Thu, 24 May 2012
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Ilonka Slechte had tried to use the service experience gained in the United States in her dealing with clients in Belgium.Name: Ilonka Slechte
Nationality: Dutch (by passport, but I’ve only lived there for a few years as a teenager)
City of residence: Schoten (just north of Antwerp)
Name of company: Aurora Vastgoed & EZ-Relocation
Date of company launch: 1 March 2009
Can you give us a brief description of your business and how it is doing?
Aurora Vastgoed was started through my frustrations of renting and buying property in Belgium. I wanted to build a company that put the client first. I soon realised through my international friends that they all had similar complaints about their expat move to Belgium and most of them had a simple solution – an expat coach. I decided to go back to school and get my real estate license, which takes a full four years in Belgium, and have now been offering tailor-made realtor and relocation solutions for the past 2 years. 6 months ago Aurora Vastgoed and EZ-Relocation joined forces to offer a full-range of services in the Antwerp and North Antwerp area.
What do you like about doing business in Belgium?
I have a good working relationship with my colleagues in the area, which makes my job as an Expat Coach a lot easier.
What do you find most frustrating about doing business in Belgium?
Just like most expats who have lived in the States for any amount of time, I feel that most companies are not service orientated and very inflexible in their approach to business. I have tried to use that to my advantage by being very service minded and flexible in my approach to clients.
What hurdles did you encounter when setting up?
As an Expat Coach, the hardest part for me was to reach my potential clients, as they can be anywhere in the world. The partnership with EZ-Relocation has meant that we now are working with an already established brand. This helps a great deal. As for being a Real Estate Coach, I have found that a lot of clients have called me when they have encountered problems whilst in the process of buying a house. However, very few clients think of using me ahead of time as they all feel that buying a house is simple (and in theory it is - but not in practice).
How has the economic crisis affected your business?
I started my business at the hardest possible time, but the advantage of this is that it can only get better. I also believe that if you offer a better service for the same product and the same price as your competitors, you will end up getting more clients. It also has to do with personality, people work with me because they like me and they like the way I work.
STAY AWAY from her; she says she wants to give clients the best experiences; but she doesnt know anything about what she is talking about; many expat friends i know who have worked with her have said the professionally she is unable to do her job. i was here for work and she showed me terrible apartments. she got my paperwork right. and she is a nice lady. but she ended up costing me so much euros because she couldn't do her job right. we had to go back and redo so much of what she screwed up. it costed me a fortune.
go with a big company you can trust. ms. slechte is not qualified to give you the best options upon your move. proceed careful!!!!
STAY AWAY from her; she says she wants to give clients the best experiences; but she doesnt know anything about what she is talking about; many expat friends i know who have worked with her have said the professionally she is unable to do her job. i was here for work and she showed me terrible apartments. she got my paperwork right. and she is a nice lady. but she ended up costing me so much euros because she couldn't do her job right. we had to go back and redo so much of what she screwed up. it costed me a fortune.
go with a big company you can trust. ms. slechte is not qualified to give you the best options upon your move. proceed careful!!!!
This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.
Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.
Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.
The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.
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