Success Story: Harry Sarvaiya
The Toronto real estate market is highly competitive, and CREA member Harry Sarvaiya knows he has to differentiate himself from the pack. That’s why on the day .realtor™ launched, he secured www.harry.realtor for five years—locking in a unique web address to build his brand online.
When the civil engineer, architect and interior designer turned REALTOR® initially started working in the field eight years ago, marketing himself proved difficult.
“Within the last two to three years, I’ve been focusing more on advertising myself online,” Sarvaiya says. “Without that, your business cannot expand.”
Digital communication for REALTORS® was in its infantile stages—and was expensive. Flyers and bus ads were costly and inconsistent in their returns, and social media didn’t have the reach that it does today.
Claiming a .realtor™ domain
Sarvaiya claimed his exclusive, top-level domain three years ago—the day .realtor™ launched. Before he secured www.harry.realtor, though, he had created a website through his brokerage seven years prior.
So when Sarvaiya had to both register his new site and find a way to direct the traffic from his old site to his new .realtor™ domain, help was just a phone call away.
The .realtor™ team walked him through the domain forwarding process step by step, which he says was easier than trying to navigate documents he had found online. This level of customer service was matched any time Sarvaiya needed assistance with his domain. Help was just a phone call away.
“REALTORS® are constantly on the phone,” Sarvaiya says. “Being able to speak to someone was a major convenience.”
Taking productivity to the next level
Once Sarvaiya’s purchased G Suite through .realtor™ for his domain, his productivity increased and marketing efforts improved.
With Professional Gmail, Sarvaiya was able to create a professional .realtor™ email address—increasing his online presence as a REALTOR® and streamlining communication with potential clients.
Once Sarvaiya’s purchased G Suite through .realtor™ for his domain, his productivity increased and marketing efforts improved.
Google Drive is the G Suite tool Sarvaiya uses most. He says it eases the usual pains of storing and collaboratively editing professional documents. When he’s on the go and needs access to a flyer he’s designing, he knows it’ll be sitting in his Drive ready for him to pick up at his convenience.
And in an effort to move everything online, Sarvaiya uses Google Calendar to schedule appointments with clients. This allows him to send detailed itineraries to clients and have communication threads about those events through his professional email—keeping everything in one place.
This has been the best way to professionally project me and my business.
Supporting Success
Sarvaiya says that, overall, leveraging these tools and technologies in conjunction with his exclusive .realtor™ domain has strengthened his professional persona in the community—leaders are the ones with sound branding, and a .realtor™ domain gives you that edge.
“Claim a .realtor™ domain as soon as possible,” Sarvaiya says. “This has been the best way to professionally project me and my business.”