Learn how to cultivate your relationship with your client today!
You have a client lead, but where do you go from there? Cultivating relationships with future and past clients is 90% of making the sale. Ultimately, people want to buy houses from someone they personally know, like, and trust.
Most salespeople are natural extroverts. So, making introductions is usually easy. However, making an effort to cultivate a relationship is an art form that not every real estate agent has mastered.
Here, we will outline the stages you can follow to form a lasting, productive relationship with your clients.
1. Make the Initial Contact
Making initial contact with clients is crucial. There are many different ways of meeting people. Here we'll outline some of the most effective methods.
Face-to-Face Meetings
While you might meet future clients through personal acquaintances, at the grocery store, or on the street, you should never rely on a chance to bring clients to you.
Today especially, it's unlikely to meet people in public spaces or gatherings. Since face-to-face interaction is limited, realtors are resorting to online methods of meeting new clients. In this regard, social media is an all-important medium.
Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram ads are a sure way to get the right people's attention. What's beneficial about using these paid ads is that they can be targeted to people who have an interest in real estate.
Many people today are using Zillow to home search. You can use this platform to make a profile for yourself and connect with even more people. Because clients are already searching Zillow for homes, they will be in the market for a realtor as well.
Cold Calls
Another way to make initial contact with clients is through cold calls. A well-curated list of already interested people to call can be a very effective way of making yourself known to potential clients.
Host Virtual Stagings
Virtual stagings are becoming a necessity for home sales. You can host stagings on social media or your website. Hosting a virtual staging is an easy way to do your job of selling a home and make new contacts. Going to an in-person staging can be intimidating for many people seeking a home, especially if they are still undecided about taking the step to buy a place of their own. With a virtual home staging, potential buyers and clients do not even have to walk out of their front door. This is a great way to get more people familiar with your style of working. This is a great non-committal way for them to get to know you and get comfortable with the idea of working with you themselves.
2. Make Sure Potential Clients Can Find You're Information
Like social media is a way to meet clients, it is also a way for clients to learn more about you. As said before, people are more comfortable buying houses with someone they personally know and like. You can use social media and a personal website to make getting to know you easier for clients.
It's important to be active on as many social media platforms as possible. You should keep the content on those accounts light and informative. Don't be afraid to share personal details (such as pictures of your dog or kid). However, be wary of sharing too personal many personal details or negative details.
A website and blog are a great way to make yourself a resource to potential clients before they even enlist your services. Keep content on your blog relevant to your client's needs.
If you specialize in a certain neighborhood, it's a good idea to post neighborhood updates and secrets. Some examples of this would be restaurant suggestions, upcoming events, or spotlight a business you think clients would appreciate. The more you can make yourself seem like an expert on the area; the more potential clients will be inclined to trust you with their home search there.
3. Make Yourself Available
Once you've contacted the client, and they selected you as their realtor, you can really begin cultivating that relationship. Buying or selling a house can be a daunting thing for many people. Your client will be looking at you whenever they have questions or concerns about the process, which is inevitable. This is the perfect opportunity to make yourself available as a reliable resource.
While you are available to clients, don't only be a sounding board to their concerns but also give them honest and informed solutions or suggestions. Most likely, the client will be eager to hear what you have to suggest.
4. Keeping Clients After the Sale
Once the sale is through, it's easy enough for you to fade into the background of the client's mind as they start setting up their new home. But years down the road, if they decide to buy or sell again, you want them to know that you're still as willing as ever to help them do so.
Don't trust clients to remember you on their own. It's only human nature for them to forget. Because of that, it's important to keep yourself relevant to them. Thankfully there are several methods of keeping in touch you can put to use.
Closing Gift
Once the sale is made, celebrate with your clients. Expressing your excitement for them even after your profits are made will make clients feel like they are special to you. Of course, people can tell if you're faking interest. So that means you need to cultivate and show real interest in people throughout the entire process.
The gift doesn't have to be expensive or extravagant. It can be as simple as a nice plant for their favorite window seal or a monogrammed blanket. Whatever it is, make sure it is personalized to them based on the information you have about them, their hobbies, and their personalities. The more personal the gift feels, the more likely they will remember it for a long time.
Social Media
Once again, social media is a powerful tool. Encourage clients to follow your accounts after the sale is made. If you've done well in cultivating a personal relationship with them already, they will most likely be happy to stay up to date with your business.
On social media, continue to make yourself a neighborhood expert. If they have any questions about the neighborhood happenings, make sure they know you have all the information they need, and you're open to answering their questions.
Interact with former clients on social media by reposting or promoting whatever they have going on in their personal or professional lives. Like their pictures and respond to their posts. Make yourself more than just the person who sells houses.
Email Newsletters
An email newsletter is an easy way to keep all your former clients engaged with your business on a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly basis. Really, you can send email newsletters out as often or sparsely as you want.
Keep former clients up to date with houses for sale and recently sold in the neighborhood. Provide meaningful information that new homeowners will be glad to read. Provide updates on the latest home decor fashions. Give them house upkeep tips and tricks. Make sure to keep content easy to read, fun, and relevant.
Anniversary Reminders
Keep a calendar of each home closing date, client birthdays, and anniversaries. Each year that passes send clients a postcard or email reminding them of their years as homeowners and the part you played in that. It doesn't have to be an elaborate, long message. In fact, a few short lines of congratulations is enough. This is a great way to keep yourself at the front of their minds. Then, if they are ever ready to buy again or know someone who is, you'll be the first person they think of.
Host Giveaways
Everybody loves free things. Once you have cultivated a good amount of client contacts, you can start offering them to participate in small giveaways. You could ask them to enter a raffle for a gift basket of local goods. You could also offer a gift card to a local spot for every referral they send your way.
Hosting giveaways is a great way to keep in touch with you fun for clients without bombarding them with sales pitches.
Host Social Functions for Clients
Many of your clients probably do not know each other. However, they have at least one thing in common . . . you!
Hosting social functions for clients is a great way to keep them interacting with you and now each other. Once they start to form a social connection with you, they will be much more likely to refer their friends and family.
Some social events might be a back to school bash at the park or a holiday party. Another good idea would be to form a workshop for skill and home maintenance that new homeowners would be interested in learning. Even though you're providing a good time, you're still making yourself out to be a resource.
Be a Resource
The same blog that caught the client's attention can help keep a client's attention. Individuals are more likely to seek out information from a person or business they're familiar with. They'll be even more excited to have worked with you when they see what an expert you are in your field.
By being a resource for clients, you are ensuring that they will continue to come back to your blog repeatedly whenever they have a question. Then, whenever the time comes for them to need your services again, they won't hesitate.
Don't Be Too Busy For Clients
You're busy. We know. But clients need to know that if they call you up, they'll be your priority. Try to make yourself as easy to reach as possible. That means, respond to their social media messages quickly. Don't let emails sit in your inbox for long. If you aren't responding to their inquiries quickly, former clients are just as likely to seek answers or services from someone willing to respond to their emails.
Cultivating Relationships With Clients Before and After the Sale: The Same Tactics For Both
Believe it or not, forming initial client relationships and maintaining those relationships after the sale are two very similar processes. Like social media, a blog and postcards can help you gain people's attention; they will also help you keep those relationships active. If you can stay organized and motivated, you're sure to see positive results from your efforts.
Once you have a base of former and current clients, these tactics will help you keep a steady stream of new contacts. Satisfied customers will gush how much they like working with you and what they've gained from working with you. Just like people have a preferred doctor, you can be their preferred realtor.
We Can Be One of Your Resources
We offer services that can help you with cultivating relationships with past and future clients. With our assistance, you can manage your online reputation through alerts and reports. This way, you can see when people are searching for you and what they are doing with those searches. The more you know about using your services, the more you can cater to being the top of their results.
Along with that, we can help you to manage your social media accounts in a way that engages clients. Instead of posting the same thing to several accounts separately, our services help you post to every account from one place.
No matter if you need help cultivating relationships with clients or not, we hope this article has been helpful to you. Visit our blog to learn more about how marketing tactics can assist you in growing your business.
Need more local marketing tips? Check out The Essential Marketing Guide for Real Estate Professionals
