client relations

Mastering Rapport: Your Path to Real Estate Client Loyalty and Referrals

Jan 18, 2023

As a real estate agent, establishing a strong rapport with clients and potential clients is key to building a successful career. Rapport is all about creating a sense of trust, understanding, and connection, which can ultimately lead to successful, long-term relationships.

Today we dive into some practical tips on how to build rapport with real estate clients.

Active Listening

“Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them,” according to Arlin Cuncic, MA at verywellmind.com.

In other words, avoid thinking about your next appointment during the current one. Cuncic goes on to give some additional tips to help you listen actively:

“Being fully present in the conversation.” Give every bit of your attention to the person speaking.
Maintain eye contact
Show the speaker you were listening by paraphrasing what was said.

The Join the Market Series of postcards is shown above. To see more, Click Here.

Show Empathy

Empathy goes a long way in establishing rapport with clients. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand their perspective.

Buying or selling a home can be a significant emotional experience, and acknowledging and validating their feelings can help create a bond.

Offer support, reassurance, and a compassionate ear when needed. By showing empathy, you build trust and let clients know that you genuinely care about their well-being.

Tailor Communication Styles

Everyone has a unique communication style. Adapt to your client’s preferences and mirror their communication styles to establish a comfortable rapport.

Some clients may prefer a more formal approach, while others might appreciate a more casual and friendly conversation. Pay attention to their tone, pace, and word choice, and adjust your communication accordingly.

Be the Agent they can Count On

Timeliness and reliability are critical factors in building rapport. Few things in the business world are more frustrating than someone who doesn’t promptly respond to phone calls, emails, and messages.

Keep your clients informed throughout the buying or selling process, providing regular updates and addressing any concerns promptly.

By being responsive and reliable, you instill confidence in your clients, reassuring them that their needs are a top priority.

Building rapport with clients and potential clients is an essential skill for real estate agents. Thankfully, it’s one that can be developed over time.

When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Real Estate Marketing Planner

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals. – Click Here

4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

Help your Home Sellers By Debunking Misconceptions about the Current Market

Jan 11, 2023

Home sellers, so used to being in the real estate market’s driver’s seat, have no idea that they may soon be riding shotgun instead. The days of multiple offers for a home that sold overnight and for well over the asking price are dwindling.

This doesn’t stop the runaway enthusiasm they’ll feel when Joe down the street lets them know about the crazy high price he got for his home. Neighbor Joe failed to remind these sellers, however, that his home sold months ago when prices and demand were still high.

Now, this isn’t to say that the market is full of nothing but doom and gloom for home sellers. In fact, there’s an urgency in the air for homeowners who truly need to sell to get their homes listed before the market is full of doom and gloom.

The good news for listing agents and their clients

“Home prices will continue to rise, but at a slower pace,” according to Realtor.com’s 2023 Housing Forecast. With the recent barrage of negative media reports about the housing market, you at least have this silver lining to offer your listing clients.

Here’s an example, and although it’s hyper-local to Minnesota’s Twin Cities, it’s an apt anecdote to pass on to your clients.

Both the number of listings and the number of sales in the Twin Cities have declined. In fact, pending sales in November were the lowest in more than a decade, according to Jim Buchta at StarTribune.com.

Interestingly, home prices there continue to rise (the median sales price in November was 4.1% higher than this time last year), and homes are selling quickly.

To add even more silver to the lining that nobody seems to be noticing is that Freddie Mac tells us that “… the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined again to 6.31%,” Buchta says.

The Real Estate Times Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click Here.

More misconceptions

A recent Zillow survey of real estate agents finds that home sellers are still operating under the assumption that they will receive more than their list price, entertain multiple offers and enjoy a quick sale.

They also don’t anticipate the possibility of having to eventually cut their list price to get the home sold.

Although Zillow’s “… research finds a rapid drop in home values is unlikely,” the analysts there also predict that prices will pretty much flatten throughout 2023. By the end of next summer, prices will have increased by only 1.3%.

Additional rises in interest rates should also serve as a caution to any of your listing clients who are sitting on the fence. Urge them to put their home on the market now.

Keeping your clients and potential clients up-to-date on market conditions is critical in a changing market. Providing the information against a backdrop of what it means to them personally is immensely valuable.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

The Number One Home Seller Expectation Continues to Remain the Same

Dec 1, 2022

Anyone who has been a listing agent for more than a minute understands that the number one priority for your clients (as well as yourself) is to get their homes sold for the most money possible in the least amount of time.

But what do they expect their agent to do to accomplish this? Many first-time sellers may have no idea, while repeat homeowners most likely have a range of experiences on which to base their expectations this time around.

For the answers, we turn to the National Association of Realtors, which asks homeowners what they want from their listing agents each year.

The number one home seller expectation for the last decade is to help the seller meet their timeframe for selling.

The second and third top “wants” are to help achieve a competitive price for the home and help market the home.

Seller timeframes

Listing agents understand that the time it takes to sell a home varies according to certain factors and that the home’s price is chief among them.

Other factors include:

The type of market. For instance, currently, the typical home spent 51 days on market. According to Realtor.com, this is 6 days more than last year at this time.
Condition. with inventory remaining low, the current buyer pool still shows interest in even substandard homes. In a balanced market, however, there may be a different story.
Location. Another factor that buyers are still ready to compromise on right now is location. It won’t always be this way, as you well know.

Once you understand your client’s timeline, communication is key. Be honest about how realistic the timeline is, according to the market, the home’s condition, and the location.

The Get More Listings Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click Here.

Pricing your client’s home

The one nugget of information that all homeowners wait for during a listing presentation is your suggested list price.

Many don’t know how you arrived at this figure, and some don’t care. Agents we’ve spoken with suggest that listing agents ask their clients what they’re hoping to get for the home before compiling the CMA.

This way, you’ll have time to lay out a plan to explain why your clients’ estimation is so far off the mark (if that is the case) rather than be blindsided by finding out during the presentation.

Marketing

That marketing is in third place regarding seller expectations should be no surprise. In the present market, not as many homes require an in-depth marketing campaign.

If your clients’ home only requires a basic marketing campaign, let them know that and the reason why. Even if you think it’s common sense that everyone knows, communicate what you’re thinking and planning.

Communication, in fact, is key in meeting all three of these home seller expectations. That, and following through on your promises, is one of the best ways to build referrals.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Want to Grow Your Real Estate Business? Gain Some Positive Word of Mouth

Oct 24, 2022

If you’re like a lot of Americans, you avoid listening, reading, or watching the news as much as you once did.

Hey, we don’t blame you. News stories seem to be more focused on shocking behavior than ever before.

Yes, Americans are misbehaving more than ever, and this makes for stress and tension among everyone.

This includes the real estate world as well.

It’s evidenced by agents who don’t pay attention when clients are speaking to them, who drop the ball when it comes to returning calls, and that small minority who lack morals and ethics.

We know that you aren’t in that group, but for those who think small gaps in stellar customer service don’t matter, let’s look at how playing nice with others can change your reputation and allow you to gain some positive word of mouth.

1. Be considerate of the other agent’s client

Yes, your fiduciary duties are to your buyer or seller. But you also have a duty to extend consideration to the other agent’s client.

Take the multiple offer situation, for instance. Although there isn’t as much of that happening now, it was common over the past few years. Tons of buyers’ agents were gnashing their teeth over the lack of basic courtesy extended to their clients when their offer wasn’t accepted.

The Get More Listings II Series is shown above. To see more, Click HERE.

It takes 20 seconds to dash off a text or email to the buyer’s agent, letting her know that her client’s offer wasn’t accepted. “It’s a decided lack of professionalism,” one agent said about listing agents who fail to extend this basic courtesy.

“Think of the anxious buyer,” she added.

Send this text or email or make a phone call before you update the property’s status in the MLS. It’s not fair or courteous to other agents to have to learn the bad news from anything or anyone other than the listing agent.

Then, the buyer’s agent makes an appointment to show a home and ghosts the seller.

Many homeowners run around like crazy, tidying up their homes in anticipation of a showing. When you don’t show up or don’t call to reschedule or cancel the appointment, you become one of ‘those’ agents, the bad apples who make the rest look bad.

2. Use your words

One issue we heard about from several agents is that there is almost a complete lack of feedback on showings.

Remember, the average agent is a woman in her fifties; she’s been in the biz for way more than a minute. She recalls the days when soliciting feedback from showing agents was so commonplace that listing agents wouldn’t think of not doing it and then passing it on to their clients.

After all, isn’t communicating with the seller part of the listing agent’s job? Letting your client know how buyers feel about their home is critical.

If buyers’ agents don’t offer feedback, which is courteous, it’s the listing agent’s job to solicit it.

“Politeness … can be used to signal respect and consideration for others,” according to Matteo Bonotti & Steven T. Zech. (Understanding Civility).

Politeness and communication. It’s what you need to win the exacta in the race to set yourself apart from other agents in town and truly have a chance at growing your business through word of mouth.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Three Ways to Endear Yourself to Your Clients and Stand Out From the Rest

May 19, 2022

A couple of years ago I watched an online video about things that buyers do that “Realtors dislike”.

The writer opens the video with this statement: “… there are things that buyers do that I absolutely hate.”

Yes, those are her clients and potential clients she is talking about.

To this day I still can’t quite wrap my head around why an agent would post something like this. Can you imagine the CEO of Olive Garden or JCPenney dissing his or her “bread and butter” in this manner?

Instead of bemoaning the things that real estate consumers do that drive agents nuts, why not think about what agents do that drives them nuts and vow to not be like those agents?

1. Work on your empathy

When you’re empathic, you have “… the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling,” according to Greater Good Magazine, published by the University of California at Berkeley.

If you feel yourself slipping into an empathy void, try to look at the situation from your client’s viewpoint. For example, the agent in the aforementioned video thought that her clients were being petty when they voiced displeasure about the color of the tile in the bathroom.

Take a deep breath and consider this:

These people are considering paying hundreds of thousands of dollars by going into decades of debt to purchase a home.
The down payment and closing costs alone most likely represent every penny they’ve been able to save for years.
Re-tiling a tub surround can cost up to $4,000 according to the pros at Angie’s List. Tiling a walk-in shower costs from $2,500 to $5,000, but “some companies charge up to $10,000.”

How long do you imagine they’ll have to save for that? Would you be willing to live with unpleasing aspects of a home for that long?

There ya go! That’s empathy at work.

Life Event Series postcards are shown above. To see more designs, Click Here. Send them out to older baby boomers and downsizing seniors.

Need a baby boomer prospect list? Right now get the first 100 prospects on a baby boomer list for free with promo code: BOOM100.

2. Avoid making excuses – for anything

This may sound rude, but it’s nevertheless true: Real estate clients, unless they’re family or friends, don’t care what is going on in your personal life. They only care about ONE THING: buying or selling a home.

It’s not their problem that an agent’s teenage son is acting up and she had to miss an appointment to deal with him.

The most unprofessional thing you can do is proffer a lame excuse for not following through on something you promised. If life happens (which it does) and you can’t perform, hire someone else who can. Pay another agent in your office to do it.

3. Become an excellent listener

In the digital age, the word “listening” encompasses both the spoken and written word. Nine times out of ten, not listening to a client will result in wasted time and frustration for you, your client, the listing agent, and the sellers.

Then there are the rest of the folks in the domino chain that might be affected, from the title rep to the lender to the inspector.

Slow down, and take your time when speaking with or reading texts or emails from a client.

If you listen to your client, with empathy, if you always show up and refuse to make excuses, you’ll have a client for life.

And they will be happy to share your name with others.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Conversations you Must Have with your Buying Clients

Feb 10, 2022

To Become That Stand-Out Agent

Crazy business, isn’t it? You studied, got your license, paid all those fees, found a broker, and GOT TO WORK.

If you were lucky, once onboard, your broker had some sort of training program for new agents. Most, however, teach a few rudimentary tasks and send agents on their way.

What is universally lacking is training on how to work with clients – especially buyers. In many cases, this leads to a less than stellar experience for home buyers.

Want to become a stand-out with your buyer clients? Here are three things you absolutely must share, that many agents won’t.

Rent By Numbers Campaign, see more **HERE**

Closing costs

Have you ever wondered why there is so much focus on educating buyers about the down payment while details about closing costs are rarely mentioned? I have a theory about that.

Buying a home is expensive. That’s a given. Telling a client who is on a budget that they’ll need thousands of dollars in cash to put down on a home almost feels like we’re scaring them off.

Once past the down payment hurdle, who wants to say “Oh, yeah, by the way, you’ll need about that much more in cash for closing costs?” It’s much easier to let the lender take the hit for that one, right?

But we owe our clients much more than this. There is nothing worse than meeting with the lender and learning you’ll need twice as much cash as your agent told you that you’d need.

So, vague references to closing costs don’t cut it. Be the agent that helps change the perception of the industry by being upfront and honest about all aspects of the transaction – especially financial aspects.

Give them more information about the loan process

First-time buyers have a tendency to think that loan preapproval is an iron-clad guarantee that they’ll get the loan. It’s the lender’s job to tell them otherwise but how many do so?

Since you, as the agent, have a vested interest in the buyer’s successful closing, don’t assume the buyer’s lender is going to do this.

What is especially important for your buyers to understand is that their loan can fall apart right up until the moment the loan is funded.

Quitting a job, moving money, buying anything on credit, applying for new credit can doom the entire purchase.

First Time Buyer Campaign, see more **HERE**

Treat the final walkthrough seriously

I once had a friend who bought a house and used a well-known local agent. It was her first home so she relied heavily on the agent’s experience.

During the final walkthrough, my friend allowed her agent to take the lead and, it’s a good thing because all of the appliances which were to remain with the home were gone. Refrigerator, washer, dryer – all missing.

Since the walk-through was scheduled the day before closing, the closing had to be postponed while the seller replaced the appliances.

After my friend moved in she found that the garbage disposer was also missing, plants were removed from the landscaping and several other fixtures were gone. At that point, it was too late to remedy the situation and she was forced to replace everything out of her own pocket.

The agent fell down on her duty to her client.

Make a walk-through checklist of every aspect of a home and use it during the final walkthrough. Counsel your client to move slowly and inspect everything.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some additional tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

3. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

5. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.

We’re here to support you.

Your ProspectsPLUS! Team

Instill Calm in Your Prospective Clients Instead of Fear

Jan 28, 2022

If only I had a dollar for every online article and blog post I’ve read about home buying and how “difficult”, “scary” and “challenging” it is.

“Buying a house is exciting, intimidating, and, honestly, a bit complicated,” says one agent.

“The first time you undertake a home purchase, the complexity of the transaction can be particularly frustrating because there are a number of unknown rules and procedures that you are generally forced to learn through ‘the school of hard knocks,’” says another.

The combination of highfalutin’ words and the imagery of the “school of hard knocks” is enough to scare any real estate consumer into staying put.

My initial reaction to these fear-inducing blog posts and articles is, “If the process is this difficult, scary, or complex, it may be time to find another agent.”

Be the expert who soothes their fears

If clients aren’t completely familiar with the buying/selling process going into it, the best agents counsel them so that they learn and ultimately feel more comfortable.

Unfortunately, there are agents that think scaring potential homebuyers about the complexities of real estate is a way to win their business.

The first quote above is from a national real estate company’s website. It’s fine to caution folks that buying a home because it’s an unfamiliar process, might be challenging. However, a better statement would be to mention that it won’t be challenging if they work with you.

Because you, the superhero of the real estate world, will teach them what they need to know and be with them every step of the way.

You are an awesome communicator who wouldn’t dream of allowing your client to enter into the process without being armed with all the information he or she needs.

You are the expert and are happy to share your expertise with your clients. Want proof, you might ask? “Here’s my testimonials,” (list of former clients saying how amazing you are and how you explained everything and made the process so easy).

Think what a breath of fresh air your website, blog posts, and other marketing materials will be to a consumer who has surfed all the negative and scary agents’ sites.

When they land on your website and read words of encouragement and simplicity they will breathe a sigh of relief.

Looking for the right words to instill confidence? How about:

“Buying (or selling) a home doesn’t have to be scary, intimidating, confusing, or challenging. Allow me to show you how it’s done.”

Imagine THAT phrase added to all of your real estate marketing materials.

6 Reasons to Go After Baby Boomers Right Now

They own 26 million homes in the U.S.
They control 70% of all wealth in this country.
They hold more than 50% of all owner-occupied homes.
41% state they will definitely purchase another home.
They are almost completely ignored by the real estate industry.
And, we’re giving you the first 100 prospects on a Baby Boomer list for free right now!

That’s Right, Discover Baby Boomers in Your Area and GET THE FIRST 100 FREE!

To get the first 100 on a Baby Boomers Prospect List FREE USE PROMO CODE: BOOM100.

CLICK HERE to create your list (From a desktop/laptop computer) with the Demographic Search tool.

This offer expires on January 29th, at midnight.

Do You Need Help Creating Your Baby Boomer List? Watch This How to Video Below.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

New Agent University: Use Caution When Referring Vendors to Clients

Jul 8, 2021

The first steps in starting a new business are akin to trying to take a sip of water from an open fire hydrant. The number of tasks the new agent must undertake to assure success added to the learning curve can be somewhat overwhelming.

At some point, someone will recommend that you compile a vendor list. This list includes tradespeople that you will refer to clients, such as:

Stager
Home inspector
Cleaner
Landscapers
Pest inspectors
Contractors
Painter
Plumber

You get the idea, right?

Most agents refer to these folks as “vendors,” but we’ve also seen them referred to as “affiliates.” We think the latter better reflects their relationship to you. After all, they are an extension of your brand and your real estate business.

Their customer service, or lack of, will reflect on you

One agent we spoke with told us a story about his early days in real estate. He put together a vendor list based on recommendations from another agent. His first listing was a lovely home that needed new flooring and the owner was amenable to having luxury vinyl plank installed before the listing went live.

The flooring contractor he was referred to by his fellow agent claimed 30 years of experience in the flooring installation business so he felt confident in referring him to his client.

Big mistake.

The job was botched, from start to finish. Our agent’s client sent photos to the agent of floor planks with gaps between them, broken planks glued in place with caulking, ragged cuts and flooring glue spread throughout the home.

The entire floor would need to be pulled up and, since it was glue-down vinyl, there was no guarantee the planks could be reused.

It turns out that our veteran flooring contractor left the job in the not-so-capable hands of two trainees, without his supervision.

Needless to say, our agent friend was horrified and his client took the botched job out on him.

It’s crucial to carefully vet anyone that you will be referring to clients. Don’t rely on just one interview. Check the person’s references, read Yelp and BBB reviews, check with the state contractor’s board to vet those vendors whose craft requires a license.

Finally, check each vendor’s social media pages. Yes, it sounds a bit like stalking, but it’s not. It is basic due diligence and required if your reputation and trustworthiness is on the line.

Set a reminder to re-vet your vendor list every six months or so.

Don’t stop there

Call anyone to whom you refer a vendor to follow up. Ask how the job went and ask if they would hire that particular vendor in the future. Negative reports should be run by your vendor to get his or her side of the story.

Never remain loyal to a vendor that does subpar work or provides less-than stellar customer service to your clients. If you feel even a smidge of discomfort with any of your vendors, rethink referring them.

Your professional reputation is on the line so be scrupulous when vetting vendors for your referral list.

SOI Animal Series Campaigns are Currently on SALE 10% OFF the First Month – FOR 3 MORE DAYS!

SOI Animal Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH AN SOI ANIMAL CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out).

Launch an SOI Animal Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

What You Need to Know About Real Estate Testimonials

May 17, 2021

I won’t spend $6 on a vegetable brush at Amazon.com without first checking customer reviews.

It would be an understatement, then, to say that it blows my mind that a guy wanting to sell his house (his HOUSE, for pity’s sake) picks the first agent that comes along.

After all these decades, real estate consumers still find the pool of agents in their town interchangeable. “You’re all alike” is a statement that deserves a look of shock in polite society, yet people think nothing of using it to describe real estate agents.

So, how does a knowledgeable, hard-working, awesome customer-service-providing agent combat this?

By getting your clients to do it for you, via testimonials (or, reviews as they are more commonly known).

Reviews are critical in the current marketplace

We recently read a study published at BrightLocal.com, that found nearly 90% of consumers age 35 to 54 (which is roughly the average age of buyers and sellers) routinely read reviews for businesses.

Sadly, only 15% of those folks were reading reviews of agents. As Millennials get older, however, experts predict this number to grow.

There is a right way, and there’s a wrong way

We’ve found several real estate trainer blog posts recommending that agents give a “thank-you gift” in exchange for a “positive” testimonial.

There’s a difference between encouraging honest feedback from your clients and requesting “positive” reviews specifically in exchange for something.

This suggestion violates federal law and, sometimes, the terms of service of the testimonial site.

“Companies must make it clear when they have paid their customers to write favorable testimonials,” according to Jessica Rich, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Google will ban users for offering to pay for positive testimonials. And, over at yelp.com they state that “Business owners should not be asking customers to write positive reviews for their business.” Learn more about Yelp’s terms here.

Other things to consider about real estate testimonials

Like most online content, it’s only as good as its recency. If you aren’t consistently posting fresh reviews, you may lose business to the agent who does.
The average number of reviews Americans read before making a decision is 10 (statista.com). Keep this in mind when updating or creating your website’s testimonial pages. Put the 10 best reviews you have at the top of the list.
An unsigned testimonial, or one signed with first and last initial, has the potential to create distrust in the viewer. Don’t use them.
Always ask permission from a client to post their review but never ask him or her to give up intellectual property rights to the content in the review. Oh, and get that permission in writing (or via email) and keep a copy in the client’s file.

Consider including testimonials in your direct mail marketing pieces, specifically if they come from the same niche you are targeting.

For instance, a rave review from a client with a rental property that you helped sell, would be a highly credible addition to the marketing pieces in an absentee owner campaign you’re launching.

Did you know Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month? (sale ends 5/22/21).

*Absentee Owner* Scheduled Campaigns (shown above). Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH AN ABSENTEE OWNER CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to get started on your Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).

Launch an Absentee Owner Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

The Biggest Client Complaint & How NOT to be That Agents

Feb 12, 2020

“Before I got an agent, I would try to inquire about their services … and I’d say 90% of the time agents did not return my call,” complains a real estate client (Trulia reviews).

If some agents can’t respond to a hot lead, how can a client expect them to communicate effectively during the listing period?

Agents have come up with a lengthy list of excuses for why they don’t call. They run the gamut from “I don’t call if nothing is happening,” to “I didn’t get your message.”

Which is why the biggest client complaint against agents is lack of communication.

So why aren’t agents working harder to provide this most in-demand aspect of customer service?

Communicating with your client helps dispel the oft-repeated complaint that real estate agents don’t do anything to earn their commissions. It builds trust and it makes for a more relaxed working relationship.

Here’s how NOT to be that agent.

Examples go a long way

Let them know you’re on the ball (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings)

Explanations, walk-throughs, and examples go a long way in helping a client understand the complicated selling process, especially when working with first-time home sellers.

“We didn’t know there were all these things we had to pay for,” says a real estate client at a Hear it Direct event (pity they aren’t doing these any longer).

The gentleman went on to complain that his agent “never brought it up.”

Yet another client was so disgusted by her agent’s lack of an explanation of the process that she won’t use any agent’s services in the future.

“We’ll probably just do it on our own – we kind of feel like we are already,” she said.

A real estate client who feels isolated during the sale of such a huge investment is not only in a sad situation, but it’s uncalled for in an industry that prides itself on “building relationships.”

Take a tip from buyers agents who hold buyer consultations before showing homes. Take the time to walk your listing client through the entire process, from what happens immediately after signing the listing agreement to the closing table.

Outline the costs of selling the home, what might go wrong during the process and their responsibilities.

Explain the following during your consultation:

What happens after they sign the listing agreement – detail the process beginning to end. Don’t assume they know.
Describe your marketing plan and when and how you’ll implement it.
Explain what a broker’s open is and how important it is.
Show them a lockbox and explain how it works, what to expect from buyers’ agents and everything else they need to know about the marketing period.
How offers are presented.
The period after an offer is accepted. Explain the escrow process, the paperwork they’ll encounter, disclosure duties. Remind them that they’ll need to be accommodating to the appraiser and home inspector.
Explain the closing process.
Keep them in on area real estate action (available in the postcard section under Content postcards)

Even the smallest aspects of the home sale process may be completely foreign to a client, so don’t assume that you don’t need to explain them.

Aside from an actual, sit-down seller consultation, there are a number of other ways to provide this information, from a book or e-book to a video or the plethora of information on your website (you have a plethora, right?).

Ask and listen

Ask questions—lots and lots of questions. How do they prefer to communicate, by text, email, phone? How often would they like to hear from you? Is once a week okay or do they want more frequent contact?

How do they feel about open houses? What are their biggest fears about the process? Is there anything about it they would like to know more about?

One home seller who vented his frustrations at CityData.com complained that “I figure an email a week telling me how many hits I’ve gotten on the various real estate sites, calls about my property (if tracked) and general market conditions would work, but I shouldn’t have to chase my agent down to hear what’s going on.”

Asking questions isn’t enough. You need to listen to the answers and ask for clarification if needed. Ensure there are no misunderstandings about their expectations.

Communicate often

Toss the old advice about not saying anything if you don’t have anything nice to say. Homeowners crave communication so provide it as often as possible.

Even if you have nothing to communicate, reach out to your client and let them know. I bet you can come up with something of value to communicate:

How many people toured the home during the past week?
How the open house went.
What type of feedback did they, or their agents leave?
Anything going on with the overall real estate market that they should know?
If under contract, let them know how escrow is progressing.
Find out if they have any questions such as, what comes next.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “consultant” as “one who gives professional advice or services.” These homeowners could have chosen to sell the home without an agent but chose to go with you because of your professional knowledge.

By consistently communicating with your clients throughout the sales process, you’ll make them very happy they chose you and, hopefully, more likely to recommend you to others.

An effective way to communicate with and encourage prospective clients is to offer the Free Report “5 Sure-Fire Tips For a Quick Home Sale”.

Include it in all of your marketing and offer it as an opt-in on your website.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!

1. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan – NEW 2020!

2. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan – NEW 2020!

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

3. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

4. The Free Online ROI Calculator

5. Get the ALL-NEW Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted mailing list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

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