by Bill Koelzer
You're just too busy to send little notes to your clients on subjects, pictures, or attachments that might interest them, right? Big mistake! You need to make the time for this task, because it can give you better results than almost anything else you can do in the minimal time it takes.
Why do you need to regularly contact your current clients? Because you need "top of head awareness" with all your current clients so that whenever they think of a real estate agent, they think FIRST of you. And the only way you can stay paramount with them is by reminding them that you're around, which of course makes them remember how good you were with them.
Another reason for regular contact with clients is because you'll almost certainly lose them if you don't. Get this: National Association Of Realtors® figures show that only 11 percent of buyers and 28 percent of sellers select a real estate practitioner based on their previous experience with that person. But you can radically change those figures through simple email contact that costs you virtually nothing.
You don't have to send emails like these very often...say once every few months is enough to make a difference. But base your frequencies on your own personal "connect" with each client, not on some general cookie-cutter rule. Here are ten, simple, fast email ways to romance the client. Basically, just send info on topics the client is interested in:
- Relevant news
This is so ridiculously easy to do, yet shows the client that you remember something about him. As you come across website news stories pertaining to the client (hobbies, career, avocation, etc.) highlight and copy them, and then paste them into an email. Write a little cover note about it ("Fred -- thought you'd enjoy this."), add a subject line that includes your name, and send it. Wow, that took a whole 20 seconds! (Copying most short pieces of news falls under the "fair comment" rules of Journalism and is usually acceptable. If in doubt, ask your firm's attorney.)
- Links to great websites
Say he loves baseball ... send him a list of links to the best baseball sites on the web. Tell him to save the links and refer to them anytime for standings, scores, results, etc. If he's a fisherman, send him links to online fishing tips, etc. Copy some pictures and insert them into the email.
- Cooking recipes and tips
The client may love Steak Diane. So, just check Emeril's, Martha's, and Rachel Ray's websites for their best recipes, copy and send to her. Precede each one with a link to the web page from where they came.
- Fitness tips to match the client's outdoor habits
If s/he is a couch potato this may not work. But otherwise, find and send advice and products for the client who's a jogger, hiker, skier, swimmer, SCUBA diver, gymnast, exercise nut, white water rafter, Olympic javelin catcher, etc. The busier they are, the less well read they likely are and so they will treasure you sending info near and dear to their hearts.
- Health Information
Careful here, but if you've listened to your client you shuld know what is appropriate to send on this subject. Best are tips on how to increase your longevity.
- School Data
Buyers with young children are always interested in which schools in a region are best for their offspring. So, watch for newspaper articles on relevant topics. Scan and email articles, or go to the publication's website and just send the client a link to an article with a nutshell description of its contents.
- Cultural or Entertainment Information
Naturally, after hanging on his every word, you would have found out what kind of entertainment your client enjoys. If it's plays, send him a list of all the local playhouses, with hotlinks to their sites. Add a recommendation, like: "I love the Laguna Playhouse stage shows myself." Or, "This playhouse serves great drinks at intermission."
- Getting Settled: "Welcome to Town" Stuff
Buyers want to get oriented to the community as soon as possible. So they're keen to know about hooking up to the local utilities. So send them a list of companies they need to contact for gas, electric, phone, Internet, trash, sewer, gardening, HOA, etc.
They will bless you for sending them this handy list before they move in. Even your settled buyers will appreciate having all utilities listed in a single email, being only one click away.
- Your list of "Best of" Places to Eat, Shop, etc.
Especially for your buyers: If you think their tastes are like yours, copy Internet links to area businesses that perform best, and give your impression of each one. Maybe even include a photo and a menu. Recommend places to shop for groceries, clothes, shoes, baked goods, ice cream, whatever. Send a list of links and related maps that highlight the best local Italian, Chinese, Thai, French and other types of cuisine. And above all, which is the best local Pizza!
- Make up Your Own Client Emails
There's no end to what you can collect and send to your client that will benefit him. A buyer relies heavily on you to help him get settled. A seller is interested in how much his house is appreciating and fluctuations in real estate locally and nationally. A settled buyer also appreciates your tip about some great new area restaurant or nightspot that just opened up. If your seller is moving away from the area, send him frequent emails about his relocation city. Find the information by searching for the name of his new city and then looking at that city's community websites.
Share YOUR experiences of the local area, too. Clients appreciate things like a heads up about the great, free, two-hour musical holiday pageant that your local church or synagogue is planning.
What's nice, too, about sending these little notes to clients is that you can save the messages and send the same ones over and over to dozens of new clients for years. Just be sure to check each one for its timeliness and relevance to that particular client.
You can attach photos, web pages, Word documents, whatever you want for even more impact. Relevant jokes and cartoons are great, too. Just be sure that your client is Web-Savvy enough to know how to open whatever you send.
Such email campaigns are free to you, but can ingratiate you to a client. Over time, you will have cemented yourself to the client so firmly that he would not dream of using another agent when he buys, sells or answers a friend's question, "Whom shall I get to handle my real estate?" Combine with an occasional lunch or dinner and you likely have a client forever.
Are you too busy to do current and prospective client marketing? Then the above "thoughtful email" tactic is your answer. It takes minutes to do, ingratiates you to the client over time, and surely gives YOU that priceless "top of head awareness" that many agents pay many thousands of dollars to gain.
Bill Koelzer is a Web marketing consultant to web-proficient agents nationwide. He is co-author, with Barbara Cox, Ph.D., of the Prentice-Hall books, "Internet Marketing in Real Estate" and "Internet Marketing." Bill is also webmaster of Orange County Real Estate - Search MLS, among the most-awarded known Realtor® sites. Visit his website, http://www.koelzer.com/ or e-mail him at Bill@Koelzer.com.
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