Secrets To The Ultimate Customer Experience Archives

Closing Gifts For Agents Clients 2023

Wade Webb on July 12, 2023

Have you ever had the dilemma of what to get a real estate client for a closing gift? What is the appropriate gift, budget, and gesture for saying thank you? Seller closing gifts are about more than just showing your appreciation… They’re one of the best ways of creating raving fans who return the gift many times over. Too many agents approach seller closing gifts the way they would a Secret Santa present. By that, I mean they get them something generic and impersonal under $50 which their clients can either consume, spend, or throw away within a couple of weeks. And while it may be a nice thing, it doesn’t exactly provide that WOW experience you need in this market, and it doesn’t do anything to keep you top-of-mind and continue to earn you referrals well into the future. We are going to give you four ideas for seller closing gifts that are going to wow your clients into singing your name to everyone they know.

A Housewarming Party – Moving is often a bittersweet experience, especially if someone has lived in a place for a while. It’s beautiful and something worth celebrating with all the people they care about. But the problem with throwing a party during the process of moving is because… well… THEY’RE BUSY MOVING! Parties take a lot of effort to organize, prepare for, and then clean up. And that’s not any easier when you’re trying to pack all your stuff into boxes. That’s where you come in. You can rent a space for this or use your office if there’s enough room. Get out the decorations, put pictures of the sellers on the walls, and cater the party yourself. This is more than just a fun event, because just think about the opportunity here. You’re going to be meeting all the family and friends of some people who just sold their home… See what I’m getting at? This is a night they’ll remember forever and you’ll likely generate a lot of future business from.

A Memorable Experience – Gifts last for a while, but memories last forever. The best seller closing gifts are the ones that will generate attention not just from the clients themselves but from everyone they know. “Wow, your real estate agent gave you THAT?” What is something that your clients have always wanted to do or something that falls within their interests? You should get to know all these kinds of things during the transaction and be thinking about your gift ahead of time. Many of my coaching clients have a business that is nearly 100% driven by repeat and referral clients, and that’s because they go all in on their gifts and client experience. Some of the gifts are renting out an entire movie theater for family and friends, Zip lining, Bungee jumping, and champagne tastings. But you can do whatever you find that works in your area, like maybe a hot air balloon ride or a day at a wine vineyard. It doesn’t have to get crazy expensive, especially if you can get a deal with local providers.

A Piece of Art from a Local Artist – Maybe you’re into the local art scene and have good taste. In that case, you might strike a deal with a local artist on discounted pieces for your clients. There are three important factors here. The work is good enough to display in your home. It’s non-generic and personal to your clients, It’s something they’d want and can transport to where they’re going during the “getting to know them” phase of the transaction (or when you see their home) get a sense of what kind of art they like. If their old home was only filled with Russian nautical art, then they likely won’t be interested in a watercolor of their new house on the wall. And don’t go too flashy here. Don’t give them anything big that they need to store if they don’t like it or something that will take up substantial space on the wall.

Monthly Subscription Services – Want to stay top of mind? Then gift something that continues to deliver month after month. Imagine having a new bottle of wine or your favorite magazine delivered to you every month by your real estate agent… Seems like a luxury, right?! This works even better if you can include some of your own branding in the package. Use the information you already have about your clients to figure out what they’d enjoy and do a little research. Like all good gifts, seller closing gifts need to be personal, emotional, and come from the heart. And this starts with forming a deeper connection with your clients. It’s about building long term relationships.

Feel free to share your closing gift ideas and experiences with us please! We would love to hear from you!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Secrets To The Ultimate Real Estate Customer Experience

Wade Webb on September 23, 2020

Every business, whether it’s large or small, wants to be known for the stellar real estate experience they provide, but it’s not as simple as just providing a great product or service. Giving people the ultimate experience requires you to look at the entire customer journey as part of your product or service, and meld them together in somewhat of a symphony. For REALTORS®, conducting this orchestra is actually a lot easier than it sounds when you consider what it’s like from a buyer or seller’s point of view. Most people will only go through the real estate transaction process a few times in their life, and as someone who has been through it countless times, you’ll probably see the ideal transaction experience quite differently than almost all of your clients will. Setting expectations early on with clients is absolutely critical to providing excellent service, but today let’s focus on 3 incredibly simple things you can do to create the ultimate experience for your clients, above and beyond the high level of service you already provide.

#1 SEEK – Where nearly every service experience falls apart is the lack of continuity between what a client needs and wants, and what can actually be done in reality. We’ve covered how to set expectations with clients in depth before, but the most important thing you can do for yourself and your clients, is to make sure you understand the specific differences between their wants and their needs. A need is a non-negotiable point, and if you don’t satisfy it, nothing you do will meet the client’s service expectations. A want however, is a much more flexible point where compromises can be made without impacting the perception of service. Basically, you need to make sure you are asking lots of questions, actively listening to their answers, and clarifying when you’re not sure if something is a want or a need. Don’t be afraid to ask “is this something you need – and why?” Getting the client to discuss their preferences out loud will prompt them to really think it through and flush out their ideas. Just do yourself (and everyone) a favor and never make any assumptions, you cannot possibly anticipate where someone will be willing to make compromises.

#2 ADVISE – Now you don’t want to sound like a know-it-all, but as we’ve established, you’ve been through the process of buying and selling a home a few times. As the trusted professional, your clients will expect you to educate them on the known pitfalls in a transaction, but you can also use your experience and opinions to guide them towards the best decisions, and make suggestions where you think compromises might be necessary. Obviously, you’ll always want to take their needs into consideration first, but good advice really goes a long way with a purchase of this magnitude, potentially saving time, money, easing stress and making all their decision points more fluid.

#3 CHECK IN – You might spend a week working with a buyer or seller, or you could spend months. In either case, lots of things can happen that affect the client’s experience in the time it takes to see a transaction through to the end. A good rule of thumb is to check in before, during and after the transaction takes place, making sure people are satisfied at each point. Now here’s the tough part, you have to actually ask your clients directly if they are satisfied with the way things are going, and be open to the fact that you might be out of line with their expectations… but also willing to fix the situation. The good news is that by collecting this information, you now have the opportunity to remedy any service deficiency before it impacts the likelihood of that client doing business with you in the future, or of them sending you referrals. If you can’t remedy the deficiency, or your clients expectations don’t match up with the services you provide, do the next best thing for your business by referring them to someone more fitting for them. You can’t save them all, but by acting in a professional manner and providing them resources, you will still be able to maintain a positive experience.

It’s All in the Details. Overall there’s one thing to consider in all this, and it’s that small inconsistencies can add up to large deficiencies very quickly, so the details really do matter. When you SEEK, ADVISE and CHECK IN along the way, you gather the information you need to really understand what each individual client needs, ensuring every single person has the ultimate experience working with you.

Strength and courage,
Wade