NOTE: You have a fiduciary responsibility to take full care of the client that you are assisting in any particular transaction, but you should understand too that your business can grow from the opportunities that arise through masterfully navigating each transaction.
Make it your goal to identify at least 2 solid prospects from each transaction that you complete. It really starts with being intentional about this goal, keeping your head up, and staying focused on opportunities. I’ve seen agents double their business year-over-year just by concentrating on this part of their pipeline and being consistent with their efforts. In my Take Flight training, I call it the “Deliver and Leverage” part of the sales funnel.
Here are some suggestions on how to leverage each transaction to grow your business:
Create consistent marketing protocols for your listings. Base your marketing process on what you would do for a high price point and market ALL of your listings at the same level even if you have to upgrade your marketing assets on lower price listings. The way you market your listings reflects your attention to detail and value to clients, and it becomes your best form of personal marketing.
- Posting “Just Listed” and “Just Sold” on social media in an artistic way shows “evidence of success.” Not only will you attract new clients, but you will prove to your existing and past clients that you are taking seriously the role of being a Realtor® and real estate broker.
- Your upgraded print brochures and personal brag books will prove to your listing clients that you are a serious marketer. Casual on-lookers that visit your open house will be attracted by the quality of your presentation and your ability to market yourself. Consumers who plan to sell their property and who have not yet identified a broker will use open houses to find and qualify an expert in their area. In working to sell your listings, keep your head up and look for opportunities to meet new clients.
- Always upgrade your photography package and use the photos to post to your social media, especially Instagram, Instagram stories, and Facebook. The market loves pretty pictures.
- Become a photographer. Use your iPhone or another device to capture the nuanced benefits of your listings that might not make it into your listing photography. This goes beyond the listing itself to the neighborhood and community where it resides. Become a storyteller. If you can tell stories through photography, the consumer will assume you are experienced. The consumer wants experience. And, as you compose each visual story, you will learn something new.
- Build systems and processes for your listings that WOW your clients. Your clients will talk about you to friends, colleagues, and family when you impress them with your operations and results. Processes build consistency and cut out unnecessary work, allowing you to work smarter with fewer mistakes and to be more in tune with your client. When your client is super impressed, the referrals will follow.
Just as you have done or will do with your listings, create a consistent process for working with buyers. "Level up" the experience that you create throughout the process.
- Understand your market data better than anyone else. This will show your credibility and provide immediate comfort to your client. Plus, market insight gives you a guide on how much you may need to prepare and coach your clients to act aggressively depending on the market information.
- Understand your markets and their characteristics from a livability standpoint. And, understand your clients’ needs and priorities. If your clients are being introduced to a certain market for the first time, you’ll need to be their personal tour guide.
- Do the little extras. Hire a driver if you are showing in a congested area.
- Be incredibly responsive and intuitive to the needs of your buyer. Be patient and go at the pace of your client. For many people, this is an emotional process – they will have lasting appreciation for how thoughtfully you work toward their goals.
If you want your business to grow, you need to leverage every active buyer and listing by developing a world-class experience, establishing a premium reputation, and converting good impressions into new introductions and future clients.
