10 Habits of Top Agents - A Series

#6 - GOOD FOLLOW-UP

Have you seen (or been) this agent?.....

….doesn’t call the seller after showings or open houses

…doesn’t call the seller with weekly updates

….doesn’t call the seller between the sale and the closing

….doesn’t call the seller after closing

….doesn’t call the seller EVER again

Do you suppose the seller is EVER going to refer this agent to anyone?

At our Bowes & Cocks Think Tank sessions we ask all of our agents what their best source of business is. Every single one of them who has been in the business 10 years or more say that referrals from friends, family, and clients top the list. And the more they keep in touch, the more referrals they get.

 “It’s easier to hang on to an existing customer than to find a new one”.

Why spend so much of your effort and marketing dollars finding a new customer only to treat them like the “list ‘em and leave ‘em” agent I referred to above? Well, here’s a few basic tips on how the top agents hang on to their clients:

1)      Tell the seller when you will be calling…..and do it! If it’s been a quiet week and you don’t have anything to tell them, call anyway. Be truthful.

2)      Find excuses to call a few times in the first few days. When sellers list their property they are anxious at the start..waiting for showings…waiting for something to happen.

3)      Contacts with the seller are relationship building. The more you communicate, the easier it is to get price reductions and listing extensions if necessary.

4)      Call the seller a couple of times between the sale and the closing. Ask them how things are going with their packing, their lawyer, etc. Quite often minor problems will arise that you don’t hear about. If you can jump in and help, your client will be impressed and appreciative.

5)      Call the seller the day after closing. Ask them if everything is ok with the house. Better still, stop by with a closing gift. Your attention will “Wow” them.

6)      Contact every one of your clients at least 4 times a year and make sure that at least one or two of those contacts are face-to-face, or at the very least on the phone. Use mailers or email for additional contacts. Maintain a database and record your contacts. Record the referrals that each of your clients sends you so that you can give extra special treatment to those who refer you a lot.

Our coaching team at Bowes & Cocks can help you with great ideas for keeping in touch. If you haven’t been following up well enough to generate referrals and repeat business, start fresh now. Reinvent yourself and your business strategies and watch your sales take off as the referrals fly in the door!