Communication is Key for Achieving Real Estate Success

"Kill clients with communication," said Danny Burks, co-founder of The Burks Team based out of Tyler, Texas. "Sellers will come to us after listing with someone else for six months to a year and say they never received any communication from their agents."

Danny and his wife, Rebecca, run a non-traditional brokerage of 13 people, which includes buyer's specialists, listing and closing coordinators, and even a full time professional photographer. The Burks Team are currently number one in their market, and about to close their 200th home sale this year. Danny and his team have been using Showing Suite since 2006, and can attribute their success partly in favor of Showing Suite's listing tools. "Showing Suite is an all-around great listing tool," he explains. "It sets you apart from the competition."

One obstacle many agents face is communicating effectively with their clients. Where is the line drawn between too little and too much information? Danny and his team found that clients want as much communication as possible from their agent, and take advantage of HomeFollowup to stay in contact with clients. "We send out at least three emails each week to our clients. Newsletters, virtual tours, and listing updates," Danny said.

In addition to communication, Danny always brings up to his clients how important feedback is in the home selling process. "Other agents don't monitor the feedback responses enough," he stated. "We monitor responses on a daily basis and encourage sellers to do the same. This way, we can spring into action quicker to get the home sold. My wife and I sit down and read each and every single feedback response."

On average, The Burks Team does around 30 to 50 showings per weekend, with a 70% average return rate on feedback requests. In order to get a high return rate on feedback requests, Danny explains how offering incentives motivates buyers to return surveys in a timely fashion. "We offer incentives to prospects who return our surveys within 48 hours. Those who return it in time will be entered into drawings for contests, free tickets, etc. This way, it creates a sense of excitement so they WANT to return it on time."

Buyer's feedback and consistent client communication will overall be great contributing factors to real estate success, but where should agents start who are new to real estate? Danny recommended new agents focus on generating income rather than "non-productive" activities, such as putting up "for sale" signs, handing out flyers, etc. "You need to try to be involved in productive activities, such as prospecting, calling FSBOs, and generating income," Danny said. "Even in the beginning, hire someone to help you do the non-productive activities. Being successful means hard work, commitment, and taking accountability."

To view the original article, visit the Showing Suite blog.