Coldwell Banker Tacoma North

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a business services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coldwell Banker Tacoma North?

I and a friend of mine were working for Amazon, and we got to a point where we wanted to do something different. As we were both tech-savvy, we wanted to grow our business using software and surveys. We also wanted it to be something stable and consistent with a lot of future opportunities, and it needed to be something easy that people started blogging and talking about.

We needed help with project brainstorming and management to come up with a personal service that we were passionate about getting involved in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coldwell Banker Tacoma North has helped us brainstorm and manage our business ideas. We were interested in an all-in-one solution. Additionally, we wanted networking solutions, web development, software development, and finding a way to include major technology from Google or Comcast — they were on board with every idea.

We usually find ourselves having a small group of businesspeople together to brainstorm. Out of the brainstorming sessions, we have a paradigm of ideas as a result. Then, we go into another business solution meeting. Neither of those sessions is very time-consuming.

After the sessions, we take those ideas and move them into a software matrix where we can put the information to have some quantitative and qualitative reasonings. The next step is networking. When we have the first steps taken care of, the project naturally develops by word of mouth and exchange of ideas — it’s a really beautiful process for us.

Our engagement with Coldwell Banker is about collaboration. We take ideas to them, and they give us their input. Then, we try to merge the ideas together through short and interpersonal meetings. The ideas that we bring to the table are all about innovative technology. The technology that Google offers has helped us greatly — they’ve been a great part of our projects. Citrix software has also helped us immensely.

What is the team composition?

We have one point of contact, and there are 4–5 other people that we work with — we are happy with this team composition.

How did you come to work with Coldwell Banker Tacoma North?

There was a Coldwell Banker branch in the area where I grew up, and I lived close to it — the company fascinated me. I’ve also played golf with people who have worked there before and only heard good things about them — it was the perfect solution for our business needs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

When we first started putting all of our software tools together, our business was growing at a 3%–4% rate. When we established a relationship with Coldwell Banker, we went up by 7% within three months — we went from a 4%–11% rate.

Now, since incorporating new web and software solutions with their help, our rate of growth is 16% — we’ve increased our production through the pandemic.

We’ve had great consultations with some individuals, and our business has been growing. We’ve also got referrals from Coldwell Banker and people who have heard about us and want to know more. Our engagement has led to interpersonal meetings, and now, we adapt to what our clients want.

They’ve given us tons of ideas, and they offer good pricing, service, teamwork, and innovation. They’ve also been able to meet our needs with a lot of solutions.

How did Coldwell Banker Tacoma North perform from a project management standpoint?

At first, we wanted to have multiple people working with us remotely at first because we wanted to have information gathered through surveys, but Coldwell Banker wasn’t on the same page with this solution.

We started working directly with just one person, and luckily, our direct contact ended up being a great and creative teammate. They’re very transparent, and the pandemic has strengthened our relationship with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Coldwell Banker is passionate about what they do. When we bring ideas to them, they’re receptive, and we end up going back and forth with them. We’ve been able to come up with solutions to put into the software matrix.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be good if they were more transparent in terms of face-to-face communication — I prefer in-person meetings rather than video conferences. They have a way of doing business that has lost the personal touch, and one of the things that we’re excited about is utilizing the technology that we’re creating for generating networking solutions.