When the weather gets stormy outside, I often spend time searching my family history and genealogy records. Yesterday was one of those days spent creating descendant charts, which record generations of family flowing from a common ancestor. While winds blew and rains fell, time easily passed.
On these charts, the top "ancestor" slot(s) will have two parents (mother and father), with descendents flowing downward.
This ancestry endeavor has caused me to think about, and apply this effort not only to my family; but to my real estate career as well. However in Real Estate genealogy, the chart begins with one genesis client - a sort of "client parthenogenesis" - and flows downward with client descendants.
Reaching back in time 30 years, when I worked as a rookie agent in a Century 21 office, I can begin tracing the “genealogy” of referral clients, which originated with my very first buyers and sellers.
The location of the office was a busy intersection near a booming Air Force base. The walk-in traffic and floor calls to that office were brisk and amazing.
A few years after becoming a real estate professional, I decided to trace back, and determine how I had received my clientele - I was interested in where they had originated from.
I remembered my very first client had been a 21 year old, whiz-kid, who had invented a drill bit for drilling below surface diagonally, to procure mineral or oil with rights on property from adjacent property where surface rights weren't granted.
His goal was to buy a duplex, live on one side and rent the other side out. After the sale was finalized, my first client sent me two more clients. And the both bought homes through me. They too, sent additional clients my way.
Within very few years, my first client moved up into a single family home, keeping the duplex as investment property. He soon married, and I sold him and his new bride, a couple acres near Folsom Lake and they built a gorgeous home. When his wife developed a health issue, which made stairs in the two story difficult for her to endure. We listed and sold that home and found an even nicer single story home for them to dwell in.
There are at least 5 generations of clients I have received from that very first client. If I had to calculate the number of progeny listings, buyers, and sales, as well as the associated commissions attributable to that original client, it would be enough to keep me living comfortably for a couple of years.
The lesson is this - It is very important to take care of your clients. It is from the special and professional care provided them, that you GROW your business.
It is important to continue communicating with past clients. I do this on a regular basis via a newsletter and an occasional email or phone call.
If you practice your profession well, you can nurture and grow a strong healthy client family. If you don't, the client progeny will be small in number, amount to no more than a single generation, and will die on the vine!
One of the more rewarding occasions for me, came a couple of years ago, when that original first client, sent a wedding announcement to me. It was for the marriage of their son.
So from that very first client thirty years ago, who purchased a duplex from me at age 21, I can only see the possibilities for their growing family. . .and for me.
Comments(17)