Viewings - Agent or Owner?

Viewings and who does them seems to be a very popular topic at present. Having personally experienced most of the approaches agents take to the subject, we have a fairly defined view of the answer. Here's our thoughts and some views from other agency pundits.

So, you've chosen your agent and tidied the house ready for buyers to pour through the door. Did you discuss who has the responsibility for accompanying the purchasers? Consideration needs to be given to the following factors;

Security/Safety - Estate agents must check out prospective buyers prior to agreeing a viewing, partly to qualify them (can they afford the house or are they ready to buy/proceedable) but also to see if security is a concern for the owner and/or the agent. Most buyers are friendly, polite and well behaved but there will always be exceptions and you might not want a single lady owner encountering these exceptions! Do also remember that rummaging through personal belongings is not unheard of from buyers and the agent is best placed to keep a close eye on proceedings.

Convenience - Foxtons in London suggest on their website that 39% of their viewings are carried out after work and at the weekends. Like most buyers, most of my vendors work full time so a)would rather not be faced with the responsibility of showing viewers once they've clocked off and b) have busy social lives that occupy the majority of non work time. Having checked with she who must be obeyed, I know we don't have a free weekend until June so I couldn't do viewings on my house if we were selling. Let's not even discuss owners doing viewings during work time - a lunch hour just isn't enough time to rush back, prep the house and then get back to your desk (and the buyer would probably be late anyway).

Knowledge - Of course you know more about your home than agents do but do you know more than them about local comparable sales, local amenities, historic price changes, local search results, school league tables and all the other myriad questions a buyer WILL ask? Questions about the house in particular make up a maximum of 20% of the conversation I have with buyers (most of them can see what's right or wrong/have parents who know/can commission tradesmen to check). If you don't swiftly/comprehensively answer ALL of the buyers questions at the property, doubts will remain and fester in their minds more info. Any objections to the house MUST be handled at the viewing to generate the right response.

Expectations - If you're paying an electrician to rewire your home, you don't do some of the job yourself and then pay them. Same principle with estate agents - you're being charged thousands of pounds so you should expect the full service.

Comfort - Buyers feel uncomfortable with the owner. Maybe it's because we're British but there are studies and statistics to show that almost 50% more offers are achieved from viewings with agents. Owners can be unknowingly guilty of verbosity, over-familiarity, pushiness etc. My wife always reminds me of the time our daughter inadvertently pointed out the damp under the windowsill during a viewing. Agents will already have spoken to the buyer before the viewing, built a rapport and identified what is important to tell them to match is with their requirements and needs. Don't forget buyers also want to re-plan the property and discuss what they would change - an uncomfortable topic with an owner earwigging from the next room!

Emotion - Your house is your home and you desperately want everyone to love it. However, the information you need out of a viewing is what's wrong with it (in case you can fix a problem and improve your chances of selling). Success rates on viewings run to around 10-13 viewings per offer so there will always be plenty of people who say nasty things/knock on walls/make assumptions etc. Best to let the agent take the emotion out of the viewing and concentrate on providing useful feedback to you. After all, how many times have you seen a house with an owner and said nothing more than "that was lovely, we'll be in touch" when you really meant "I hated it within seconds but had to be polite and look round".

Punctuality - The estate agent's biggest day to day problem is buyers who are seemingly unable to arrive on time. We automatically allow for this in our schedule but owners often can't.

Ask The Dental Practice Marketing Expert - How Do I Build Credibility With My Dental Advertising?

Dear Dental Practice Marketing Expert,

I am tired of having to offer discounts and such just to get new patients in the door. I want the patients to see how trustworthy, and honest I am, as well as how much experience I have (I've been in practice 35 years). How can I convey this through my dental advertising?

Signed, Average Frustrated Dentist

Dear Average Frustrated Dentist,

While it would be nice to simply go on the seniority principle when we promote dental practices, that is not the type of society we live in anymore.

Today's consumers are increasingly smart (no matter what Britney Spears and Paris Hilton may say) and are looking out for their best interests when shopping for anything. This includes dental care, and considering dental advertising.

With that being said, here are the five rules for building credibility in your dental marketing.

Credibility rule #1: What others say about you is 1000 times more convincing than what you say about yourself.

Using testimonials from current patients saying how good you are at what you do is much better than telling them yourself. Self promotion has it's place, but third party promotion is always better. Try and integrate this into your dental practice marketing strategy, and see what happens.

Make sure the testimonials are sincere and convey a direct benefit to the consumer. A testimonial saying "You're great!" is not as good as "I enjoy coming to your practice because you always take the time to answer my questions!"

Credibility rule #2: Nobody cares about the letters.

I call this the show off rule, because it has turned into a contest over who can put the most letters behind their name more info. You see it all the time in dentistry, John Smith, DDS, MBA, MAGD, FAACD.

Nobody knows what those mean, and thus they are ignored. Sure, you have the qualifications to put them after your name, but save it for your business card. If anything, keep it simple and just use DMD, or DDS. Those, although not known by everyone, are the most commonly recognized acronyms in the dental profession.

Credibility Rule #3: Third party endorsements are huge.

Take the concept of a testimonial one step further, and you have a third party endorsement. This includes getting a separate non-related party to write about, or feature you as an expert.

This includes writing an article for the newspaper, or getting featured in an article.

It really doesn't matter what this article says, just the fact that you give a quote about an issue, or have your practice featured in a charity event adds to your credibility. This may be more time consuming, and costly, but it is well worth it to be labeled as an expert.

Credibility Rule #4: Educate to excess

You need to educate people so they can make better choices. Writing articles for newspapers, speaking for groups, or anything else you can do to get your name and mind in front of people.

This should be simple information. A report like "Seven signs you may need a crown" is a good one, and would instantly make you look like the crown expert. This not only builds your credibility, but people will pay more to see the "expert."

This also goes for your patient newsletter. Put good solid information in there that is easy for the regular person to understand. Then, if one of your patient's friends has a problem, your patient can say "Oh, Dr. Smith wrote about that in your patient newsletter, you should go see him." Plus, if a patient is looking for additional services, they can learn from the newsletter which is right for them.

Promotional Gifts and Corporate Merchandise

Although promotion is a key part of every company's marketing strategy, the way a company markets their products can be very different. For example, some companies focus their marketing efforts on offline promotional strategies, including brochures, magazine inserts and pamphlets. However, with so much competition in the marketplace, everyone is moving towards finding more unique ways of creating lasting memories in their prospects mind.

If you are an offline person and still prefer word of mouth and adding the personal touch then maybe you should consider kitting yourself out with a stand at major industry events and jobs fairs to showcase your company and build a brand presence in the minds of your prospects

Now when most companies have a stand at such events, they have some good bags ready for their future prospects more info. These goody bags can contain anything from corporate gifts to general promotional gifts. Now depending on your sector, you may want to give out just company brochures and promotional material or you may want to go the extra mile and produce a complete gift bag for your prospects, which may include anything from promotional pens, promotional mugs, business gifts, promotional bas, promotional USB or any other type of promotional product. Now promotional USB's are very popular because among a variety of clients because they always stay with the prospect wherever they go because they inevitable use it as a spare storage medium when going out or on client meetings so whenever they use it, they remember you, the brand or the company that gave it to them.

A promotional mug is also quite cool. I believe that a mug can be used every day so hence it is one of those items that are always there in front of you reminding you of the brand that created it. If its clean and doesn't have excess coffee or tea at the bottom of it, you can even sue it as a paper weight. So one product has multiple uses, what more could you ask for?

Every company will offer a product suited to their budget and hopefully invest in something that won't get outdated and can be reused for other events in the future. There are several promotional merchandise companies out there who based on your product selection, will kit out, personalise and brand up your promotional products to suit your needs. Also, every company is unique in the way they promote and deliver their products and services, hence every company will have different promotional needs and branding requirements.

Corporate Merchandise - An Effective Promotional Tool

Today, the market is really competitive as it becomes harder to trade. Competing with very able and experienced rivals is very tough. Starting a new one may be a piece of cake but you have to go through a storm when you need to maintain it. An excellent way to do this is to employ a very important business strategy such as having your very own Corporate Merchandise. These are simple yet efficient ways to bring customer traffic to your company. By giving them to prospective buyers, they will actually be your customers in no time. Your gifts will serve as a magnet that keeps clients coming.

How to Choose the Right Corporate Merchandise

Having the right promotional gift that will represent your company requires a little thinking. It will carry your image to all of your clients and prospective buyers who used your product or saw your name in them. Here are some useful tips:

The occasion. Each event requires different gifts. For example, handing promotional products such as mugs and notepads will not be appropriate for a family occasion.
Have a budget. Coordinate with your manufacturer about financial matters. Tell them about your preferences and how much you can afford more info. But it should never be cheap. Always consider good quality.
Choose your manufacturer.
Handing the gifts. Your clients will appreciate delivering the Corporate Merchandise personally. However, you can also consider hiring a delivery company or just handing them out offhandedly during the event. When hiring a delivery company, you should consider payments.
When ordering your gift from another company, get an estimated time of delivery. This will save you from the embarrassment of having them delivered late.
Consider the number of customers you will give the gifts to.
Find a gift that fits your image. This is another important point to consider. Why not engrave brand awareness to your customer's mind and choose your own brand?
Avoid giving out perishable gifts. You will never know if your recipient is traveling.

Hallux Limitus/Rigidus Part 1

A 55-year-old male comes into his podiatrist office complaining of pain in the area of his big toe after he finishes his morning walks. He noticed that there is swelling and he has trouble bending his toe because of the pain. He recently noticed a bump at the base of the toe in the area where the big toe bends. Because of the size of the bump he is starting to have difficulty wearing his running shoes. What could be the cause of his pain?

What are Hallux Limitus and Hallux Rigidus?

The hallux, or big toe, plays an important role in our ability to walk normally. The motion of this toe provides us with pushoff force necessary to lift our foot off of the ground while walking. In order to accomplish this, the hallux normally bends upward (or dorsiflexes) You can see this occur if you lift your heel up while keeping the front of your foot on the ground. In a healthy foot there is a smooth gliding, around 60 degrees of upward motion at the joint where the 1st metatarsal and the big toe bone meets.

Hallux limitus is a condition that describes limited motion of the big toe joint. This limitation in motion is caused by jamming of the big toe into the 1st metatarsal bone, thereby inhibiting the ability to bend the big toe without pain. This condition occurs at the 1st metatarsal-phalangeal joint (1st MTPJ), which is the joint between the hallux and 1st metatarsal. As the hallux and metatarsal move in an abnormal relationship they do not glide they now scrape against each other with uneven and excessive forces. When this occurs extra bone formations develop, called spurs or osteophytes. These appear in order to disperse the force generated from the friction. Unfortunately, this extra bone leads to more pain and further limitation to the joint motion. The condition can eventually progress to a degenerative arthritic disease called hallux rigidus more info. At this stage, the motion at the joint approches zero degrees. In a final stage fusion or bone bridging across the joint occurs. Further advancment of this condition can lead to pain in other parts of the lower extremity. This may occur because other muscles, bones and joints will be forced to compensate or function abnormally to make up for the lack of motion of the big toe.

What causes it?

This condition can be caused by a number of factors. Some people have biomechanical abnormalities, such as flat feet, that can lead to imbalances that cause jamming and rubbing of the hallux against the metatarsal. Traumatic events like turf toe injuries or simply accidental injury of the big toe can lead to this condition as well. Wearing shoegear such as high heels can increase the risk of occurrence. Hereditary arthritic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also be the inciting factor. Inflammatory joint conditions such as gout can lead to deformity at this joint as well.

Clinical Presentation

Symptoms that generally appear early in the course of hallux limitus are a throbbing, achy pain when moving the big toe and inflammation or swelling at the location of the 1st MTPJ. Cold weather can exacerbate the symptoms. As the disease progresses, the pain may become constant and will be present even when not wearing shoes. A hard ridge of bone may develop on the top of the 1st MTPJ. A grinding sensation may be felt when the toe is moved up and down this is known as crepitus. It is a sign that the joint cartilage is warning out and now raw bone on one side of the joint is rubbing against the raw bone on the other side.

As this condition progresses the hallux is no longer able to function properly while walking, other structures in the foot and lower extremity are forced to change the way they normally function. This can lead to pain in other joints of the foot or ankle; eventually knee, hip or lower back pain may develop.

Diagnosis

If a patient presents with the symptoms described above, x-ray studies are performed to confirm the diagnosis. These images usually reveal abnormalities in the 1st MTPJ space. There is usually an uneven loss of the joint space compared to the other joints of the same foot.
Small pieces of bone called osteophytes or spurs may also be seen in the joint space, along with thickening of the margins (sclerosis) of the involved bones, both of which are indicative of this arthritic process.

Look for our next installment Hallux limitus/rigidus Part 2: Treatment

Physiotherapist Advice for a Shoulder Impingement

Long standing shoulder pain, caused by shoulder impingement, is one of the most common complaints that a Physiotherapist encounters. It usually manifests as a slight ache in the shoulder that worsens over time, and can become painful enough that it begins to affect function. In many cases, this type of condition can follow a previous acute injury of the shoulder. However it is also common for no obvious reason for the pain. Pain is commonly felt upon raising the arm in an arc; in other words, feeling the pain at a certain point and then discovering that it reduces once that point has passed. The area of pain can also be felt down the arm - which can lead to people thinking that it is their upper arm that is the problem, not the shoulder.

So what does my diagnosis actually mean? When elevating the arm, structures within the shoulders space are compressed together. Impingement of the shoulder refers to the compression of structures such as tendons. There can be two reasons why this occurs. The more common is that of poor biomechanical action about the shoulder. For the shoulder to work properly, the shoulder's blade (scapula) and the arm have to work in unison to allow movement without pain. When the muscles about the scapula do not do their job properly, the scapula does not move in the correct pattern, resulting in impingement and therefore pain more info. The space can also be reduced in size structurally. This can occur when the flat protruding part of the scapula at the top of the shoulder can over time degenerate, resulting in protrusions of bone into the space. This limited space results in impingement, which can need surgery to rectify.

What do I need to do? STAGE 1: ACUTE MANAGEMENT (0 DAYS - 1-2 WEEKS) Avoid movements of the shoulder that aggravate pain - no doing so will only prolong the inflammation. Use ice: When the pain is severe and to settle inflammation, use ice 15-20 minutes, 2-3 times a day. Start treatment as soon as possible. Physiotherapy treatment will usually begin by working on the tight muscles and structures in the area, concurrently using a basic corrective exercise programme.

What next? STAGE 2: SUB-ACUTE MANAGEMENT (1-3 WEEKS) During this stage the pain should be noticeably reduced. The exercise programme will look to utilize the ground work achieved through the basic exercises. The programme will continue to focus on restoring the correct biomechanical function of the shoulder. Manual therapy can be used as required, but should become less of an emphasis. STAGE 3: RETURN TO NORMAL FUNCTION (3-10 WEEKS) As the normal biomechanics of the shoulder return, pain should largely resolve. The exercise program will become the main focus of treatment, and treatment frequency will also decrease. The exercises will increase in difficulty ensuring that the strength of the scapula muscles are able to withstand daily activity, and sporting activities if required. It is possible that Physiotherapy is no longer required and that the task of completing the assigned program is handed to the patient. The exercise can be continued for a few months after the conclusion of treatment, therefore preventing any chance of the condition returning.

A final word... As each of us is different, you will progress at a different pace to someone else. Your rehabilitation program will differ from others due to your individual goals. Each stage has certain goals that your Physiotherapist will help you reach before commencing the next stage. As a team, you and your Physiotherapist will generate the best result for your specific injury. Should you have any queries about your rehabilitation program just discuss them with your treating Physiotherapist at your next visit.