Do you have favorite real estate clients? Or perhaps a few favorites? Most agents do.
When you work with your favorite clients you make more money.
Why?
- Because you’re happier.
- Because you have more enthusiasm.
- Because your attitude draws more clients to you.
- Because you’re more knowledgeable.
- Because your expertise helps you close more transactions.
- Because you’ll receive more referrals and repeat clients.
What are you doing to attract more of your favorites? (Also known as your niche.)
Here are some suggestions…
The first and most important step is to become the expert they want and need.
If your territory is a geographic area or a type of property, such as farmland or waterfront, learn
all you can about the area and the issues concerning that kind of property.
If you are a listing agent focused instead on the people in specific situations, learn all you can about the issues that are causing them to sell. This could be divorce, corporate or military relocation, inheritance, downsizing, upsizing, moving to be closer to loved ones, or even financial distress. If there are rules and regulations surrounding their situations, you need to know what they are and how to deal with them.
If you are a buyer’s agent, you should know about current loan programs. If you love working with first time buyers, you should also know all about down payment assistance programs.
Next, get busy prospecting.
Direct mail has been the tried and true prospecting method for many years, and it continues to be effective.
Some will tell you that people today don’t read their postal mail, but that’s not true. “Real mail” has become a rarity, so people do read it. Surprisingly, surveys found that the group who is most fond of postal mail and the most apt to share it with others is millennials.
An article from SmallBizGenius shared these direct mail statistics:
- Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails.
- Only 44% of people can recall a brand immediately after seeing a digital ad compared to 75% of people who receive direct mail. (My note: remember that you are your brand!)
- 90% of millennials believe that direct mail marketing is more reliable than email and 24% are likely to share it with other people.
- The response rate for direct mail is up to nine times higher than that of email.
One more note to remember: direct mail trends dictate that you’ll get better results if you pair direct mail with technology. In other words, use your direct mail to invite people to your website.
If you don’t know what to say when prospecting to your favorite real estate clients…
Visit my prospecting letters page. With more than 40 sets of letters for different properties or situations, you’ll likely find what you need. But if not, let me know. I can always add a new set.
Email works too – if you’re mailing to people who have opted in to hear from you.
How can you get them to opt in? Use your website to offer a special report. Since you want to attract more clients in your niche, make the report relevant to their neighborhood, their kind of property, or their status as a prospective buyer or seller.
Once they’ve opted in, you can send prospecting letters, plus information about new listings, homes that have sold, market reports, holiday greetings, new developments in the neighborhood, etc. It costs almost nothing to keep people on your email lists, so stay in touch until they tell you not to.
I would advise you not to purchase email lists. Think how annoyed you become when you inquire about some product and then are inundated with emails about related products.
Your goal is to win clients – not chase them away.
Use your social media accounts to offer that report, too.
And while you’re at it, invite those followers to visit your website, read your blog posts, and check out your community pages and niche-related information.
Blog like crazy!
Use your blog to inform readers about anything and everything of interest to your favorite real estate clients.
It might feel like you can’t possibly think of something to say every day, but you can if you try. 
And if you get stuck now and then, you can fill in with some of my pre-written blog posts.
Sit down and make a list of things to write about. Include real estate and real estate related topics, of course. But don’t limit yourself to them. On days when you can’t think of a topic, refer back to your list.
If you’re writing about your community, include news about local non-profits and volunteer opportunities. Write about your favorite stores or restaurants. Inform your readers about school and other community events. Is there a Holiday Bazaar coming up? Write about it!
If waterfront is your niche, share a story about something that happened when you were out on the water, or give advance notice of a fishing tournament.
If equestrian communities are your niche, write about a recent horse show, or one that’s coming soon. Or perhaps give your critique of the riding trails.
Are your favorite real estate clients golfers? Then write about an upcoming tournament, improvements to a local course, or events at a club house.
Back to the real estate topics…
Divorce and probate clients need to follow some guidelines that you can provide in your blog.
First time buyers have a lot to consider. Offer them some guidance by way of your blog posts.
Future home sellers also have a lot to consider. Write posts that help them avoid the biggest mistakes people make when listing a home.
Add community pages…
Show your expertise by writing about your geographic territory and/or about the communities surrounding your target homes.
Get out into your territory, where your favorite real estate clients can see you!
I’m sure you can think of a dozen ways to be visible in your geographic territory.
Have you considered the ways you can also be visible in your niches?
If you sell waterfront homes, visit the marinas and stores that serve those homeowners. Talk to the proprietors. Leave your brochures. Ask permission to post a flyer about a home you have listed.
If you sell equestrian properties, visit tack shops and feed stores, and do the same. If you sell
farm land, see where area farmers congregate and be visible there.
If your niche is historic homes, seek out the stores that sell merchandise those homeowners need to bring older homes back to their glory days. In addition to getting acquainted and making yourself known as a real estate agent who cares about historic homes, learn restoration tips you can share on your blog.
If you enjoy helping seniors relocate, offer to speak at senior centers and even at service club meetings. Rotary, Elks Club, and other organizations are always looking for guest speakers.
And of course, do cultivate relationships with attorneys who assist with divorce, probate, bankruptcy, estate planning, etc.
Two final words about serving your favorite real estate clients:
Focusing your marketing on them means you’ll attract more of them. It does not mean that you can’t assist other clients. So don’t worry about missing out.
Never let your past clients forget about you! Stay in touch and keep receiving those ever-so-welcome referrals!
