It’s happened to the best of us. You see a friend’s post on Facebook that her house is for sale, and you’re the last to know. Despite your team’s long hours working deep in your real estate business, somehow your dear friend didn’t think of you when she decided to go to market.
What can you do to make sure this never happens again? The only option really is to work hard to remain front-of-mind. It’s nearly impossible to stay constantly connected with everyone, and we’re not always privy to all of the personal plans and changes in the lives of our contacts. But when their lives shift, and they make the decision to buy or sell a home, you want to be sure that your team is the one they call.
These are five steps to make sure your contacts don’t forget you and your team:
- First, determine who should be on your team’s A-list. Everyone has at least 50 people in their tight network. Make a list and have each person on your team do the same. These are your peeps—the ones most likely to refer you to someone in their network. That group of 50 people is more like 250 when you include their potential referrals. These folks need to hear from you personally each and every month, whether it be a phone call, a “touch base” text or message, or an invitation to lunch or coffee—and make sure each of them receives a real estate review annually.
- Reward the behavior. Whenever your A-list folks give your name out as a referral, send them a note and/or a small gift to thank them. Whether or not their referral becomes a client, reward that referral behavior to encourage more of it. Show your appreciation—this is networking at its best and it doesn’t get any simpler than this.
- Update social media. Whether you’re a friend or a foe of social media, it’s here to stay. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and even Pinterest are where people are checking in daily. Be there with an update on your team’s activities. This is the easiest and quickest way to stay ahead of the competition. If time is an issue, hire this out with a goal of 4-5 posts weekly.
- Host simple client events. At least twice a year—or quarterly, if you can swing it—invite your A-list and current and past buyers and sellers to an event. This can be as simple as an ice cream social at a local creamery on a summer afternoon or as sophisticated as a gourmet wine tasting at an upscale wine bar. Workshops, movie nights and sporting events all provide great reasons to bring people together. The invitations and phone call follow-ups provide even more opportunities to stay front-of-mind and in front of your best clients.
- Remember your clients during the holidays. Holiday cards, birthday cards and pie giveaways or canned food drives at Thanksgiving are just a few of the reasons to reach out during holiday time.
Staying front-of-mind is not only important, but easy to do with a little bit of forethought. So, go for it! Make 2019 your year to never be forgotten!
Sarah Bernard came to real estate from a career in corporate marketing and property management. Licensed in 2014, Bernard sold $6 million in properties with 12 transactions in her first year and was Rookie of the Year. Five years later, she has grown a team that includes three buyer agents and support staff. Expected sales in 2018 are $18-$20 million and 80 transactions. She hopes to double her business in 2019 and is committed to learning and improving her team management every day. For more information, please visit www.workmansuccesssystems.com.
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