Musty car service waiting area

I took my car in for service today and was surprised at the wet newspaper smell of the service waiting room. I drive a Subaru but the dealership has a dual service area for Subaru and Jaguar. This issue should be more of a concern for such a premium brand.

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The perception of the realtor

So this is a bit of a double entendre, but not in a funny way. I was talking to my sister earlier, she knows about my work, and she conveyed a conversation she had over this past weekend. My sister was at a kids birthday party and got in a conversation with a local real estate agent who had a child at the party as well. In the discussion she mentioned my new scent machine for real estate agents, and the response was intense from what she told me, she may have found the first customer. The agent told her that they have two houses that are problems right now relative to the conversation, one smells like curry that they cant cover up, and one smells like cat litter & urine. The realtor showed this cat urine smelling house over the weekend, knowing it smelled bad. The agent conveyed that she was completely embarrased, knowing that the first impression of each person who entered the home was the smell of cat litter/urine. This got me thinking more about perception, but not the perception of the potential buyer to the house, but slightly different, in 2 ways, hence my opening that the post title has a doule meaning.

1) The perception by the realtor of the house. If the agent is embarassed of the house that they are selling, what will their energy be spent on? I figure it will be spent on avoiding potential buyers to avoid the question about the smell, or it will be spent apologizing for the smell. Either way it will not be spent trying to sell the house. If the perception of the realtor to the house is bad, then the effort to sell the house will be lackluster at best. If you (the realtor) create an inviting and appealing olfactory environment, it will help your mood and selling energies as much as it will comfort the buyer.

2) The perception by the potential buyer of the realtor. The impression that is created when a potential buyer enters a stinky home is not just the buyers first impression of the home, but also of the real estate agent selling the home. As in any selling job, you are selling yourself as much as the product, no where else is this as apprapoe as in the sale of real estate. If the buyer may not find a fit with the specific home they see at an open house, the objective of a realtor is to nurture a potential relationship with the buyer for another property and find them one that meets their needs and their liking. When you are representing a home, that home is also representing you. When a buyer generates a negative impression of a place because it is unpleasant to the senses, they project this perception onto the realtor showing the home as well. In other words, if you are representing a home that smells terrible, then common association is that other listings you have will be of equal caliber, therefore not only is the home not right for them, but the realtor is not right for them either.

Open Houses This Weekend

We headed to a few open houses this weekend. For me it was both part of this research project as well as our interest in considering a move to a new house a little further into the country. We currently don't have much yard or privacy as we live in a small city. I was excited when we made the plan to do this, so I could see the great techniques realtors are using to enhance the home shopping experience and create that "at home" feel for a potential buyer. We looked at 4 houses this past Sunday.

House #1 was a nice older home on a creek in a little country town. The realtor was friendly and the house was well lit, there was a reed diffuser on the counter between the kitchen and the main living area. With light from big windows, this house showed well, and the light aroma of the reed diffuser was pleasant when you entered. There were no overbearing house odors, but I was concerned about the liquid reed diffuser. I don't think the reed diffusers work that well, and I am always worried that they will get knocked over and I would not want to have to clean that spill or deal with the saturation of that fragrance/alcohol blend into hardwood floors and carpets. Still I see a lot of them in use at homes for sale, I think because they are a high end product and continuous action, so they are set and left alone, and they have better than normal fragrances.

House #2 was in the same town, and was also an older home, but smelled like an old frat house. Not the smell of beer, but the smell of an old house. I think it's a smell of old wood mixed with termite insecticide. The house was rented what appeared to be a group of guys, and they weren't slobs, but the house was not that clean. They smoked in at least one room, as there was a pack of cigarettes and ash tray in the room, and a residual odor. The realtor was nice enough, but she was reading a book when we walked in and was surprised as we rounded the corner, saying "sorry I was all caught up in my book and didn't hear you come in". Now I know they are independent sales reps basically, but reading a romance novel on the job is just kind of lazy in my book, and the lack of attention to details of the home staging, like the aromas in the home was also lazy, particularly with the amount of scented candles all over the place, she could have just lit a few to create some kind of mood other than "quick, let's get out of here"

House #3 was off of a side country road, and was fresh inside, as it was a nice breezy cool day and all of the windows were open. When we went into the basement we were assaulted (meant with all feeling of the word) but a horrid artificial spiced apple potpourri aroma that screamed dollar store, or worse. The basement was finished and nice enough, but with this cheap aroma in the air did not make for a pleasant experience, it was actually nice to walk into the musty utility part of the basement and escape the spiced apples. That being said it was a nice enough house, and was both small and priced very high for its size. I would think that when one slaps a premium price on a property, particularly in this market, they would want to utilize tools that were of an equivalent or close caliber. I was a bit surprised at this, an expensive house made to feel cheap because they used a cheap, discount, low quality aroma in an influential space. I said as we left that the house would be worth it for $50,000 less, did they put the house onto the discount rack in my mind through the use of a discount rack smell?

House #4 was musty, older, and when we walked in an hour before the open house was to end, had the lights turned off and the realtor was evidently locking up. She said as we walked in, "oh it's been a slow day so I was about to close up and head home". The house layout was actually nice, and we may have liked it, had we not felt so unwelcome when we walked in. The tone was set, and as we looked at the basement and said to one another how roomy it was, I said "I hate this place", and we left to go take care of our errands for the afternoon. If there was even something to hook into that was appealing to the experience of entering this home, I might have given it a chance, but there wasn't. I know this wasn't just the "old house smell" that was prevalent, it was the total atmosphere, but if there was a pleasant olfactory element to the initial experience I might have not shut my mind this this building before giving it a chance. The ironic thing is that the house was on a great lot, was pretty roomy and was in a great neighborhood, but still the negative impression on walking in prevailed beyond those elements.

What I learned from visiting these open houses?

-During our day looking at open houses 2 out of the 4 realtors we met were pretty lazy. While I have no way to motivate them, I can offer them an easy solution to resolving the aromatic nightmare that prevailed at these houses. If the rule is that 50% of the realtors are on the lazy side, then I simply have to make sure that my scent machine is so convenient, effective, and easy to use that the laziest of realtors can enjoy the benefits of creating a controlled fragrance environment.

-Cheap smell = cheap house, at least from a perception standpoint, and as I have written before, perception is all that matters. A premium property filled with cheap fragrance, will be perceived as a cheap house. It it's a discount rack fragrance, then the homeowner is broke and you can lowball an offer. 

-Every house has it's own unique aroma, and normally that's not too appealing to anyone other than the people who live there. Whether that odor is the combination of a dog, your kids, incense, and candles, or whatever the mix, it is unique and potentially polarizing. A consistent, cohesive olfactory message will be a much stronger sales tool than an amalgamation of smells.

-Dry, clean and safe delivery systems are key. While I know that the reeds are popular, this is a container of oil and alcohol that can spill, which will be damaging and a mess to clean up. If a realtor uses this and it spills, it is their responsibility to pay for damages. There is no need to take this risk. Use a dry controlled delivery system and don't take the chance of damaging a home you are trying to sell. 

Next time we head out we will go to the high end homes, the ones we can't afford, and see what techniques they are working with to create a sense of home to potential buyers. With one exception, we didn't find much effort at this on our past Sunday excursion. I am accelerating my development work of my new scent diffuser as it is clear there is a need for the unit I have designed amongst the realtors we met this past weekend.

This airport parking shuttle smells of urine and cheap strawberry spray air freshener

It's 6:00 am at the Philadelphia airport and I have been up since 4:15 am to make an early flight, when I step onto an airport shuttle bus taking me to the terminal from a private off site parking lot, I get hit with what I can best explain as the smell of urine, which was now highlighted by the smell of strawberry scented air freshener. All in all this smell is very disgusting. If I had the time to wait for the next bus, I would have, but there was a plane to catch, so I sat down and tried not to get too grossed out. I don't have any idea how the van got the urine smell in it, and don't want to guess on this. It was however pretty clear how it got the artificial cherry fragrance that added a uniquely grotesque highlight to the base aroma. The driver sat with his window open, and a can of cherry spray air freshener by his side, and was partially surrounded by a wall of red pine tree air fresheners that were ingeniously positioned somehow at the window opening to give him a breeze of this artificial "fresh air". The driver also had hung about 4 of these red trees in the passenger compartment of the van as well. I left the van feeling a bit sick, and wondering how someone sensitive to aromas or with allergies of asthma would have reacted to that much spray air freshener in the air.

What does this have to do with Scent Marketing for Realtors? It's simple, you will not be able to cover up major stench with cheap artificial industrial and mass retailer fragrances without loading the air with sprays that will potential offend people as much as the original stink. When purchasing air fresheners for industrial use and even the ones sold at the mass retailers, you are generally buying pretty cheap stuff, and while it will be fine for the occasional spritz near the little box or in the bathroom at your own home (I have these at my house as well), when you load the air with it, it smells of cheap cover up air freshener. In the fragraning of a home, particularly one for sale, step it up a notch, this is not a place to be cheap or cut corners. You may not notice the difference and think it's a waste of money, but it will be noticed by the buyers. So...while I believe in using a controlled fragrance delivery system, and am developing this, which you know if you have read this blog, if you are going to spray, at least buy a decent one. Go to the high end fragrance products store at the mall, and skip the mass retailer. Spend the money to make the impression that you want your home to make. If you want the house to say "discount mass retail product", you will put potential buyers in that mindset with a cheap spray or other mass retail fragrance device. If you want the house to say "high end, appealing, future home", then use a product to deliver aroma into the space, and aromas, that convey this message.

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Pet smart makes me happy - great vanilla welcome to store

I know the post title on this one is a bit cheesy, but I was serious about the title. I also know that I'm biased in my perception of a place like Petsmart since I find it a very enjoyable time to take my pup there with me when I can, it's a fun field trip for us both. Today I stopped in on my way home and realized the when going into Petsmart they have fragranced the foyer of the store with a nice vanilla aroma, using a wall mounted spray device.

While I am working to not push my way into retail space fragrancing with this blog, my experience in walking in the Petsmart brings out one major aspect of Scent Marketing for Realtors, first impressions are HUGE and count major points when making an impact with a potential customer. The potential customer, or home buyer, forms their impression of the shopping environment withing the first seconds of entering the space, and their sense of smell is their most impressionable sense. If a retail pet store smells good, they enter with a positive experience, if a home smells fresh and appealing when a potential buyer enters the home they have a comfort with the space, and enter with an initial positive impression. If on the other hand, in the case of the potential home buyer, they enter into a home, or realtor office, that smells bad, or one that has an inconsistent aromatic message, their first impression will be negative, and you will be entering the selling process fighting an uphill battle to change their impression of the space - often a battle that you will not be able to win. Through the development of a realtor specific, portable fragrance system I am creating a way to control the fragrance that is very easy, there is no reason why realtors, real estate office managers, and even home sellers, should not employ these techniques to help assure that they create a positive aromatic first impression and do not scare off a potential buyer in the first seconds they enter the home.

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The smell of pain

I took my partner Nick in this morning for an oral surgery procedure, a tooth extraction, ouch. I am now sitting in the waiting room next to an older gentleman who seems (to say the least) a bit uncomfortable being here. I'm happy that Nick was usered right into the room where the surgery is to take place and I was there with him and the nurse until the doctor (who has a great sense of humor) arrived. Now I sit out here with this older gentleman and it got me thinking. While my focus is on a scent generator for use by realtors, this waiting area could use some aromatic assistance. The smell reminds me of having a tooth drilled, that combination of some anesthetic mixed with the smell of fresh gauze. I remember this smell from every dentist I have been to, and most doctors offices. I smell that odor, and hear the drill burrowing into my tooth feeling it hit that cavity - ouch, the pain...the smell of pain. John, that's the old guy sitting next to me, just got called by the nurse and reluctantly put down the magazine he was reading and slowly walked toward the door to the back, where the doctor was awaiting his arrival.

So...I have to ask myself why they don't go a bit further in the dentists waiting room than the low volume 80's musac piping in and the big poster of Bryce Canyon National Park they have on the wall showcased in the almost flickering glow of the in ceiling lighting, to comfort waiting victims, I mean patients? Just get that smell of pain out of the air, that would be a great first step. They could take this opportunity to create a soothing, comforting environment. A nice mellow vanilla, or light peppermint, even soothing lavender would reduce the stress level in here.

Could this effect clients in realtor offices as well? While they are not getting a tooth drilled, I have heard some liken the home buying experience to the dentist. Perhaps a welcoming, comforting aromatic environment in the office could enhance the shopping experience further for buyers, just as it could make the dentists office not so scary, if not welcoming.

The dreaded destists office waiting room!

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Experts Agree Scenting Real Estate = Success

I came across an article in the New York Times from 2007 entitled "Scent and Sensibility". While I have accumulated many articles related to the benefits of using scent in  a retail space as well as home staging relative to scent, and even opinion articles on using scent when showing a property, this article is unique in its thoroughness as well as the fact that it covers a case study of sorts. 

The article covers the use of scent as a sales tool at the MGM City Center in Las Vegas, the most expensive privately funded development in US history. The sales executives at MGM determined that the use of scent in the sales pavilion was to be a valuable tool in the selling process and creating the relaxed and comfortable mood they wanted in the sales center to keep customer lingering longer, and give the sales agents more face time. In the market of $500,000 to $12,000,000 condominiums, which are the prices being charged at MGM city center, they have found that the use scent has been a valuable and profit enhancing element to their sales efforts, helping MGM buck the soft real estate market and sell out 90% of their available condominium inventory. Give the article a read, it's well written and informative:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/realestate/keymagazine/909SCENT-txt.html?ref=keymagazine

I had initially debated putting this up on here as it gives the names of companies making scent delivery systems, and I am developing a scent delivery system specific to realtors, office spaces, and retailers. While they are listed, my point in this blog is to share and generate information. I also figured anyone serious about scent marketing, would stumble on these other companies, and knowing both of their systems I'm confident that my new machine will out perform them in the application it is designed for.  I have looked at what I consider flaws in these other machines as part of my development process. While I have developed systems for use in HVAC systems and can still do these, the focus of this project is development of the ultimate performance machine for use by realtors. If there is a desire for a custom scent brand as discussed in this article, we will offer this service as well, in addition to a standard line of sophisticated and market focused fragrances. 

Depersonalize and Get rid of Clutter

I see them talking about these two topics on the shows about selling your home on HGTV and other channels. These have also been the key elements in articles I have read on home staging, and the first things that many of the home stagers or real estate agents I have talked to about staging a home for sale bring up. In fact the list in the sidebar comes from this reading and these discussions.

Depersonalize: This not only includes photos, trophies and souvenirs, but also the smells of pets, children, and cooked food. For better or worse, the odors of ethnic spices, and certain foods can turn off a buyer. As well, not all buyers are animal and kid loving. In order to appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers, depersonalize the air as well as the visual. 

Get Rid of Clutter: Clutter does not end at what the eye can see. The sense of smell is much more astute, and moreover much more subconscious. A consistent, controlled aromatic environment will not only appeal to the buyer and make them more relaxed, but also prevent an impression of discordance of space. Through controlled fragrance in the home, you can avoid the olfactory clutter of a cookie scented kitchen, transitioning into a moth ball scented closet, and into a lavender scented bathroom smelling of cheap industrial scented plug in air fresheners and sprays.

I have tested going mobile and like it

While this is only in part on topic, I'm new to the blogging world, so I am just learning some of the cool tools that are available, and will learn more as I go along. I have a new app on my iphone that now allows me to post to this blog direct from my phone. There are a few limitations, but the application was free, so I won't complain about those. What makes this particularly great, is that in the exploration of methods and techniques for implementing scent marketing in the sale of real estate, I enjoy traveling to open houses and seeing the challenges faced, and the solutions used, when realtors are dealing with odorous problems. 

Now if I could only figure out how to share the odor and in turn aromatic solutions through this blog...but I think we're at least a few years away from that. I know there is research in the area of sending scents digitally over the internet (the old digiscents, and NTT currently in Asia), and I have done research and studied the work done in this area a bit, if anyone has input on this please share it with me I would love to know about it and share it on the blog.

Cellspin test 3 -voice

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Cellspin test 2 - photo

This is a photo of my pup. She is a great little girl, but for as wonderful as she is, may not be appealing to a potential buyer. We keep our dog clean, but dogs are dogs and we are no doubt de sensitized to any dog smells that others may not like at all. Our house is also very clean, but if a potential buyer notices pet odors, the natural determination is that the home is dirty. This goes right to the basics, houses that have odor are dirty, houses that smell good are clean. While this is all perception, in the end isn't perception everything?

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Cellspin test post

I am trying to go mobile, this is a test post using cellspin.net

Scent Marketing Real Estate

Scent Marketing is one of the hottest trends today in the advertising/promotion tool kit. The use of scent to create memorable experiences and connection to a brand and a product is a heavily researched area and has proven track records of success, both in the marketing sciences and chemosensory fields of research. While real estate agents were some of the first marketers to use this technique, most no longer use this tool for a variety of reasons.  Tightness of time, liability concerns, health related issues and others. While I am working on finalizing design and engineering for a safe, environmentally friendly and highly effective scent generator focused on servicing the real estate sales market, I'm blogging about research on the topic of scent marketing and how it applies to real estate sales. Along with other topics related to scent marketing and creating a sales inducing olfactory environment in homes being sold. Of course I will post updates on my scent generator for use by real estate agents. I am applying a background from a career focused on developing fragrance delivery systems for some of the pickiest of high end retailers and product marketing companies to this project, with a focus on effectiveness, safety, convenience, environmental responsibility and purity of fragrance delivery.