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So...What Do You Do With All Those Clients!??

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams FA100029350

What can I do

MY MIND??! Each of us, in businesses that require your attention to getting clients to use YOU rather than the average Jane or Joe out there, must have away that we contact our people.  There are several different approaches to this but only a few that actually work out. What you need in your business is a steady source of customers; but how do you do it? One such way is to work By Referral!  I'm a Realtor with Remax Professionals here in Littleton Colorado and I've discovered that to get the business you've got go out and hunt for the clients AND make sure you stay in contact with those you've already served.  

If you're working By Referral, then you hope, HOPE, that your past clients, friends, family and everyone else know who you are, know what you're doing and know someone who needs YOU.  There's several strategies to how you should contact your "Mets" and those "Leads" you're given, but just how strategic should you become?

Here's a few...eh...not so great methods that people use....in order to "Stay in Touch" so that they'll get referred new clients and business:

The Buckshot Method - Blast-em all!  Email to every one in your database or direct mail!  That should get someone to know what you do and to use you.....Right???  WRONG!  In my past I spent $2,400 on mailing out 10,000 flyers to people.  Pretty....oh so perfect flyers that I created....on full-color card stock....nice!  I received only ONE call.  To add insult to injury my friend said "Hey, I got your card.  It looks great, thanks!"  Sending out cards or e-mail are just as in-effective (in one trigger pull) as shouting "I sell cars!" to the freeway!

 

The Recipe Card - Oh, you've seen these!  This is a card you get in the mail with a pretty photo on one side with a nice tasty dish and...on the other side....oh look...it's from my exterminator!  So...what kind of message do you think you're communicating?  Maybe if you're a caterer...I could get it.  But from someone in a non-food related industry...well.  You're not exactly at the top of my mind to send a client your way but if I'm ever in the mood for Stawberry Crepes....??

 

The Call Till They Buy - Ok, I like talking to my friends, family and clients like any of you but do you ever have those people who call you about three or four times a week begging for business?  Perhaps they come by all the time or poke you incessantly on Facebook till you delete them from your friends list.  Too much is TOO MUCH! I don't mind keeping someone in the top of my mind if they need a service or something but Good Night...GET A LIFE!

 

Ok Clinton, so...what's a better way.  Well that's my quest.  A few years ago, when I decided that I wanted my clients to be "Clients for Life" (or friends for all my life), I investigated a few ways of how to best touch them.  When I joined Keller Williams back in 2008, I read the Millionare Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller and thought I had found a system.  I did find a system but what I also found is that not every square peg fits a round hole.  Not only that but technology has increased with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, Active Rain, Wordpress and YouTube for getting your word out. 

So...here's a thought.  Maybe the right way is to incorporate several contact methods in a concise manner. Have a system that keeps to a schedule so you can set the expectation with your clients, friends and family that, yes, "I do exist and am a Real Estate Agent, Plumber, Artist...ect" and that I want you to know I'm here for you.  I believe a constructive way to do this is to plan what you're going to say and when. 

The day before Thanksgiving 2010, I decided to Buckshot all my friends in Facebook with a simple little message: "Hey!  Happy Thanksgiving!" and send it to all 767 of my friends (you can find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/coloradovistas).  Do you know, it took me 9 HOURS to contact 422 of my friends and post that little message to their page?  See....if you just 'update your status', according to Mike Murphy - VP of Global Sales at Facebook, only about 30 to 50 people see the message.  That means that you have to personally contact all the others personally to say "Feliz Navidad" or "A chipmunk bit me on the lip today".{and to think that 345 of my friends never had a happy thanksgiving due to poor planning...bummer}

So, you've got to be a little strategic.  Plan your e-mails, your flyers, your 'recipe cards', and your phone calls.  How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, right? 

What I would like to know is what tomorrow's winning lottery numbers are and what you've discovered has been the perfect combination and rhythm to contact your peoples.  Let me know what your thoughts are below!  Don't worry...I won't steal your secret formula of 9 herbs and spices but I think it would be great to know what you do that helps you and your business personally.  We could all use the improvement and, it's true what we learned in kindergarden: It's fun to share!


~Clinton

L. Clinton Porter

Realtor / Broker Associate

RE/Max Professionals

Team Colorado Vistas

Littleton / Ken Caryl Colorado

Comments (4)

Sam DeBord
SeattleHome.com -Coldwell Banker Danforth - Seattle, WA
Seattle Real Estate Broker

Great musings, Clinton, I've had the same response to mailings/postcards--very little.  Nine hours on Facebook sounds like one boring day, though.

Nov 30, 2010 09:29 AM
Debra Davis
Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners - Snellville, GA
Realtor - Atlanta, Decatur, Snellville, Loganville

I agree with Sam. There must be a better way. Maybe you should put your contacts in groups. Just a thought.

Nov 30, 2010 09:35 AM
Clinton Porter
Keller Williams - Littleton, CO
REALTOR/TEAM LEADER: GPS, SFR, CDPE

Very true Michael. I wanted to address this with all service industries thus the word choice; although...I like "Partner" much better.  Yes Sam, it was a little boring but I still wanted to let everyone I'm friends, know that I care.  Debra, I'm in the process of doing just that...still, there's the activity of personal contact that, regardless of the group, I must still make.

Thank you all for the comments and re-blogging!

~Clinton

Nov 30, 2010 09:40 AM
Belinda Spillman
Aspen Lane Real Estate Colorful Colorado - Aurora, CO
Colorado Living!

Clinton.  Please let me know when you figure out how to come up with the winning Lotto numbers....  in the meantime, do you have Sharper Agent?  I am really enjoying that program.  It has some great database connecting features like a monthly newsletter or recipes or gardening tips, etc. etc.

We also delivered cookie tins to our top 50 clients at Christmas filled with homemade goodies.  We've been doing this for a while and found it to be very effective.  You can do pop-by's any time of year with just a small token in a little bag (X-Pedex on 470 and University) and a little note saying here's xyz, let me know if you know anyone who needs my services.

Hope these ideas help.  Hope to be doing business with you soon!

Dec 30, 2010 03:41 AM