Why Do Real Estate Agents Fear Calling Their Past Clients?

real estate agent fear calling past clientsMy question this week is “why do real estate agents fear calling their past clients“?

So many agents ask me the question “Wade, what can be done that will generate leads and keep the marketplace aware of me and my business?” My answer every time. “Call your past clients!” It’s that simple. “Okay, Wade easy for you to say. What exactly does that look like?”

Past Client Call Script

(PC): “Hello.”

Agent: “Hi, this is Wade Webb from ABC Realty. I’m calling because you are one of my best past clients and I was just checking to see how things are going for you. Do you have 10 minutes or so for a chat?”

It’s important to speak in a caring tone and not speak too quickly. Remember to look in a mirror as you do these calls, as it can help you stay engaged. The feeling you want to create in the past clients is that your day is better because you’re talking to them.

PC: “Yes, I do, as I’m not going anywhere soon! What a nice thing for you to do Wade!”

Agent: “Thank you! I care about you and the other wonderful clients I’ve been fortunate to have. And I want you all to know that. How has life been the last few years?”

Contact from any other human being is a welcome distraction. Give your attention to someone and they will like you more.

PC: “Your call came at the right time, as I was sitting here wondering what to do next with my home. By the way, how is your family and business doing? I’ll never forget how pleasant it was to work with you.”

Agent: “How nice of you to ask! We, too, as we return to normalcy I am working to keep clients current and updated. By the way, I am curious about what my good clients like you tell their friends about the experience of buying or selling with myself. Would you mind telling me what you thought?”

Your goal here is to get the client to bring their memories of working with you closer to top-of-mind. Nothing else. You are not selling anything. You simply want them to be more likely to tell their friends how smart they feel having had you as their agent.

PC: “I’ll never forget how kind you were, in particular, you always made our day brighter.”

Agent: “What a wonderful thing for you to say! What exactly did I do that made such a good impression?”

PC: “You were kind to all the service providers we used. You never raised your voice, even when a problem arose. Our dog, Scotty, soon began anticipating your arrival! It was like you were more appealing than my spouse and me! And we had been so afraid of having to sell and buy in this difficult market.”

The key here is to probe, to find out what made your past client feel so good about your service. Express appreciation for the kind words offered by the past client and then ask a clarifying question or two.

Likely, if the call has gone well, your past client will not be soon to leave it. So how do you do a gentle close?

Agent: “Thank you so much for taking my call and our chat. Is there anything in particular you want to let me know before our call is over?”

PC: “Thank you so much for reaching out to me! I think of all you often. I remain so grateful for all you did for us. And I never think of reaching out to let you know. That will change now! And I’m going to tell my friends about your call!”

Agent: “That makes me feel so good! Please do stay in touch. Would you mind if I reached out to you in a couple of months, hopefully after things have started to really settle down?”

PC: “I would like that very much! Talk with you then.”

Now your past client has a nice experience, something to share with her spouse and her friends as the days go by slowly and you have a reason to stay in touch. Make notes of your call and reference the notes when you call her back. People love it when someone remembers what they said. There you go! That is what it often looks like when you start calling past clients. Not everyone will want to talk with you. That’s okay. The point is to reach out and given them the opportunity to relive their experience with you. Give it a try. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Learn How to Create Trust & Engage Your Real Estate Clients

The New, More Effective Wave of Real Estate Marketing

engage real estate clientsA few weeks ago, I introduced you to a fabulous book titled, Unselling, The New Customer Experience by Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer.

It talks about the power of WHY, and using your stories of actual customer experiences to grow your real estate business.

I was so excited by that book, and my own experience in sharing my personal story, that I knew I had to find more ways to help you share yours.

Interestingly enough last week, I was introduced to Kathy Kliskey, who has developed a guide to identifying and writing our stories as REALTORS and how to implement them into our business and marketing initiatives.

I’ve asked Kathy to give us some insight on how this process benefits each one of us in boosting our businesses.

Why It’s Important to Tell Your Story as a REALTOR

Thank you, Wade. I’m excited to share with you today because I have seen, firsthand, how this style of branding and marketing has powerfully impacted my own business and so many of my clients.

First of all, you are right! It’s absolutely essential we share our stories of purpose, of “WHY” we do what we do.

Through sharing these stories, we create an emotional connection to our prospects. People make decisions based on their emotions so this matters greatly.

Let’s look at this example by a realtor:

“My name is Jane… I am a realtor. I can help you purchase your next property.”

vs

“Home is much more than bricks and mortar. It’s the place where families grow and memories are made; the place we come to feel loved and safe. I will help open the doors to your new home. Hello. My name is Jane…”

Do you feel the difference? By talking about home and what home means, people can see and feel the value this realtor is delivering.

In the first example, the value offered by the realtor is minimized and no lasting connection is made.

How about this example:

“My name is Bob… I’m a realtor and I specialize in historic properties.”

vs

“If you could live in a 300-year-old house, would you? They are not for everyone, but for people who love history as I do, they are incredible! I specialize in selling antique homes and for all their quirkiness, they have charm beyond belief. My name is Bob… If you are looking for a historic property, I’ve got something special for you.”

In this example, the reader knows instantly Bob is passionate about history. For clients looking for an antique home, this is important. It provides an emotional connection, an immediate way of relating to one another and the assurance this realtor will understand the issues that come with a very old home.

Shared passions create bonds. They will trust he will know what’s most important and will look out for their best interest.

You create powerful, emotional connections with your prospects when telling your stories of purpose and passion, of challenges met, and services now offered.

Utilizing the natural flow found in a story makes the communication enjoyable and engaging. It also distinguishes you from others. Your stories enable your prospects to feel like they know you and their trust in you begins to build.

Look at this excerpt from Wade’s personal story:

“My life changed the night I lay in an emergency room connected to an EKG machine with excruciating pain in my chest. I thought I was dying from a heart attack. My wife was by my side, but she wasn’t there to comfort me. She was telling me that she was done with it all, she was taking our children and leaving me if things did not change.

How could this be?

I had an incredibly successful business. I loved my family. But as I lay there looking at all the wires and tubes connected to my body, I realized I had let things get out of balance.

It took time, but that event changed my life. I began using it as inspiration to make important changes. I became more alive and vibrant, more loving, more focused on serving and making a difference in the world.

My life began to take on true purpose and, for the first time since I could remember, I felt fulfilled.

These changes made such an impact on me, I knew I had to share them with other realtors.”

After reading that, one gets an understanding of what matters to Wade, his commitment to his family, his commitment to his clients and his commitment to you, the followers of AgentsBoost.

How could you not want to follow him?

Sharing your experiences also allows you to bring in the credible third party voice of your customers as they express their satisfaction with your skills, strategies and successes.

Benefits of Sharing Your Stories in Your Real Estate Biz

  • You become memorable
  • Trust is established
  • You can include the third party voice
  • It becomes easy for customers to promote you word-of-mouth
  • You distinguish yourself from your competition
  • Prospects see your strengths and talents clearly
  • You can use your stories to create a marketing campaign

Your Story & Your Real Estate Marketing Campaigns

Creating a marketing campaign… how do you do this?

Think about the elements to selling a property or representing a buyer. What are the key areas where your clients need your help?

Write a story featuring each area and tell about a client served. Then share theses stories as part of your campaign at regular intervals in social media, on blog posts and via email. You can also share them in live presentations, on video and with the media.

Your contacts will come to look forward to hearing from you. Better yet, they will come to know you for your quality of service and commitment.

Most of all, with careful selection of the stories you tell, and the ability to tell them well, doing business with you will “feel right” helping to turn your prospects into customers.

I’m excited Wade gave me permission to introduce you to the writing guide I’ve developed because I know how much value this tool offers.

It’s so easy to use, I’ve named it the Easy as Pie Content Creator. It prompts you each step of the way through a simple process writing in a conversational tone.

This guide enables you to develop stories with up to six different introduction styles meaning your stories will all sound unique, never redundant. When telling your stories, you will feel relaxed and confident.

The Easy as Pie Content Creator makes selecting and writing your stories simple. It’s a tool that will help you stand out through the value you offer. Thank you for allowing me to share with you today.

Thank you, Kathy for sharing this great info with us.

As you probably know, we provide the content on this blog free of charge and never receive any compensation for products we endorse or recommend.

Kathy offered us 50% commission for any of her guides we sold from AgentsBoost so we asked her to pass the commission on as a savings to you. We believe Kathy’s guide is a great resource to consider to help create and tell your story to bring power, engagement and life to your branding, marketing and customer interaction.

Kathy’s Easy as Pie Content Creator will be available to you for 50% off at $48.50. It includes 7 sample stories all based on actual realtor experiences.

*** We also convinced Kathy to throw in a few Free copies of her guide to the first 3 who email us at bonus@agentsboost.com just to make things a bit more fun. ***

For more info check out Kathy’s AgentsBoost exclusive offer here http://vibecc.com/product/agentsboost/

Strength and Courage,

Wade

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