Referrals Matter- ActiveRain Challenge and March ActiveRain Contest...
I have been in the real estate business for almost 19 years. Over this length of time I have given several referrals. I used to use only people who were members of my corporate company networks (Coldwell Banker, RE/MAX) however I was finding my conversion rates we're in the neighborhood of 15%. It was not until I found activerain that I was able to reach a level of between 70 and 75%.
How did I improve my odds of success? The first thing I did was look for agents who served in the areas my client was interested in. Starting in 2008 I was able to find several agents using ActiveRain. I threw my corporate companies under the bus and took my clients likes and dislikes into account. I then narrowed down the field of Agents in these areas.
I would read several agents bios and testimonials until I found at least three candidates who I thought my client would appreciate. Next I would call each of these agents and see how long it took for them to respond. Anything longer than six to eight hours; was counted against that agent. (I know you're thinking that was rather short notice for an interview call however some people never answered me at all.)
If an assistant answered my call that was also counted against an agent. (I understood that people try to delegate but I wanted to talk to the agent.)
I remember in one case where my client wanted an agent in the Fort Bragg area of North Carolina and I found three great agents. I called all three agents and their response times were phenomenal. Each agent was easy to talk to and have a great personality. It came down to two agents and the deciding factor was that one agent promised to update me on the progress every two weeks. My client chose the agent I referred over a USAA referred agent. My client also wrote me a wonderful testimonial on how I found them the perfect agent.
I would never disqualify any agent because of their sex, race or age. If an agent has a boatload of designations, that I have heard of, more power to them (it is not a requirement).
I found it interesting in one case where the agent had only 6 months experience but wanted me to talk to her managing broker. The managing broker assured me that this agent, would do an excellent job and her people skills we're second to none. I thought to myself I was in the same predicament when I started out. I had lots of enthusiasm but I lacked experience. My client was so impressed with this agent that they became best friends after she found them the perfect house.
Doing my homework and finding the perfect agent to refer someone to is a gratifying exercise.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog post! This post was researched, authored, and idea by Paul Henderson, REALTOR®, ©2008-2017, all rights reserved. All information is deemed reliable however it should be independently verified by the reader. Any reproduction of this blog post is prohibited without the prior written permission of the author
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