, at risk from inherent conflict of interest. These review systems are a numbers game and do work for very large corporates in any industry. But if as a smaller company you have 659 reviews at an average 4.82 rating, and your corporate neighbour has 660 at 4.82000000001, you needn't have bothered turn up! Well done Chancellors on the 10,000+ reviews, but as a customer of a particular branch, I couldn't give a monkeys about a vast majority of the reviews you're asking me to look through. The public will all too often sort reviewed agents by rating, this fails because often times they're comparing apples with oranges, and they focus on a rounding error rather than the qualitative comments that apply to their situation. PropertyHeads agent reviews work differently. We understand that agents are hyper-local businesses (or in the case of Foxtons, Chancellors etc, a group of hyper-local businesses) and the power of word-of-mouth recommendation. Our reviews are all attributed to a specific branch. We do not use star ratings because it detracts from the written comments. Further our reviews are all attributable to a real person with a profile and a timeline on PropertyHeads. We then show your reviews to the writers' friends and connections when they're searching for an agent - hence our claim to help you grow your business by word of mouth. And this acts as our natural barrier to the system being gamed (create a dummy profile, with no connections, and the review gets seen by no one and doesn't contribute to towards an overall score).

From: Ben Davis 25 March 2019 05:09 AM

PropertyHeads already does all of this. We have partnered with One77 mortgages.

From: Ben Davis 15 March 2019 06:48 AM

PropertyHeads launched last year and has a very similar business model.

From: Ben Davis 28 February 2019 06:14 AM

For me the major weakness of all these traditional portals when it comes to back office tools is their limited user data. Yes they can tell you 123 High Street has had 45 views this week. But what if they could tell you the ages, locations and tastes of these viewers? As well as help you re-target those that viewed the details for longest? Our Agent Dashboard launches in the Summer too and promises to deliver this and more.

From: Ben Davis 11 February 2019 07:06 AM

Not sure what I'm allowed to say in the comments, but since we weren't mentioned in the article.... PropertyHeads has a portal with fully integrated social network. This has several distinct advantages for agents: 1. We will never charge to list because we have plenty of other revenue opportunities. 2. Because our leads are members of the social network they tend to give a lot of useful information on their profiles and timelines. 3. We allow instant messaging with all leads. 4. By posting quality content agents have an excellent opportunity to showcase their brand to local home movers at the btanch level. 5. We help you grow your agency by word of mouth online. Got a client review on PropertyHeads - we will show this to the reviewers friends and connections when they are looking for an agent. These leads are free too by the way. 6. Because were a social network, a contact on PropertyHeads can be marketed to free from many of the GDPR restrictions that apply to your email list. Visit propertyheads.com/ph_for_agents for more info

From: Ben Davis 10 December 2018 07:27 AM

All these traditional portals have a business model that relies on charging agents - mutual or otherwise. Our portal is free to list unlimited properties forever. Our portal also breaks new ground in terms of the branding opportunity for agents, richness of lead data, and speed of client communications.

From: Ben Davis 10 December 2018 06:53 AM

Staying in touch with past clients, and even past prospects is so important. That's why we built a dedicated property social network at PropertyHeads.com

From: Ben Davis 26 October 2018 06:18 AM

All very valid points. Richard, I'd love your take on what PropertyHeads' portal and social network is doing to give High Street branches increased online visibility to their local home movers.

From: Ben Davis 03 October 2018 06:41 AM

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