Advocates not only support your business, they’ll champion it by telling everyone they know about the great service they receive. Having them on your side is a great way to market your business.
However, creating them doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time, commitment and great service. The payoff for all of your hard work is having a loyal group of champions for your business; supporters who are willing to shout your praises from the rooftops, or at least refer you to the person in line behind them at the supermarket.
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Think about your relationships with your current clients. Who are your strongest supporters? Engage with them — and create more — with these five tips.
1. Make time to connect. Relationships are built upon the strong foundation of trust and communication, so be sure to keep in touch. Pick up the phone, send a text or email, write a personal note, or stop by their home or office with a small pop-by gift.
It doesn’t matter what you say — although you should remind them you’re never too busy for their referrals — the important part is that you’re maintaining consistent contact with them. The more consistent you are, the more your clients will begin to trust and rely on you, and the more likely they are to refer you.
2. Reconnect with clients you’ve lost touch with. Your clients want to stay in contact with you after the transaction has closed. Unfortunately, for many agents who work transactionally, losing touch is the norm.
Good thing is, it’s never too late to reconnect. If you’ve lost touch with past clients, take the time to reach out. Apologize for losing touch and remind them that you’re never too busy to answer their questions, discuss the market or for any of their referrals.
3. Learn more about your clients. The more you know about your clients, the better equipped you are to serve them. Ask them about their lives, interests, families, careers and more. The more questions you ask, the better.
Listen to their answers and take notes when possible. This will help you find opportunities to serve and connect them with local businesses and services you know and trust. Many agents don’t take the time to get to know their clients outside of the immediate transaction.
Doing so separates you from your competition and builds trust, which is critical to building lasting relationships and creating advocates.
What about the more guarded clients in your database who feel uncomfortable revealing information about themselves? Explain that learning more about them will help you provide better service for them. And start slow. Instead of bombarding them with questions, ask a question or two whenever you speak to them. That way, you’ll get to know them better over time.
4. Personalize the services you offer. When you’re a true professional, you do more than help people buy and sell homes; you may also offer services to help your clients understand the real estate process, connect them with businesses in the community, and provide opportunities for them to network with one another at your client parties.
Additionally, you can personalize the connections you make with them, from sending kind words about their family in a personal note to delivering a more personal Pop-By gift, such as a favorite beverage or a fun toy for their pet or child.
5. Connect your clients to others in your database. As a real estate professional, you are the hub of your network by the nature of your business. Every day, you work with a myriad of business professionals and services in your local area.
Referring clients to professionals you trust is not only a great way to serve, it’s also a smart way to build relationships with the businesses in your network as well. When you refer their services to your clients, they may be more likely to refer your services to theirs.
Learn how to create clients for life, manage your business and much more on Brian Buffini’s Success Tour. Click here to get more information.
Brian Buffini is the Chairman and Founder of Buffini & Company. You can follow Brian and Buffini & Company on Facebook.