Every conversation at CRE gatherings over the past 18 months have focused on one of two things: either PROPTECH! (the excitement is over the top) or Employee/Workplace/Building/People Experience. Both have become the buzziest of buzzwords in our little industry. The first just means “technology that seems cool and pretends to be focused only on real estate.” The second gets even more interesting.
Experience is a great word. It can be abbreviated as “X” in acronyms which is simply and indisputably cool. Also, no one in the world wants a bad experience. The word itself exudes a desire for positivity and enjoyment. From an emotional standpoint, the word is gold when it comes to selling an idea.
And that’s exactly why it is so dangerous. Here is a word that can evoke feelings without the need for any additional context. No one will ever say they want anything other than a better “Workplace Experience.” No one will ever argue that the “Real Estate Experience” could be better. Every person in every company will say the “People Experience” needs at least a bit of work.
This word “experience” immediately gets people bought into improving something while simultaneously setting an unattainable final state. Because no matter how much you improve on the current “Experience” there will always be further to go.
With all this said, sales and marketing is a big part of what we do in real estate (whether you are on the service provider or corporate function side of the world). And from a marketing standpoint, “Experience” is a great word for selling people on what you are doing for all the reasons listed above. If you need to sell a new project or activity, frame it through the lens of how it improves the experience and you will be in great shape.
What you can’t do is set “Experience” as a strategic objective or goal because that is where an impossible bar gets set. Frame your measurable outcomes in how they impact “Experience” but don’t try to measure your actual impact on “Experience.”