Create added value to lure buyers<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, K. Basrie, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Analysts and marketing experts believe that no new apartments
\nwill be constructed this year and that sales of units will remain
\nsluggish. Developers, on the other hand, hold a different view,
\nsaying that the once sluggish market will now start to grow in a
\npositive direction.<\/p>\n
Businessman Burka Setiadi (not a fictitious name) has just
\nrecovered from a serious headache.<\/p>\n
The pain started a few days ago when his Rp 2.3 billion
\n(approx. US$223,300) well-secured and equipped mansion in the up-
\nmarket area of Pluit, North Jakarta, was severely inundated by
\nmurky waters during the recent flood. The only thing he, his wife
\nand adult children had in mind was to sell the house quickly, of
\ncourse at a good price.<\/p>\n
Refusing to waste time and prolong the headache, Burka
\nimmediately came to the conclusion that it was time for him and
\nhis five-member family to move to an apartment which could
\naccommodate his needs: ample space, well-furbished, easy-to-
\nreach, and in a flood-free area.<\/p>\n
In the beginning, he could not believe his eyes when he
\nvisited several apartments at major spots in the capital and
\nfound that the basement and ground floors of the apartments were
\nalso flooded.<\/p>\n
After several days of hunting, a broad smile appeared on his
\n57-year-old's face when he finally saw an apartment unit of his
\ndreams. Today, he's just waiting for his Pluit mansion to be
\nsold.<\/p>\n
Panangian Simanungkalit, a property observer, said that some
\nrich Chinese living in Pluit and Kelapa Gading do not only stay
\nthere for economic and security reasons.<\/p>\n
They, for example, have the belief that living near a coastal
\narea often called \"the head or mouth of a dragon will always
\nbring them luck\", Panangian said.<\/p>\n
So, it's hard for them to leave their property, which has been
\nbadly inundated. \"They want to return again,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Just as the growth in property sales throughout this year
\nremains unpredictable, the sales of apartment spaces in this
\ncountry is also in question.<\/p>\n
But marketing guru Rhenald Kasali of the University of
\nIndonesia has these golden words of advice: \"There's always an
\nopportunity in any condition. If there's optimism, there must
\nalways be pessimism.\"<\/p>\n
According to him, it is high time for marketers in the
\napartment sector to put added value into their strategies to lure
\nbuyers.<\/p>\n
\"We all know that many rich Indonesians purchase apartments
\nonly as an investment, not for living in,\" he said. \"Instead of
\nbuying houses in places like, for example, in Sentul, West Java,
\nand leaving them unoccupied and dilapidated, why not invest money
\nin an apartment where maintenance services are already included
\nin the package.\"<\/p>\n
And marketing directors should be innovative to highlight
\nadded value to lure buyers.<\/p>\n
\"I, for instance, wonder why (the management of) Rasuna Said
\nApartment in Kuningan ignores the ugly and cluttered view around
\nthe complex,\" Rhenald explained on Monday.<\/p>\n
A number of old cracked parts of the apartment buildings could
\nbe seen which could give a different impression about the
\napartment itself even though its rooms are quite good.<\/p>\n
\"This image has to changed. They have to change the image of
\nthe site. And it's the marketing staff from the apartment sector
\nwho really know the business.\"<\/p>\n
Rhenald gave one suggestion.<\/p>\n
\"The marketing department could for instance work together
\nwith Citibank to approach the Citibank Gold members, who have
\nextra savings and usually live in Jakarta's suburbs, to invest in
\ntheir property.\"<\/p>\n
\"Tell them that this is not purely a great investment for your
\nmoney but will provide an excellent experience for them, their
\nchildren and family to stay in a luxurious apartment in the heart
\nof the capital,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Krishnan Rajendran, a visiting professor at IPMI management
\ninstitute in South Jakarta, stressed that facilities, location
\nand security system were vital for expatriates, the major
\napartment occupants in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
According to Roy Goni from the RKS management consulting firm,
\nthe industry should admit the apartment business in this country
\nis now at the survival stage.<\/p>\n
\"We have to remember that all the existing apartments here
\nwere constructed during the boom period in the early 1990s. So,
\nnow when the economy is going down, they are going in the same
\ndirection,\" he said on Monday.<\/p>\n
That's why many apartment operators are only carrying out a
\nsurvival strategy, by offering, for example, attractive weekend
\npackages.<\/p>\n
\"In reality, according to me, there is no other way for the
\napartment marketing department to market their product. It's
\ndifficult, at least for the time being.\"<\/p>\n
Roy must be too skeptical; or perhaps he's challenging the
\nmarket players.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/create-added-value-to-lure-buyers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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