When real estate competition is tough, and technology is automating services left right and center, what makes you stand apart from the other real estate professionals? Providing a VIP treatment, a red carpet client experience that will leave a lasting impression on your leads. It is also important to never forget that you are in the real estate service industry! The experience your clients have with you will make or break your sphere of influence, and amazing client experiences can build the foundation for a lasting, thriving property business.
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1. Reach Out To Clients During Milestones
Have you ever received a handwritten birthday card from your supplier? Or an holiday card from your doctor? It may seem very simple, but those little gestures can go a very long way. As a real estate agent, you are involved in one of the most important decisions in your clients’ lives, and you end up spending quite a bit of time getting to know your clients during their property buying journey. Reaching out to them to show that you care, will make your clients feel appreciated, and will provide a lasting impression on them.
You can even use Facebook Lists, which will make this process so much easier. Simply organize all of your clients into a Facebook List. You can break it down even further, by grouping them into “Buyer Prospects,” “Current Clients,” and “Past Clients.” Once they’re grouped into lists, you can click on a specific list, and see only the “news” from those people. This way you can easily keep up with milestones such as birthdays, weddings, etc.
Here are a some ideas to get you started:
- Handwritten birthday cards
- Flowers once a closing has gone through
- A bag of treats if they have a new pet
- Congratulations card for a new job or baby
- Quick phone call to check-in a few months down the road. “Just wanted to see how you’re settling into your new property!”
2. Listen to Clients and Ask Questions
For you, the process of buying a property is very routine. You’ve walked many clients through it time and time again, and you’ve perfected your process into a nicely packaged system. For a first time homebuyer, however, it’s a totally new experience to them.
We know you’re busy property agent. And of course, you don’t have time to spend countless hours talking to every client, but don’t underestimate the importance of listening and communicating to them. Hear what they have to say when they’re describing their perfect property. Ask many questions, and genuinely listen when they discuss their concerns, preferences, hopes and fears. At the end of the day, the property agent who listens, is the agent a client is going to trust and recommend to their friends and family.
Particularly, right now as the Corona virus pandemic unfolds, fears and uncertainty about the right move and the state of the housing market are troubling your clients’ decision-making. You can be their source of comfort by hearing all their concerns and providing trusted sources of valuable property data and information to help guide them in their real estate process.
3. Anticipate What Your Clients Need
You need to be in the right place at the right time for your clients, this is what will set you apart from the rest of your real estate competition and help you close the deal. But it’s not easy keeping tabs on the hundreds, potentially thousands and tens of thousands of leads in your real estate client database. So be sure to leverage great technology like CRMS to help you stay in front of leads and clients at the right time.
What is the most valuable currency in the world? Time ofcourse. So disrespecting someone else’s time is a sure way to come across as unprofessional and disorganized. Of course, life happens. But always be honest and upfront with your clients. If you are running late, or have to reschedule an appointment, let them know as soon as possible, and apologize beforehand.
Even during social distancing, we all still seem to fill our calendars with real estate appointments. Whether you’re at home or struggling to find some quiet office space, try to prioritise time-blocking to avoid being late.
Some tips for being on time:
- Be clear about exact location, and check waze ahead of time. (Always plan for traffic!)
- Be very thorough (to the minute!) with your Google calendar.
- Have a journal or physical planner in addition to your phone.
- Synchronize all of your devices to the same time for accuracy.
- Set proper boundaries and expectations for appointments. If a meeting is extending on, you’ll be able to say, “I have to stop at 2pm for my next.”
4. Be Compassionate To Your Clients
Excellent customer service is always very important. But now, you have to go that extra mile.
Being friendly will never go out of style. Be the property agent who brightens a client’s day. Be the agent who goes the extra mile to make a stressful situation feel a little less stressful. A great way to make sure you are providing a friendly experience, is to work it into your own core values or mission statement. Whether you are a single agent, or you work with a team, being kind should always be you number one priority.
It may be tough to be friendly when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed! Take all the necessary steps during the day to make sure that you’re calm, collected, and enjoying yourself. Property agents spend a lot of time in their car! When you’re on your way to an appointment with a client, put on your favorite playlist, album, or audiobook, and allow yourself to have a few brief minutes of “you time.” Additionally, exercise and a healthy diet are natural energy-boosters and can help keep your mood elevated all day, so start being active.
Stay tuned with the realestatemy.com/blog for more up-to-date tips and guides for real estate marketing professionals.
