A Hertford agency says that 90% of its referrals from its current landlords result in instructions, which make up over half of the agency's new instructions.
Nine out of ten referrals is a "guaranteed instruction", says Alex Chapman of Anthony Lettings. “Sixty percent of our new instructions come from a referral from one of our current landlords. “We've always done really, really well with referrals,” he says of the Hertford agency, which was established a decade ago when its founder saw a gap in the market for a lettings specialist. The agency has been on an upward trajectory ever since.
“We’re lucky in that we operate in an area that’s rich in professional landlords. In a relatively close-knit community, a lot of landlords are naturally friends so, over time, if someone mentions anything about renting a property, naturally, our name comes up.”
But, with 90% of these referrals being a “guaranteed” instruction - and one of their landlords describing Anthony Lettings as “the best agency I have ever used” - there’s more than pure luck at play. “What we are really good at is problem solving and making sure we always have our landlords’ best interests at heart,” says Chapman. “Our landlords let us get on with things, but in this industry, it’s inevitable that things will occasionally go wrong.”
What’s special about their approach? “We’re open and honest with our landlords all the way along, which they appreciate, and we build good relationships on the back of this,” says Chapman.
The team is also hyper-focused on maintaining a consistently high level of service to its landlords throughout their entire experience with Anthony Lettings, making good communication within the business as important as good communication with their landlords.
“We want to make sure that the service is maintained all the way through the business, from the front-end staff who are valuing and taking on properties to it's our property maintenance staff, it's people doing the inspections to renewals,” says Chapman.
“It’s always about communication. Everyone in the office knows what's going on at any time, so they can pick up the phone and help anyone who needs it. When a landlord calls, I don't want anyone saying, ‘We'll call you back.’ I want their query to be answered then and there.”
Chapman believes the agency’s service will continue to set it apart from the pack.. “On the face of it, all agents do the ‘same’ so we try to make sure we’re not seen that way,” says Chapman. “I want to be ahead of the game rather than behind it."
