Most Real Estate Agents don’t think of their appreciation efforts towards clients and referral source as part of their marketing plan. Usually they send a little gift card for referrals and drop off a nice something upon close of escrow with clients. And that’s where it ends.
And while these are natural expressions of appreciation (not to mention VERY important), if that’s where you stop your appreciation efforts, you’re leaving your most important sources of business feeling forgotten.
That’s why I’ve added Appreciation Marketing to your REal Marketing IDEA. No matter how much technology advances to give you additional ways to reach new prospects and no matter how much money you spend in advertising – Real Estate is STILL relationship driven. You will ALWAYS receive the majority of your business through referrals from your sphere of influence.
(OK. This is where I’ll often get someone who raises their hand to tell me that what I just said isn’t true. They brag about how they’ve built their business through Craigslist or Internet leads and those sources account for 95% of their business. They BRAG about this. Meanwhile, here’s the truth about that: #1 – they are the exception and NOT the rule. #2 – There’s usually a very good REASON they do not receive business from sphere of influence referrals…and trust me, it’s NOTHING to brag about!)
So if we know that the majority of your business will come through your Sphere of Influence, why aren’t you APPRECIATING them more?
Most of you will read this and admit that yes – you need to do this. And most of you are thinking right now that the main reason you DON’T is for one of the following 2 reasons:
- You don’t have a plan for it.
- You are so busy trying to reach new clients that you unintentionally take your past clients for granted!
In the REal Marketing IDEA, we cover the following aspects of Appreciation Marketing:
- Planning your Appreciation
- Who should you be Appreciating?
- Establishing a budget
- Scheduling your efforts
- Appreciation planning = Rock Star Real Estate Agent Status!!