For the second year in a row, Lifestory Research named Sotheby’s International Realty America’s Most Trusted® Residential Real Estate Brokerage. The study, which compiled the opinions of nearly 6,300 participants, was conducted over the course of 12 months in the United States. Results were then compared to peer organizations “of like size and complexity” in order to garner highly reliable statistical rankings of home builders, laundry appliances, faucets, paints, kitchen appliances, residential real estate brokerages, HVAC systems, and active adult resort builders.
“Trust is the very fabric of our business: our brokers give it to their clients, it endures generation after generation, and it allows us to create meaningful relationships that last beyond and into many transactions,” reflected Stacy Jones, Vice President of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty. “I am so proud to be part of the renown legacy of the Sotheby’s brand heritage and to be connected to wonderful people from our firm and the global network that live up to that trust every single day.”
As the Lifestory Research website describes, “Trust is calculated based on the Lifestory Research Net Trust Quotient Score.” It breaks the score into three levels of a consumer’s trust: 1) “advocates” or clients that feel strong trust toward a brand; 2) “neutrals” or those that have a balanced trust of the brand; and 3) “antagonists” or those that do not trust the brand at all.
“Our research shows brands with high-trust are profitable, create high levels of recommendation, lift employee engagement, and much more,” Eric Snider, President of Lifestory Research, said in a press release. “Trust is at the forefront of the decisions we make every day about people, products, and brands. Successful brands and companies understand it all comes down to trust.”
Trust and the power of an historic legacy were among topics in a recent conversation between BuzzBuzzNews and Philip White, CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates. In an interview, White touched on a global strategy that helped the brand grow to $108 billion in annual sales last year, and the way in which the company’s rich heritage provides a backdrop over which “we have been able to be innovative in marketing and technology, providing the best-in-class tools and support for our agents and brokers around the world.”
When asked about what separates Sotheby’s from other luxury real estate brands, White placed the strength in the “professionalism of our agents who, in 2017, led the way in terms of the largest number of agents ranked by REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal ‘The Thousand’ in the category of individual sales volume and the highest average sales price.”