A change of marketing plan brings rewards

After starting a building company then working for a corporate agency in London, Pattemore moved back to Somerset where he was born and bred and launched his own real estate agency – Parsons – in 2003.

In Somerset, he adjusted his marketing plan to take advantage of the unsophisticated real estate sector. "A lot of the agents were behind the times. They were using black and white photos and not utilising floor plans. Coming from London, this put Parsons in a powerful position. We came into the market using glossy colour brochures and LCD screens that soon established us.”

But the lure of London was too great and in April 2006, Pattemore opened Parsons in the capital. “In London being a new agent in a very competitive market was our biggest challenge as well as not being a known corporate brand,” Pattemore says. “We are surrounded by about 15 agents and all the big names such as John D Wood, Hamptons, Foxtons, and Douglas and Gordon.”

It was time for a new marketing plan. Pattemore explains: “This led us to re-brand in November 06 with a new image, logo, strap line, all singing and dancing website, new signage and Google advertising.

"This gave us a sleeker image that we were much more confident about and thus made clients pay attention after a few marketing campaigns to promote ourselves within SW1.”

The new marketing plan seems to have worked. Pattemore says Parsons is now routinely instructed to sell properties over £2m, which is rare for all real estate agents let alone smaller, independent organisations. He adds: “We were the only agent to sell the second largest house in Pimlico just shy of £5m. We are certainly becoming a player in the house market.”

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