How to Build Long-Term Relationships with Real Estate Clients
In the real estate business, getting a client’s signature on a contract is not enough. If you want your clients to buy from you repeatedly, you should ensure they have the best experience possible. Besides providing excellent sales services, inaugurating a positive relationship is essential in being a successful real estate agent. This is especially true at the beginning of a new relationship with clients.
Once you have landed a client, starting with a good impression is essential. For example, many realtors contact clients alone, and their first meetings often involve making cold calls. We know how this goes – most of these calls are “no’s” or “I’m not interested.”
Thus, real estate agents must learn how to maintain a positive relationship with clients successfully. Here are some tips that will help you maintain a positive relationship with your clients:
Stay Connected via Social Media
Social media is an integral part of communication in modern society. Today, everyone is connected via social media. It’s a great way to stay in touch with customers and clients. Social media is also a great way to keep track of your clients, friends, and families.
If you can provide valuable and helpful content, then you should do this, as it will increase the chances of making new clients from your existing ones. Connecting with your old clients on social media calls for more than just sending a friend request.
You will need to engage with what your clients post regularly in a friendly way and not sales. Doing this lets you connect with your old clients and build strong relationships. Take every chance to congratulate your clients on every type of success that they share with their friends and family on their social media pages.
Through this engagement, you will be able to strengthen the relationship as more connection opportunities are created.
Invite Them to Client Events
Physically connecting with your old clients can be an excellent way to strengthen your relationship. For example, you can have client events where you invite existing clients to join and participate. Therefore, ensure that you create an up-to-date list of all your previous clients and their contact information.
This will help you in sending them invitations for your client events. Giving away useful gifts to your clients at these events is another excellent way to strengthen the relationship and maintain a positive relationship with real estate clients. Clients can quickly get a chance to share their experience with you in such events with different people who, in return, become your new clients.
Getting new leads from these events is expected, as people often know someone who might need your services. Thus, try to make sure that your events are not just informative but also fun and exciting.
Send Direct Mail Postcards
Whenever you sell a new property or get another one listed, it’s an excellent opportunity to expand your network. The best way to do this is by sending direct mail postcards. It doesn’t take much effort or time to create 500 postcards and send them out.
Postcards could also be used when you have services desired from your current clients. For example, you could offer small referral discounts or other incentives for service providers and professionals such as real estate agents.
You can do this by sending out direct mail postcards and keeping in touch with clients to ask them for their opinion about your properties. You can help them decide their next steps by giving them helpful information on your properties and services.
When you list new properties, postcards come in handy because they include a brief description, pictures of the properties, and other important information. This will urge existing clients to get in touch with you and learn more about this property.
Be a Valuable Source of Information for Them
In some cases, clients might be well informed about their new locality, as they are more likely to be familiar with it. Thus, when they find a new property to buy, they will most likely contact you before contacting a real estate agent.
Thus, you should ensure that you are informed about the market and localities that would be best for your clients. For example, if you are an agent for your client’s area, then make sure that you stay updated about any changes in the area or the market forces, such as population growth and migration patterns.
This way, you can advise your clients on the options available in their locality and give them the best advice that would benefit them. You can achieve that by linking them to essential services like plumbing or electrical providers.
Schedule Meetings with Your Clients
Creating a regular schedule for meeting with your clients is vital in maintaining positive relationships. Sometimes you might have to blow some of those personal plans, but going above and beyond for your clients will give them a good impression of you as an agent willing to go out of their way for them.
In some instances, trying to schedule meetings is a bit difficult as your clients might be out of town or have other personal commitments which will prevent them from participating in the meeting.
For example, their schedule might be busy with work and personal commitments, which will make it difficult for them to make appointments. Thus, it would be best if you always tried to track what is happening with your clients. In addition, you could also provide reminders through email or call them to remind them of the upcoming meeting.
Make Friendly Calls
If your clients don’t know you, then it’s best if you will make calls to them. A friendly and warm call will let the client know that you are there for them and that they can trust you with their real estate needs. Get to know what they need, and provide this information regularly via phone calls, emails, or even text messages (if they provided you their mobile number).
Listen to What Your Clients Say
You might think that you know the needs and wants of your clients, but the fact is that you don’t. So, it’s best if you will listen to what they have to say and let them talk so they can be confident in your ability as a real estate agent. You would also need to ask them questions about their needs to understand them better and provide solutions.
Final Remarks
Improving client relationships is important, as it impacts your overall business. You will have to work hard to earn the trust and confidence of your clients, who will, in turn, refer you to their friends and family. Thus, follow these tips to maintain a positive relationship with your real estate clients.