"Reg? Are you angry with us?..."

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the importance of visiting past clients at least once a year, and gave some suggestions for overcoming common obstacles.  One of the best comments came from Reg Gupton on ActiveRain, and I thought it was so good I would feature it as its own blog post.  So here it is – enjoy.  Thank you Reg!

A long time ago when I had just started out in real estate, while out for a stroll on the Downtown Boulder Mall, I saw coming my way a past client couple. We had closed their transaction a few weeks before.

We walked up to each other and shared a warm embrace. I asked how they were doing, how the kids were adjusting to their new school and how the house was doing for them.

We talked about these things, then the husband said to me:  “Reg, are you angry with us?”  Of course not was my answer.

He then said:  “Well for a couple of weeks prior to the closing, you talked to us sometimes 2-3 times per day making sure the transaction closed smoothly.”  Which I did.

I was shocked and embarrassed.  I apologized for my behavior and learned a powerful lesson.

I changed my Closing Action Plan(s) to include post-close calls scheduled at 7, 30 and every 90 days after that.

Did I make all the calls? Not every one, but I am better than before.

I have had agents say they do not want to know how the house is doing because if there is a problem then they will have to deal with it.  So right.

Better to learn about a problem early on than learn about it from an attorney.  Recommendations can also be made to repair/contractor/trades people for those inevitable repair/remodelling projects.

A Metro Denver agent friend of mine calls all 456 people in his database every 60 days.  It takes him a few days. It is well worth the investment of time.

He closes about 10 deals per 100 people in his database. Pretty good ROI I would think.

Staying in touch by phone or face-to-face is the best way to grow your business. Use your real estate CRM to ensue your don’t forget to make these calls. If you’re not keeping in touch consistently with your past clients after closing, you need to start. The first step is signing up for IXACT Contact, here. It’s completely free for 5-weeks!