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You have heard the saying “a bird in the hand is better than 10 in the bush”
I believe this saying should be the centre of every Realtor’s marketing philosophy.
You know repeat business and referrals are the critical elements to developing and growing your successful real estate business. Many agents forget and ignore the fact that past clients are a great source for referrals.
If you provided excellent service, past clients like you, trust you and are most likely to refer people to you. Knowing all this, why do so many agents stop communicating with their past clients after closing the deal?
After you close the deal, this isn’t the end, but the beginning. This is your golden opportunity to start developing a stronger relationship with your client. Keeping in touch with your past clients regularly is a cost-effective way to increase your sales and grow your business.
So here are 6 things you can do to keep in touch with your past clients.
1. Set-up a written plan or a marketing calendar. This is your to-do list of the different tactics you plan to use to contact your past clients. Make sure you note who’s going to do the implementation, time lines and cost.
2. Invest in a contact management program to store the data of your past clients. Managing your information efficiently will save you time and make you money. Software programs like ACT will organize your client list and make keeping in touch easy and effective.
3. Implement a direct mail program to keep your name “top of mind” and help build your personal brand. You can use a newsletter, personal letters, postcards or emails. Birthday and wedding anniversary cards are a nice touch.
4. Schedule a regular time to make contact with your past clients. A minimum of every three months, but I recommend monthly communications with your client list. Your contact management program will allow you to do this quickly and easily.
5. Pick up the phone and call five past clients a month. Put aside 40 minutes every month to call five of your past clients. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy conversation. Your goal is just to let them know that you are thinking about them.
6. Explore different ways to make your contacts personal and unique. Be courageous, test different ideas and tactics. Look at other industries for ideas you can adopt for the real estate business.
The key is to make your contacts interesting, personal or informative. Follow this strategy and it will help you position yourself as their “REALTOR for Life”. Building relationships witrh past clients is a guaranteed way to increase your number of referrals and repeat business. Sure you can go hunting for new birds, but don’t forget that the birds on your client list can put your real estate business on easy street.
Please contact me if you need help developing your "keep in touch" strategy.
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