Get More Business with Smart Client Retention Strategies

It's a bright morning as you drive through your marketing area and BAM – you hit the brakes hard! Can you believe what you are seeing? It just can't be! Right in the front of one of your past customers' home is a big fat FOR SALE sign...and it is NOT yours!

How and why does this happen? You thought you were keeping in "touch," but apparently not enough to be the agent with their listing!

Studies prove that the frequency, the value you bring to the relationship and your personal brand are now mandatory and critical for a successful client retention and referral strategy in today's competitive marketplace.

Gone are the days that you can get away with sending an annual birthday or anniversary of their closing greeting card. Clients are measuring the actual value of the relationship and then evaluate if they choose to keep the relationship connection.

Bubba Mills, client retention expert, offers several top action items that are proven to keep the connection viable and profitable by implmenting some simple steps to keep a client for life. If you are looking to work smarter and are willing to execute a few small but powerful connection strategies, here are several tips to help you enjoy top client retention for more sales, more easily:shashlik

1) Got brand? Most agents offer "general" services. Even if you think you specialize in a given area, town or, even more specifically, a subdivision or development, think again. If you customer can't immediately connect you with being an expert in a given vertical, you default to being just another real estate agent. A brand is more than just a slogan or a logo. The goal is not just brand awareness or even brand preference; it is much more.

As an example, let's use coffee as an analogy. You can get coffee just about anywhere, but if you are looking for a Starbucks experience, only a Starbucks will fill the bill. Your goal should be "brand INSISTENCE." We all know friends that will drive miles out of their way just to enjoy their favorite Starbucks concoction and nothing else will do.

2) Ask! Have you ever thought about doing a survey of your own past clients and sphere of influence? Forget that your "company" may have sent something to this client, chances are that information doesn't get back to you in nearly enough time for damage control. Our world is expecting to be heard and have their opinion count. There are many different platforms that offer survey options. The key here is to honor their responses, good or bad, with acknowledgement and gratitude. If you aren't up-serving your client's needs, you can bet they will look elsewhere when they need an agent

3) You have to have a system. Even if you are brand new to the business, there is no way you can effectively stay connected to prospects, customers and clients with the consistency and information they may be looking for. There are plenty of systems that offer client management, but know that managing the relationship AFTER the sale is the most lucrative. When evaluating retention platforms, be sure to incorporate in-person or live-person connections in the mix. People get plenty of information they DON'T want, and your job is to listen well enough and provide the information that is valuable to them when they want it. Choose a system that allows personalization to your communications so that your past customer is aware the communication is authentic and useful.

4) Gamify with after the sale engagement. Everybody loves FREE and most people would like to keep in touch, but they are busy and get distracted. Imagine if you offered a monthly theme type of promotion from your website that offered a drawing for a special gift or gift card. As an example, one highly succcessful agent has a calendar outlined from January though December where her customers, prospects, sphere of influence and anyone who knows her can "register" online for a premium gift. In September she offers a $50.00 gas gift card to the "winner" to help with back-to-school gas costs. You can bet she never sees another agent's "for sale" sign on one of her past customers' lawns! With the average client being worth well over $45,000, spending $50-$100 a month on an engagement strategy is highly economical and pays the highest return on investment for lifetime connection.

5) Everyone loves a party! One of the top agents in a brand new area throws an annual picnic or party every year at the end of summer. The party has an ever-changing theme and is more than a simple event. He has hired clowns for face painting, and once he got a sponsor to provide some outdoor inflatable jump zone games for the kids. At the event he has a photographer take a ton of photos. When the holidays roll around, he makes up a holiday greeting card with their photos and a collage of the event and thanks them for working with him. The memories are forever, the event wildly successful, and the return on investment enormous. This agent continued to increase his revenue annually with great referrals and clients who insist on working only with him for all of their real estate needs.

Real estate may be considered sales, but the real value of a lead that has been converted to a client is the beginning of a true client for life. Implement these top tips, and you are on your way to creating raving fans that are happy to promote you and your exceptional business services.

To view the original article, visit the Point2Agent blog.