ARE YOU FARMING YOUR PAST CLIENTS?

Many agents do not farm for past clients simply because they work mostly with the sellers, and sellers relocate...

Past buyers are great farm! We don't need to bother them with constant reminders, however consistent communication, phone calls, clients appreciation parties are just perfect. Thanks for a good topic to discuss!

What a great reminder that, just like history, the past is always with us!  I'm going through my files now.

Michael

Sharon - You are correct, now is a good time to re-vamp or re-start past client campaigns. The market has great buys for past sellers or you can help with short sales.

True stuff.  We've worked hard for our past clients and they appreciate us.  Some of them even love us.  A drip e-mail campaign will bring people back you may have forgotten about.

Nice post.

Sharon,

You are so right. One of the biggest reasons for lost opportunities is apathy after the sale. Marketing to past clients is so easy and fruitful, I don't know why more people dont' do it.

I just today made a commitment to start reconnecting with these great people...

now, I see that I have made the right choice!

Now to go out and do it!

Hi Sharon -- I learned this early on and I get 30% of my biz from past clients/referrals, and I hope to grow it another 30% over the next 5 years.

Sharon,

Thanks for this. I just had a reality check on this in the beginning of the month. I occasionally call or email some of my past clients but I don't have the system in place. At my business review at the beginning of the year my manager and I discussed a goal to put something in play. I committed to it. Have I done it, NO. Fortunately, I received an email on 6/6/2009 that a client that I did not keep in touch with, sold in 5/2008, FOUND me on active rain. BAMM. I guess all the business cards I left behind with my gift basket he passed out to his friends, family and associates. I felt so bad that I had not kept touch. I do plan on putting something as simple as a blank card and personalize it next week. Once a week till I get to the end and then I will put in a rotation quarterly. Thanks again.

LOVE Active Rain

What a great reminder.. It is amazing at the number of Realtors who don't farm their past clients and they wonder why they listed with another Realtor.

I have systems set up to accomplish much of this though there's always room for improvement.

My wife was my assistant and I agree that most of my business came from past clients. I loved it when someone from a neighborhood would see someone list with someone else and they would go tell them to cancel their listing and call me or they were foolish.

Talk about a testimonial!

I just closed a refi this month for a past client. I also have a friend in the business and he says that 80% of his business comes from past clients.

I definitely keep up my past clients monthly - about 85% of our business comes from past clients.  It's really strange how so many Realtors don't keep in contact with their past clients - they seem to always be recreating the wheel.

Thanks for the reminder.

Hi! Great point! I am the Queen of Farming my past clients! Every month my secretary and I get together and label postcards that have recipes on the front and my picture on the back with a little note!!! So not only do they get great recipes, but I am also reinforcing my name, face, and business with my past clients every month!!! It works!!!!

Andy (#22) - What is a drip email campaign?

Sharon - I love keeping in touch with my past clients - they are my future.  Whether it is selling their current home, helping them purchase another or simply thanking them for their referrals.  My past is my future.