As with any sales focused profession, you have to put yourself in the shoes of your buyer in order to provide them their ideal solution and experience. Whether you are selling a car, house, software solution, or watch, you have to understand the client and serve them how they wish to be served. With trends and expectations changing so fast because of the internet and rapid digital transformation, keeping up can be hard. If you get complacent or rely on the old way of doing business just because it has been working for you previously, you are not setting yourself up well for the future.
In order to take care of clients in today’s landscape, we suggest thinking about a few different ideas:
Meet the buyer where they are!
This means you need to be active on social media. It means you need to use Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and text messages. Social media has become essential for owning a business in 2020 and beyond. It’s how you reach potential customers organically or using paid media. The key is to be authentic. People want to do business with people they trust and relate to. If you try too hard to sell yourself and your business, it might turn some people off. Just be yourself and make it clear you are passionate about something.
Once a person knows they want to buy a home, they will likely go searching online for an agent if they don’t already know one that could help them. They will go look on Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Being able to communicate with these potential buyers in their preferred and convenient method is essential. If they find you on a service like Zillow or Realtor.com, a real estate CRM that integrates and has built in calling is a must. If they find you on social media, a CRM with Facebook Messenger built in is a must. When you meet them where they are, it makes it easy and seamless for them.
Be there every step of the way.
This sounds like a given but when you are juggling multiple clients and trying to acquire new ones, this can be difficult. What we mean by this is to guide them along the path to buying a home with constant communication and advice. First time home buyers are especially in need of very hands-on service. They will likely have a lot of questions about the process so be proactive and answer them before they ask. When a deal goes under contract, shoot them a text explaining what next steps are and what is going on behind the scenes. They will appreciate that.
This approach will pay off big down the road when you begin to get referrals and repeat buyers. There is no reason for them to work with anyone else if you took great care of them the first time. Using a real estate specific CRM that has easy deal tracking and works on your phone well will help you tremendously because it will allow you to track alongside your client every step of the way no matter where you are.
Ask for reviews AND feedback.
People want to see reviews about your business. In today’s landscape, people can learn everything about a business or person before they even engage with them. This means it is crucial for businesses to have reviews. Reviews help you rank higher in search and they give you a reputation you can leverage in marketing. When you help someone buy a home, ask them to review you online. Push them to the review location you think will get the most eyeballs.
Another important thing to consider is a review is not feedback. Ask them directly for feedback, the good and the bad. When you show this vulnerability by asking for honest feedback directly, you can ensure an honest answer in return and the respect of the client long into the future. People want to know you care about your work enough to be vulnerable about it. The more feedback you get, the more you can improve yourself and your business over time.
