Geopreneur Corp, India’s only boutique construction company has been established with the belief that ‘Quality sells itself and no hype is necessary’. The company was incepted in 2012 under my leadership and my father Ajay Agarwal, Chairman, Geopreneur Corp’s guidance with an aim to change the home buying experience for the Indian consumer. We are the flagbearers of the 45 years of legacy of Agarwal group, a total of 3 generations of strength and 4 generations of wisdom and as a company, aim at creating bespoke projects for real estate buyers. We have an outlook on providing the best home buying & living experience to any client who envisions buying home in our projects by giving them various choices before purchasing it. As a brand, we believe that customer is the pillar of our success and customer relationship is one of the most important aspects of our business.
As a group, we believe in creating real homes for real people. While designing any project, we first ask ourselves if we would like to stay in this home and what are the amenities we would need to live comfortably. Geopreneur Group’s only growth strategy I believe has been,” A satisfied customer”.
Key Concerns that Impact a Real-Estate Brand
On time delivery is one of the major concerns towards making a customer happy. Most people buy flats that are under construction and are single homeowners. They sell their existing home for an upgrade and shift on rent till the new home is ready. Which means, the customer is now bearing the rent of the temporary house, interest on loan and EMI and yet does not have his new home? This disrupts their financial planning and at the same time, makes them insecure as they have risked their financial safety on this decision. However, with regulations like RERA, this has reduced.
Second most important aspect is, to deliver as promised to the customer at the time of selling the property. Miss-selling is the easiest way to make a customer unhappy and it also costs the credibility of the developer. Be it your ad campaigns or your sales team, as a company, make sure that they only promise what will be delivered to the customer.
Many projects are currently promoting lower price of their properties to lure the customers. E.g. Own a home in Malad in 80 lacs. This claim looks very attractive on a billboard and triggers leads. However, when the customer gets into the details he realizes the property cost is at least 20% higher than what he perceived as the so-called MRP did not cover taxes and registrations costs.
Listen to your market and understand their needs– Develop projects according to the current trends and customer sensibilities. If your project caters to the emotional benefits of the customer too, it will definitely lead to a happy customer.
Innovate but don’t exaggerate- Our homes have unique features like Sound and Dust Proofing too that creates a sanitized living space in a city like Mumbai. These simple features create a wow factor for the customer. Innovation doesn’t have to be always disruptive. At times, even the simplest ideas work wonders.
Price the product sensibly– We keep in mind that the price point is reasonable for a common man to afford. At the same time, we offer Designer lobby, Swimming Pool, rooftop garden with children’s play area, rainwater, harvesting and an automated car parking system too. This gives the customer value for money and the project stands out amongst its competitors in the vicinity, thus giving the developer an extra edge.
Sell the USP and don’t make your weakness look like strength to make a sale- Many builders try to sell the weakness of the project as strength. Example, if a project is far from the city, mis-selling it as ‘an escape from noise’ and exaggerating the connectivity of the location is a definite no-no. Rather, promote it as a second home so that a first home buyer who is working doesn’t feel that he fell into a trap.
The Property, Documents, and Approvals– Though with RERA it is not an issue anymore. Still, a builder should make sure that every step of the project is legally compliant so that the customer does not have issues after getting possession. It not only brings bad reputation but also disturbs the buyer’s life and financials as most homeowners are single property owners and invest their life savings in a home.
Prioritize safety– Many builders pay a lot of attention to the aesthetics and experience of the property to convince the buyer to buy it. But safety too is important as due to it several accidents are constantly happening. Fire safety to making it senior citizen and child-friendly is important.
Pay Attention to design and aesthetics along with amenities- It is essential that the customer feels special in their home and the living experience is pleasant and comfortable. In Mumbai, space is a luxury so designing smart interiors that consume less space but give comfort in the compact living area is important. As a brand we thus make sure that our projects are compact and cozy at the same time includes all the amenities like gardens, swimming pool, and security in a contemporary design that gives the customer an elite living experience thus strengthening our relationship with them.
Quality– Many leading builders often use inferior quality products and thus the homeowner within 2 years of moving itself has to start investing in electricals and plumbing and leakage related issues. This may sound like a minor issue but if one has to live with them, the builder is constantly bad mouthed for ruining the customer’s living experience. Rather simply be more cautious with the material used and contractors assigned to make sure these bugs are eliminated from the property.
About the Author
A young and visionary entrepreneur, Rohan Agarwal, Deputy Chairman, Geopreneur Group, at the age of 26, for his exceptional accomplishments in the construction field, was awarded the ‘Young Achiever’s Award’ by Mr. Pranay Vakil, Chairman of Praron Consultancy (India) Private Limited, at the National Awards for Real Estate and Infrastructure 2015 in Mumbai, . The event took place at Taj Lands End, Mumbai in the presence of several well-known dignitaries and individuals along with Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. This, however, wasn’t the only award the group took home as it was certainly a double celebration for the construction firm, as the Geopreneur Group, India’s first boutique construction company bagged the ‘Emerging Developer of the Year’ Award.
Effective Strategies to Develop Healthy Customer Relationships
