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Friday, October 2, 2026

referrals

    That commission kerfuffle in which the NAR is embroiled, brings with it lots of discussions, questioning the value the agent brings to the real estate process.

    Buyers’ agents, especially, are under the magnifying glass and it’s not at all uncommon to find quotes from consumers testifying that these agents do little to earn the “big bucks” the public thinks they make.

    However, the results of a recent Century 21 survey say otherwise.

    Ninety-nine percent of buyers claimed that their agent “added value” to the process.

    Which is not quite what we’re hearing from the media, right? And, if I were a gambler, I’d bet against that study seeing the light of day in the mainstream media.

    But buyers’ agents can take heart in knowing their clients approve of the job they do.

    There were also other tidbits of information from this particular survey that, if heeded, can help listing agents maintain their relationship with clients long after the deal is done.

    And, successful relationships result in referrals.

    Related: Find out how many people you need in your Sphere. Try our Free SOI Calculator

    Use handwritten notecards to send a special message to your Sphere. Available on ProspectsPLUS.com.

    First, let’s talk about buyers’ agents

    Sadly, nearly a quarter of homebuying clients interviewed said they hadn’t heard from their agents since closing. It’s bad enough that so many agents can’t seem to follow up with leads and prospects but that they also ghost their clients – people they know – is simply mind-boggling.

    Then, when we consider the C-21 survey results about how happy these clients were with their agent, what kind of crazy does an agent have to be to not follow up?

    Would it help if you knew that these clients feel “abandoned” when they don’t hear from you? Would it help to know that more than one-third of survey respondents said they “were unlikely to recommend or rehire the agent they just worked with?” (Emma Ludman, Chicago Agent Magazine).

    It’s easy to assume that since they just bought the home, they won’t be needing your services for some time. But they most likely have friends, family, and colleagues, right? If your name is top-of-mind when someone asks your clients which agent in town they recommend, you’ve got yourself a referral.

    Follow up, follow up, follow up

    The very first thing agents need to do is show their appreciation and gratitude to the person or people responsible for that commission check they just received. You’ll find a wide selection of cards here on ProspectsPLUS!

    If you prefer to send a hand-written note, keep it brief.

    “We are truly grateful for the trust you placed in us during your recent home purchase/sale. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

    We hope to be your real estate team for many years to come.”

    Get the card in the mail within a week or two after closing.

    Then, create a follow-up campaign
    Send the Neighborhood Update postcard, available under the Neighborhood Update Series.

    If you don’t already have a follow-up system, it’s time to create one. In 2020, you’ll get the most bang for the buck with a direct mail campaign.

    The mailings must be personalized and they must be strategic. Dig into your CRM and create lists, even if they’re as simple as a list of buying clients and selling clients. We would suggest an additional list of sellers who also bought a home. These experienced homeowners require different information than first-timers.

    Decide what you’ll mail and how often. A list of what has sold in the neighborhood is welcome information for your buyers who are most likely keeping tabs on how their investment is doing. Also, consider:

    “Defying the mediocrity that still exists in the real estate industry is a major part of our mission,” according to Mike Miedler, president and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC.

    Send the Multi-Photo Just Listed postcard to your Sphere and show them how active you are. Available under the Multi-Photo Series.

    Make it a part of your mission as well by keeping in touch with past clients strategically and consistently.

    Send the Multi-Photo Just Listed postcard to your Sphere, keep them apprised of what you’ve been up to and stay on their minds.

    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!

    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 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 

    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

     

     

    4. 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

     

     

     

    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

      Imagine what life would be like if you could stop cold calling, door knocking or chasing after FSBOs – or at least cut down on those activities.

      Ditching the more distasteful aspects of your real estate lead generation routine is possible, if you vow, right now, to chase after referrals, and get serious about your database.

      Warm calls are so much more pleasant and knocking on doors where people are happy to see you beats the alternative.

      Make building better relationships with people you already know, the center of your 2020 marketing plan.

      How’s your sphere of influence?

      Agents who have been in the business for more than a minute tell horror stories about friends and even family members who “forgot” that they were in real estate and listed their homes with another agent.

      In fact, NAR statistics say that “The typical REALTOR® earned 13 percent of their business from repeat clients and 17 percent from referrals from past clients and customers.” (The study doesn’t explain what they mean by “customers.”)

      Look at those numbers – they’re pathetic, aren’t they? Especially when NAR surveys say that nearly 90 percent of real estate consumers say they would use their agent again in the future.

      Past clients know you and, hopefully, they like and trust you. Shouldn’t agents be getting more than 17 percent of their business from referrals from them?

      We get it. Agents have a ton of irons in the fire during the typical work week and keeping in contact with their SOI typically ends up as a low priority.

      What would happen, though, if you moved it up on the list? Made those warm contacts (instead of contacting strangers) a priority? You’ll end up top-of-mind with your sphere when someone mentions buying or selling a home.

      The Barking postcard is available in the postcard section under the from the Sphere/Farm Animal II Series.
      Step 1 to get your real estate business on the referral track

      Organize your database. Yeah, doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but it’s necessary to keep you on track.

      If you already have an organizational method, you’re one step ahead. If not, let’s create a simple one.

      Start by grouping your contacts. There are many ways to group them, so choose labels that make sense to you. Some suggestions include:

      • Hot leads (people you don’t know yet)
      • Cold leads (again, people you don’t know)
      • Sphere (or “family,” “friends” “ladies I play tennis with” “past clients”)
      • Vendors
      Feel free to create subgroups, if it will help you to stay organized. Some of these may include:
      • Immediate family members
      • Extended family
      • Closest friends
      • Acquaintances
      • Neighbors
      • People you met through your kids
      The All Ears postcards is available in the postcard section under the Sphere/Farm Animal II Series.

      Thanks to the folks at TopProTraining.com for some of those ideas. Check out their list for more.

      Kim Hughes at KimHughes.com suggests that the next step in setting up your database to help you succeed should be to go through all of the leads, checking the information you have on them and adding anything that comes to mind.

      At a minimum, Hughes says you should have the contact’s full name and the name of immediate family members. Naturally, you won’t have family member info for some contacts, such as leads.

      Pick up the phone and start calling people. Start with folks you know, like past clients, relatives and friends.

      Tell them you’re updating your database and want to ensure you have their correct contact information:
      • Verify that the addresses, both snail and email, are current.
      • Best phone number to contact them.
      • Birth date is an important one (folks LOVE getting birthday greetings). The birthdate might be a tough one to ask, but tell them you like to reach out to people on their birthdays. You don’t need a year, so that may make the question “Hey, when is your birthday?” a bit easier to ask.

      Get ideas for these conversations at TheRealEstateTrainer.com.

      Listen carefully to their end of the conversation for any tidbits you can add to their spot in your database – “something such as an upcoming surgery, new baby or vacation,” Hughes suggests.

      Then schedule a follow-up call, or a reminder to send a gift or flowers, depending on what they’ve told you.

      This is a project that, although it needs to get done sooner, rather than later, is one that can be done in chunks. Hughes brilliantly recommends starting the organization process with your past clients.

      But do schedule those time chunks and vow to stick by the schedule. Before you know it, you’ll have an organized, clean database, making your real estate lead generation a snap.

      The Fall Maintenance postcard is available in the postcard section under the Content Card Series.
      Send out the Fall Maintenance postcard from the Content Card Series to your Sphere and Farm.

      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. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      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

       

      2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

       

      “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here

       

      3. The 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

       

      4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

      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

       

      5. 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

      Dean Jackson (the consummate real estate marketing guru) has done it again. He’s developed a way to automate the process of getting referrals and answered the question, “ If all referrals happen as a result of a conversation, how can we use that knowledge to orchestrate referrals?” Dean Jackson is the founder of GoGoAgent and Listing Agent Lifestyle. 

      The Referral Myth

      To begin, let’s clear up a misunderstanding about referrals and why they happen. People do not refer a company or product to someone as a favor to the company. Even if they like the person who owns the company.

      People refer for one primary reason – to make themselves feel good. Because when their friend tells them of the “great experience they had” based on their referral it’s personally rewarding.

      On a primal level, a successful referral or well-received piece of advice raises our status. And we’re all wired subconsciously with this need for approval and status. When we introduce something to somebody that makes a positive impact on their life we feel good receiving our “thank you” back from them.

      So how do we begin the process of orchestrating the referrals, that our clients want to offer, so that they no longer happen by chance?

      How referrals happen

      For a referral to happen, there are three things that must fall into place.

      1. First, the person has to NOTICE that the conversation is about real estate.

      2. Then, they have to THINK about you.

      3. Finally, they have to INTRODUCE you into the conversation.

      Your clients and sphere are surrounded by conversations everywhere they go. We are a conversational society. So the odds are high in the next 30 days every person you know is going to encounter a conversation about real estate.

      However, your clients may not even notice the conversation is about real estate or just not think of you at that moment.

      Therefore, how can you use the power of suggestion with your clients to stimulate an awareness of real estate conversations? And once they are aware, trigger the right response from them?

      Communication is key. And keeping in touch with your sphere on an ongoing basis is pretty easy. You just need to raise their awareness regarding conversations to look out for and what to do when they hear them.

      But how do you ensure they’ll follow through? How do you communicate in a way that’s interesting and engaging for them so they stay tuned? And at the same time plant the seed that will help them become the referral “champ” earning rewarding “thank you’s” from everyone they know?

      After in-depth research and trial and error, I came up with the perfect, effective solution. This is where my idea for The World’s Most Interesting Postcard came to be.

      Orchestrating the referral

      The World’s Most Interesting Postcard is a strategic combination of a great client newsletter and a direct response “referral getter”.

      The front of the postcard is packed with really interesting, fun and entertaining facts. It includes things that are easy to read and engage in. People love them and look forward to receiving them.

      The back of the postcard contains wording meant to stimulate your sphere’s awareness of a specific conversation. It prompts them to look out for this topic and tells them exactly what to do if they hear it.

      For example, a postcard back may mention, “what to do when they hear someone talk about selling their home”. Then the card proceeds to state exactly what we want them to do.

      The suggestion includes advising your client to call you to make you aware of the referral. This method is more successful because your client already knows you, likes you and trusts you and will have no reluctance calling you.

      And when they do, you can offer them a report to pass on to their friend.

      Of course, when you hear from your clients regarding a referral, you can figure out the best way for you and their friend to connect. The real purpose of this method is to get them to call you instead of just passing on your name.

      After just a few months of this pattern, your clients will really start to notice these conversations. And they’ll know exactly what to do when they hear them.

      A targeted referral

      Another effective area of the back side of this postcard is a small dialogue box above your photo. Use this space to ask for exactly the kind of referral that you would like right now. Yes, you can even orchestrate a targeted referral.

      Maybe you’re working with some buyers who are looking for a particular type of home. Or you’re having a homebuyer workshop and you want to spread the word. Be sure to target something specific that will likely stimulate a quick call from your clients.

      How to get The Worlds Most Interesting Postcard

      I know with the creativity and ambition that agents possess, many of you are already brainstorming ideas for your own Worlds Most Interesting Postcard.  However, I also understand just how incredibly busy you are and often even the best ideas just won’t get executed simply due to lack of time.

      Therefore, I currently design and produce this postcard and all of its contents every month for agents short on time but excited about the opportunity to automate their referrals process.

      I also provide a format that you can edit to include your contact information, photo and company logo. You can either print and mail these cards yourself or you can print and mail them through ProspectsPLUS!

      Ready to automate your referrals? Send the Worlds Most Interesting postcard to your top 100 clients. Learn more, Here.
      To learn more about the other incredible tools and resources Dean has available for agents go to GoGoAgent.com  and ListingAgentLifestyle.com.

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

      PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

      1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

      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

      2. 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

      3. The 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, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here  – Click Here

      Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

       Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

      MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

      Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

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