Anna Gatta: “It was the right time for us to start the referral”

Anna Gatta, Senior Property Consultant at Chamonix Sotheby’s International Realty, has been working in a new position for several months. As Referral Manager, she organises client support in the purchase or sale of a property throughout France and abroad. Interview.

What does your position as Referral Manager at Chamonix Sotheby’s International Realty entail?

Anna Gatta: “I have a very recent example to explain it: we worked with a buyer who wanted to buy a property here in Chamonix. During a visit, he told us that he owned an apartment in Frankfurt and wanted to sell it to finance his purchase in the valley.

This is when I intervened. I contacted the customer to retrieve information and photos of this apartment in Frankfurt. I then asked his permission to contact Sotheby’s in Frankfurt to make the link and organise the sale.”

Do you ever travel – in France or abroad – as part of your job?

Anna Gatta: “It can happen, yes, it all depends on the project. When we make a simple referral, with a client that we have just met, we do not travel, unless we have good knowledge of the market. This is the case with the French Riviera where I worked and lived for a long time.

In the example I just mentioned, we did not know the real estate market in Frankfurt, so we didn’t travel there. My role here was essentially to ensure that our client was well supported and that their requests were taken into account.

In parallel, I set up a follow-up with Sotheby’s Frankfurt to verify that they had all the information they needed to do their job. The client really benefitted from two support systems, both in Chamonix and Frankfurt.

This brings serenity to our customers: they are generally relieved to be taken in hand by people who know their job and who will manage their properties from A to Z in the Sotheby’s International Realty network.”

What is your degree of involvement in the files, do you intervene at each stage?

Anna Gatta: “It’s different from one file to another, it depends on the availability of clients. For example, we have a client who bought - and continues to buy with us - properties in the Chamonix valley, who is a very busy person.

He wanted to buy a property in Normandy. So, I looked for properties for him according to the budget that he had given us. I contacted Sotheby’s in Normandy and since it is a client that we know very well, I was able to give them very precise criteria.

In this case, I can select properties for the client and his family, because we have visited many properties together. I know their tastes and what they need.

We have therefore made a selection of properties with the Sotheby’s Normandie agency and I will go on site with the client, if he wishes, to show them to him. It is a service that is integral to the services that Sotheby’s offers. There is also the possibility that I go on site before the client to pre-select properties, which is a real time saver for our clients.”

What is the advantage of going through you instead of going directly to the Sotheby’s agency where the property is located?

Anna Gatta: “Clients whom we know well and who wish to acquire a property located abroad or in another region of France often prefer to go through us, because a relationship of trust has been installed.

My role is to organise the referral, but depending on the client, another member of the agency can also follow the transaction.

Our goal is really to create very long-term links with our clients, some of them even become friends! This is what referral allows over time: with trust, the relationship is more serene, more fluid and more frank.

This is also what we want to set up within the agency: to retain our agents so that they stay as long as possible in order to build strong relationships with clients. The most important thing is team cohesion!”

Does the referral concern both the purchase and sale of properties?

Anna Gatta: “Absolutely! About 1 in 5 clients want to sell a property through referral. For example, I organised the sale of an apartment in Göteborg for a Swedish client - I myself am Swedish - who was looking for an apartment in Chamonix. So, I organised the sale with Sotheby’s Göteborg and his property found a buyer within a few weeks!”

You have taken on this role of referral for a few months now. Have you felt an impact on the agency’s activity?

Anna Gatta: “Before, I was 100% a sales agent. In the team, no one had time to take care of the referral, because our working days are mainly devoted to negotiating or seeking mandates.

So, I took a step back from sales to be able to manage it and we quickly realised the added value of this function: today, we can offer a real follow-up on cases and ease of management for our clients which is so much more than what we could do before. It was the right time for us to launch this service!”

Buy or sell a prestigious property anywhere in France and abroad with the Chamonix Sotheby’s International Realty team and benefit from personalised follow-up on all your projects!