Step #3: How To CULTIVATE Your House List For Endless New Clients, Referrals and Repeat Business…
How would you like to create such a deep bond with your House List, it’ll be nearly impossible for them to think about anyone else but YOU when they think “real estate”?
I’m talking about them becoming “emotionally committed” to do business with you and only you.
It sounds a little like voodoo…but believe it or not…you can set this dynamic in motion by doing just a few things in your practice.
In today’s article I’m going to talk about a “TIME” system (remember the “systems” we talked about in Article 15?). A “time” system is a system that’s managed by checklists according to chronology.
For example, as a quick review, your “time” systems would be checklists based on systems you manage by Weekly (by each day of the week – Monday thru Friday), Monthly (by each month in the year) and Yearly.
The systems we’re going to talk about today would be on your Monthly checklists (Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.).
If you’re not sure about how to manage “systems” in your business, please go back and read article 15 by clicking on the article links just below the header of this issue (above).
OK…so what are all these “Life-Event Contact™” systems about?
Did you know that less than 2% of all service businesses RECOGNIZE birthdays, anniversaries and other events in the lives of their clients?
Think about your own life. We live in a world where people don’t take the time to recognize and appreciate each other. It happens with our spouses…with our bosses…and even with our children. It can be a lonely place out there…
And yet recognizing special times in other’s lives is an incredibly valuable way to bond a deep relationship…to solidify a friendship for a long, long time.
But only 2% of all agents get to experience the special bond that comes by recognizing important events in the lives of your House List – because only 2% actually DO IT.
So it’s no wonder why only 2% become the “cream of the crop” when it comes to harvesting non-stop clients, referrals, word of mouth and repeat business.
Well…if you’re part of the 98% of agents who neglect recognizing their House List…here’s an opportunity to change all that – and in the process capture lasting friendships, and in impenetrable market share for your business.
Here are 3 simple “TIME” systems you can use to truly capture a special relationship with your House List…and make them forever bonded to you.
Life-Event Contact™ System #1: Unique Birthday Recognition
Have you ever received a nice birthday card from your insurance rep or another business you frequent?
It made you feel pretty good, didn’t it?
You have the very same opportunity to make others “feel good” during special events of their lives (hopefully you have the birthdays of your clients on your database as I mentioned back in article 8).
But I don’t want you to make the “mistake” many services make.
Many service businesses recognize life events, like your birthday, but they compromise their effectiveness because they send something very generic or “canned” – like some computer-generated post card.
And that defeats the purpose of recognizing someone as “special.”
I want YOU to do something that’s very unique and PERSONAL to those you recognize – whether it’s a unique gift, or a way in which you express yourself.
So the “empowering question” I want you to ask yourself (to stimulate your own creativity) is…
What Can I Send to My Clients that’s So Unique and
Personal It Will Make Me Stand-Out in their Lives…
AND Motivate Them to Talk About Me to Others?
One way is to make your contact personal.
You could send a simple birthday card with a personal note…just a small statement of your acknowledgement of their birthday.
Here’s sample language you can use to start the process. It doesn’t take long, and the impact will be HUGE with your clients…
“May your birthday bring you happiness, health, wonderful times, and many wishes come true in your life. It’s been a pleasure to know and serve you with your real estate needs. Warmest wishes on your special day…” [name]
Here’s another great idea I got from one of our agents. Hopefully it’ll get your creative juices flowing.
Our agent goes to a quality local bakery and negotiates a very special price on a beautiful birthday cake. After all, the agent is helping the bakery promote their business with this idea, so in many cases, they’re willing to make you a “deal.”
Next, the agent sends out a nice letter with the following certificate:
Don’t you think a gift like this will make a nice impression? Agents have told me that they’ve negotiated with bakeries to give the cake at cost or even free if the agent agrees to help promote the bakery.
So the question I have for you is…what kind of special, personalized ideas can YOU come up with for your clients – and, in turn, stand-out among all other agents to make yourself a special friend?
Life-Event Contact™ System #2: Home Anniversary Gift
Very few agents recognize Home Purchase Anniversary Dates, yet it’s a great time to deepen your relationship with your House List.
And it’s easy to get those dates – either from 1) your “Follow-Up Survey System™” (remember from article 10?).
I even gave you the survey and letters) or…2) Enter the transaction closing date in your database right after a transaction.
And for House List members who haven’t been clients yet, you can get the closing dates of their home from local Tax Records at your Assessors office.
Then, each year you “query” your database for the homes that were purchased during the month, and recognize the home transaction with a special offer.
Here’s a sample letter you can use to send each year to your clients at their home anniversary date…and get more and more business.
It’s OK to get a little “salesy” in this letter because a “home anniversary” is not as personal as a birthday (click on image to enlarge).
Let me ask you one simple question about this “system”: How many agents do you know who would take the “initiative” to do something like this?
I’ll tell you: Almost NONE.
That’s why you should do it. It’ll “position” you as a true professional and you’ll be first in line anytime your clients need to buy or sell – or think of anyone buying or selling.
Want to be a “stand-out agent”? Then do “stand-out” things.
One final point: If you do a quick MLS search, you’ll notice that there will be an “average” length of time of homeownership in the areas you practice. It may be 4 years, 5 years or 8 years.
Once you learn that “average” time, you can sort through public records for homes coming up on that time, pull their names, and use THIS system as a way of intense farming.
Try it, and you may have a highly effective and profitable prospecting system to use for years – and I’ll be no other agents in your area are doing it!
Life-Event Contact™ System #3: Tax-Helper™ System
Here’s a great system to really make a positive impact on your most recent clients.
When a transaction is completed, most clients file away their closing statements and documents. You can be of great service to them by sending a copy of their closing statement at the beginning of the next year – so they have it for their tax preparation.
This way, you’ll save them time digging through their files looking for information for their accountant in preparing their taxes.
On the next page is a sample of what you can say in your cover letter to your clients (enclose a copy of the client’s closing statement with this letter – AND don’t forget the “P.S.” in the letter)…
Now…if you were a client of yours…wouldn’t this little gesture (sent around February of the year after you bought a home) make a positive impact on YOU?
Of course it would.
Will you use it in your practice?
Today’s Action Plan:
We’ve just finished the 5th of 7 House List Cultivation System™. Are you starting to see how this little marketing system really differentiates you from every other agent out there?
And when you “systemize” it, it becomes very EASY to manage in your practice.
I’ve done the hard work. I’ve given you the examples. All you need to do is follow-through (heck, I’ve even given you details on how to create effective “systems” in Article 15).
How ’bout it? Need I say more?…
Coming Up Next…
Did you ever study the psychology story about Pavlov’s dogs?
Pavlov could get a dog to salivate just by ringing a bell.
How’d he do it?
He trained the dog’s mind to salivate by giving it a food treat each time he rang a bell. And very shortly…he could eliminate the treat, but the dog was still “programmed” to salivate when it heard the bell.
How does this apply to your real estate practice?
See…Pavlov learned that…
Behavior that Gets Rewarded…
Get’s REPEATED!
In Article 21 I’m going to share with you very simple ways to REWARD your clients and House List when they send you a referral.
No, you probably won’t get them salivating at the ring of a bell…but you will get them acting like a 100 or 300 or 500 person sales force out there raving about your business and bringing you referral after referral.
So be on the look-out for article 21 coming soon. It’ll be worth its weight in gold to you.