Just one year after working with a real estate agent, over 70% of buyers have forgotten that agent’s name.
Let that sink in.
This percentage only increases further as the years go on. Successful real estate agents are the ones who are able to maintain clients and keep them coming back.
If you want to be remembered by clients for several years or more down the line, you’ll need to maintain a consistent relationship with each and every one of them WITHOUT being annoying or spammy. Here are some tips in order to maintain clients long-term, and, bonus, you’ll probably get more referrals too.
Give Clients An Incredible Experience
The most surefire way to have repeat clients is to provide a top-notch experience. Always be responsive, patient, and honest with your clients. As well, balance their needs with their budget in order to leave them with a house they truly love.
No matter how much you remind a past client of your brand, nobody wants to work with an agent they had a bad experience with. Therefore, you must first consistently be a high-quality agent before you can even think about getting returning clients.
Maintain A Strong Social Media Presence
Social media is probably the best to stay top of mind nowadays. Nearly everyone uses it, and if you can get clients to follow you on your various social media accounts, that can be a great way to continuously remind them of your brand.
Posting market updates, home-ownership information, advice, memes, and even your own reviews can incentivize clients to keep following you. When they are eventually ready to sell, many of your social media posts may be on their mind, and they will be more inclined to choose you once again.
Leave Them With Something To Remember You By
Once you’ve closed a sale, it is not only courteous but smart, to leave the new homeowner with something that sports your branding. Think about things they will keep for a long time. Cheap pens or business cards won’t cut it. In order for it to last for years in a client’s household, the gift must be both durable and useful to them.
A great example is a branded binder or folder with all the information on their new home. This gives them a place to put all the house-related things that will come up over the years. Something like this is great in addition to a beautiful housewarming gift that will last a while.
This one is easy, of course. Most agents drop the ball over the years after they close the sale. Staying in touch with clients long-term is what turns today’s buyer into the next decade’s seller.
Send Them Cards For Special Days
One great way to keep yourself in the mind of a client is sending them custom cards with your logo, as well as handwritten notes throughout the year. Sending cards for home-ownership anniversaries, birthdays, and/or a couple of holidays shows clients that you care about them, making them more likely to care about you in turn.
Don’t go overboard and send out a card for every minor holiday, but maybe a few times a year, just to let the client know you’re still thinking about them.
Send Valuable Resources Throughout The Year
Think about what people will actually look at, read, or keep on their fridge. Some great examples are calendar magnets, recipes, or game schedules. These need to be things that are actually useful. What would you keep and use? Apply that thought process to what to send your core client sphere.
This includes keeping your past clients up to date on their home’s value and the market. At least once a year, perhaps on the anniversary of their closing, send clients a CMA for their home. Keep clients in the loop on the general market as well. Is it a good time to sell? A great time to invest in real estate? Is the market changing in their community? Become their go-to real estate resource.
Host Events For Past Clients
Hosting small community events and parties can be a great way to reconnect with past clients. Provide food, a place to chat, and maybe some fun activities for kids and people are sure to come to the event. This strategy can even help reach new potential clients, as some people at the event might bring friends/family members of theirs. So not only are you strengthening relations with past clients, you can be forming new ones with future clients as well.
Example: a fall festival with a raffle is always a big hit!
At The End Of The Day
All of the aforementioned tips are not one-and-done. They need to be implemented permanently into your operations as a real estate agent. The time between a client buying a house and selling a house is often years, and you need to keep your name and brand on their mind for that entire time. Keeping a calendar and scheduling some of these out can be a great help in maintaining all of these different strategies. Utilize multiple channels to reach past clients including email, social media, snail-mail, and in-person events.
“The typical REALTOR® earned 15% of their business from repeat clients and customers, and 20% through referrals from past clients and customers.”
NAR Member Profile
It may seem like a lot of work to keep doing these things for all of your past clients, but hard work shows. Successful real estate agents get anywhere from 30%-50% of their business from repeat clients or referrals. Therefore, not letting past clients forget you is crucial for sustaining your business.
Plus, think about how much time and money you put into getting your clients. It makes sense to stay in touch with them long-term and keep them in your sphere. Client retention is cheaper than client acquisition. For instance, staying in touch with today’s first-time buyer could get you an estimate of $50K long-term*, and that doesn’t even take referrals into consideration.
Need Help Staying Top Of Mind?
We’re here to help you succeed in staying relevant and top of mind with your sphere of influence. We can help you with your social media presence and provide guidance on what works best to help you stay in touch with your clients.
Book your free, no pressure consultation call today to get started!