Very coincidentally....we had a referral to place immediately after hearing/reading Debbie Reynolds referral contest. We are fortunate to receive referrals every month from a variety of sources. The information was very simple...though there was more to be explained to the respondents we were going to 
interview. Typically, we indicate Buyer or Seller and Location minimally for the referral and the method that we prefer for a response.
As a Respondent for a referral...if you are interested in being chosen as the agent...pay attention to the information the referring agent has supplied...is it a Buyer or Seller for which they are seeking assistance ? (The vast majority from this recent experience answered the "side" incorrectly..yicks !) Our thought process is if you don't know a Buyer from a Seller...you probably are not the right agent for the referral.
The METHOD of Contact.....few agents want to be interrupted at every hour with phone calls....and we chose email with the label of the City as the subject line....Is that 
what agents did ? No....they called, they sent texts...one even sent a text to David....Tell your wife I am the best agent. Say What ?
Others had friends do their cheerleading....in the form of message or email testimonials...some of the agents who"always responded" were sent emails 
requesting an interview....never responded...ooops...regardless of your cheerleading squad...you didn't respond to the "job interview. " Beware the cheerleaders....it can be a "Pity Party" in disguise. Another agent who means well...but not for your referral...for the poor agent who lives miles away, has little experience, lacks the specific credentials....and has no business,
We purposely didn't ask for a resume of experience...all any agent ever said was " I service "Oakdale" or I am a lifelong resident of that state. No one had any particular experience.....number of years in the industry....a few included initials after their names to indicate some of their training. There was nothing that stood out about anything they said to make us want to contact them. Sometimes there was the, what we consider to be "arrogant approach"....I am John Agent and have enclosed the W-9 from my brokerage and the referral form...I "will accept" the fee you offer. Gee thank you John...if you didn't ...you wouldn't be the agent...and your assumption that you are with the inclusion of your W-9 is not appealing to us.
What did we learn from this experience ? The places we go to find agents vary with the referral to be placed...some buyers and sellers have very specific needs. Experience...oh yes....that plays a part as well it should.
Designations/certifications may or may not...again every referral is different...and if we seek out someone with specific education, it doesn't mean that we
don't still interview them. Like a diploma, they may well have put their education on the shelf and not used it. The sex of the agent does not matter to us...it may to the person being referred...and we ask them if they have a preference when we begin the referral process. The specification is often not a sex but if a referral person has an objection it is to a team where they fear they will be passed around and not get the individual attention from one agent they may prefer.
Be yourself when you introduce yourself to a referring agent..of course you service the area...why YOU ? How much experience do you have or what is special about the way you work with buyers or sellers ? Do you have relocation experience and have you introduced areas to newcomers before ? Do you have references from Buyers, Sellers...AND other people ....agents or consumers that have referred business to you ?
When we are the agents awarded a referral...we keep the referring source "in the loop," If it is a Seller, we send the listing, let the agent know when there is an offer, an inspection, deadlines for financing and anticipated closing date for the transaction.
Several of the agents who have referred us to family or
friends because they said we sounded most like them if they
were geographically able to service their family or friends we were the next best thing. We let the referring agent know that the transaction closed and when and how the check would be sent to their brokerage.
Let the Referring agent know you...READ and LISTEN to what the agent is telling you (some who called kept interrupting to sing their own praises and ignored what they needed to know to match their qualifications to our referring Buyer.
Referrals can be wonderful and generate more than one 
transaction....treat them respectfully....keep the referring agent "tuned in".....they gave you a gift...treasure it.
This has been a professional marketing post brought to you by Sally K. & David L. Hanson, Broker Associates with Keller Williams Realty honored to serve your referrals for the southeastern Wisconsin counties of: Kenosha, Racine, Walworth, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington and Jefferson.
Comments(29)