I believe that real estate sales is and always will be a relationship game. I have built mighty relationships with people that are nearly indestructible. I did that by providing value to my clients, going the extra mile, letting them know I care and always thanking them for their business.
But where did I find these amazing people to build relationships with?
By first determining who I wanted to work with.
As a neophyte agent I had to start from scratch, like we all do and it took several years to get a following of awesome clients. In the beginning of my career, I decided I wanted to work in new construction. I had just finished building my personal home.
My husband and I were the general contractors and so we learned a lot about the home-building process. It was fun and challenging and we made some costly mistakes, but in the end we had a beautiful home and even more importantly…we had experience! We could now replicate the process and be much more prepared on the next one.
This experience absolutely segwayed right into my real estate career and allowed me to help others when building homes, plus have the knowledge to attract builders to work with me. That is exactly what happened. When interviewing with builders to sell their homes or head up a subdivision, they felt reassured that I could do a good job because I understood their prospective, their challenges and what kept them up at night.
If you are newer to the business you will have to take time to sit down and determine what your ideal client is and how you can help them get what they want and need.
Some of these ideal clients will become your wealth determiners.
WHO IS YOUR WEALTH DETERMINER?
A wealth determiner is someone who loves you and wants to not only do business with you, but will refer others to you whenever they can. You most likely will not have more than 3-5 of these people in your life at one time but it is a good idea to try to build this database of people as much as you can. Having your ideal client determined will enforce this to happen for you and make a huge difference in your business.
My biggest wealth determiner was a friend I met 45 years ago and at the time a good friend with my husband. He was in banking and did a lot with new construction and commercial real estate.
When I got into real estate in 1994, I met up with my old friend again and it was not very long before he started sending me business. One such business relationship was a builder looking for a realtor to sell his homes in 2 subdivisions. The builder was a tough cookie, but my friend thought we would be a good fit and we were. This builder has made me millions of dollars and has also become a wealth determiner as well. Not only have we made each other a lot of money, he and his wife have become the dearest of my friends.
In turn, my banker friend has made an enormous impact on my life, not only financially but he has become a mentor and taught me many, many aspects of real estate based on his experiences of 50 years in banking and property investing that I never would have learned otherwise. All these relationships are win/wins.
Figure out who your wealth determiners are and latch on to them with all your might. Cater to these people with lunches, coffees and dinners on a regular basis. My banker friend and I are at breakfast at least once a month. They will be your little gold mines. Love on them like crazy and let them know it! Reciprocate as much as you can!
I do Client Appreciation events each year or at least every other year. This is a treasure trove of interaction that will grow your business, allow you to connect with more people and build long-lasting relationships.
If you aren’t quite ready to afford a party, pick a different client each week to take to coffee or lunch. If the budget is very low, it costs nothing to pick up the phone and call them. Follow friends on Facebook and Instagram. Be engaged in them first. Respond to their posts and give suggestions or help on non-real estate matters.
Don’t ask for business, but let people know you can help them if they need a Realtor or information about their local real-estate market for instance. Ask if there is something you can do for them as far as offering information or look for an opportunity to refer business to them.
ALWAYS BE WILLING TO GIVE FIRST
There is an old saying that you have to give to get and it is oh so true. If you are always asking people for business, but you are never willing to reciprocate it won’t be long before people figure out, you are only out for yourself.
That is a very unattractive trait for a salesperson. We call it Commission Breath and it stinks. Dump that condition and work on looking for ways you can be helping others first.
Some good examples would be always be offering free home value market evaluations. Let people know to reach out to you for vendors, subcontractors, or anyone that provides services they might need. Become the go-to person for your clients.
You can also give of your time. Volunteer at schools, hospitals or anyplace you resonate and align with to support and help others.
You don’t need to shout to the mountain tops about a charitable event you attended on Facebook just to get the publicity, but do it because it is the right thing to do and you will be surprised about the rewards that will show up for you.
Every once in a while I get asked to give money to charities and kids sport events. I always do what I can. Your clients want to know you value them and that they should be able to expect something in return for all they have given to you.
Make it a practice to look for ways to always be giving, giving, giving!!