How to Keep the Referrals Rolling During the Holidays
How to Reconnect During the Holidays
Your sphere of influence (a.k.a. the people you know and the people they know) are the leading source of business.
In case you don’t believe me, these stats are from the National Association of Realtors Buyer and Seller Trends Report:
- 52% of home buyers had previously used their agent or were referred to their agent.
- 62% of home sellers had previously used their agent or were referred to their agent.
This goes to show that you don’t need to buy leads or invest in cold marketing (billboards, magazine ads, direct mailers). All the leads you need are within reach. Investing in and growing your network of clients will greatly increase your business. Remember a warm referral is so much more valuable than a cold lead.
Of course, you can drop by client’s homes and write personal notes but those tactics are one-sided. If you want to deepen your relationships with your sphere of influence you have to connect. And there’s no better time to connect than the holiday season.
Starting in October and going all the way through December, there are a ton of opportunities to get together with friends, clients, and vendors. I’ll go so far as to say that people look forward to events where they don ugly sweaters, blind taste whiskey or careen down a snowy slope on a plastic saucer (although, maybe not all at the same time).
The other thing to consider during the holidays is that most Realtors are laying low. They are putting their feet up and congratulating themselves on a satisfactory year. Don’t rest on your laurels! The competition is thin but the opportunity for leads is plenty.
How To Reconnect
Realtors are social people. We have to be. In order to have a successful business, we have to build rapport. I made “fun” part of my business practice (awesome, right?). Each month I would do something social and I would invite my clients to join me. Whether it was a snow day or wine tasting, I made it a point to reach out to my sphere of influence. My ultimate goal was to get to know my clients better and build rapport.
What initially seemed like a fun hangout sesh with my clients and colleagues became a network of “friends with benefits” (i.e. referrals of course…I’m not talking about THOSE benefits)!
But seriously, when I spent quality time with my clients, we made memories, we got to know each other and we built trust. In the simplest terms, we became friends.
This inadvertently led to tons of referrals. And guess what referrals lead to? More clients! Clients, who I invited to cheer (or jeer) on the Green Bay Packers with me at my favorite pub. It was a big ol’ circle of success!
How To Execute
Now, more than ever, it is super easy to reach your clients. From Evites to group texts to Facebook Events, there are tons of time-saving ways to connect with your clients in a fun and personal way.
I truly value authentic relationships. My goal was always to turn clients into friends. It didn’t always happen and that was ok but I did my best to provide opportunities where I could better connect with my sphere of influence.
DOWNLOAD THE ‘HOLIDAY EVENT’ GUIDE
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