Paulo Assis (Direcional) took part in the Facebook for Real Estate Summit 2020
Facebook produced a series of video episodes to discuss the state of the real estate industry and share digital solutions to grow business amid the pandemic.
Yesterday, 10/07, Paulo Assis, CEO of Riva, a subsidiary of Direcional Engenharia, talked about how the company has positioned itself in the face of the new challenges the pandemic has brought to the sector.
One of the difficulties mentioned was the closing of all sales offices and points of sale across Brazil right at the start of social isolation, on 03/18 for the company. Faced with this new reality shock, three priorities were set: making sure construction projects kept moving forward safely, securing contract signings, and ensuring sustainable sales. Still, all of this was uncertain territory.
As the months went by, the company realized that people had redefined the importance of home. Now, with the ‘’new normal’’, people were working from home, exercising at home, and kids were home 24/7. That was the opportunity, along with the drive to make customer contact increasingly digital.
After the initial shock of the pandemic, teams worked intensely and proactively to meet consumer needs through digital channels, since everyone was isolated at home. As a result, Direcional Engenharia became the first company in the sector to hold an entirely digital project launch, on YouTube. Together with partner and brand ambassador Léo Chaves, the company was also one of the first in the sector to produce a livestream, in which it donated an apartment to support initiatives helping people in need because of the pandemic.
After isolation restrictions eased, a drive-in launch was held, broadcast live directly from the city of Ribeirão Preto.
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The customer's digital journey is extremely important! During this period, virtual tours were sent to customers, along with videos showing construction progress, all contracts were signed digitally, and everything became more precise. If there was ever any doubt about putting these digital initiatives into practice, customer demand and needs made sales and processes work, with volumes close to or even higher than in 2019.
Adding to that, Paulo Assis shared some of the lessons he learned, one of them being precisely the customer's digital journey. There was already a desire to serve customers digitally, and combined with the pandemic, that transition happened very smoothly. He also highlighted the digital platforms, which we are very proud to be the agency responsible for. A major paradigm in the sector was broken, since previously customers needed to visit model apartments to finalize a purchase, and today they can do that virtually.
“The biggest challenge of digital transformation lies in people, not technology,” he concluded.
We at On Marketing Digital are grateful for the trust placed in us, and we're very happy and proud to be part of the team that helped drive digital forward in the real estate market.
Check out the full interview here.
