Compelling tips to charm buyers and sellers for 5-star realtor reviews and brokerage referrals
As the tremors of technological innovation shift the real estate industry’s foundation, one skill remains as vital as ever: gaining the trust of clients.
This fluctuating industry requires a determined realtor; one who can quickly adopt an agile, proactive approach to lead communication across digital channels. And while the traditional means of communication still hold true, a revamp of your existing contact strategy will grow both your sales pipeline and personal brand.
A stagnant sales pipeline it disheartening. And the time and resources it takes to balance the acquisition of new leads, while maintaining the happiness of your current clients, is often overwhelming. But reviews and referrals present an amazing advantage. They provide social proof and give new leads the confidence they need to choose you. It also bears remembering that acquiring new clients can be 5 times more expensive than retaining current ones.
So how can you strike this subtle acquisition-and-retainment balance when you’re overwhelmed and lack the methods to delegate?
Choose to charm with customer-centric value-based marketing
Value-based marketing is defined as ‘an appeal to a customer’s values and ethics. It shifts marketing from a product-centric approach to a customer-centric one.’ By going above-and-beyond to provide more value than your competitors, you foster client loyalty, appreciation, and the likelihood they’ll transact with you when the time comes. As you need to stay visible, trustworthy, and familiar within your market, here are a few ways you can make value-based marketing work for you:
- Purchasing your first home is stressful! Offer free guides to first-time buyers to alleviate their worries with useful information.
- Home valuations are a great way to start a client relationship as it adds value and locks in a deal.
- Publish a quarterly or annual “Lead Magnet” piece that provides relevant local market insights for buyers and sellers.
- Create weekly blog posts, such as ‘10 Tips For First-Time Buyers’, to give leads the inside track from a property expert (you).
- Curate positive reviews about you and your brokerage by displaying them on your website’s home page or posting them and thanking clients on social media channels.
Leverage your previous wins through testimonials
A lead doesn’t disappear once you’ve made a sale. In fact, some would say they become even more important, as a satisfied customer is more likely to recommend you to others. You can leverage their positive feedback by launching an email campaign to request reviews or referrals to boost your brand in the eyes of prospective clients. Getting your customers to leave positive reviews on platforms such as Google or Facebook will go a long way towards generating positive buzz around your business. Doing so will also make your past clients feel valued and appreciated.
Use drip email campaigns to nurture leads
Drip email campaigns are an effective way to keep in contact without drowning leads in communication (if you’re careful). While most CRM systems come with campaign templates, it’s best to craft your own content to avoid the cliches of automated marketing and prospects hitting ‘unsubscribe’.
Here’s your opportunity to get creative and add a dash of personal flair to the messaging! A good example of content delivery to leads looks something like this:
- Direct leads to a blog post with the latest homes for sale on the market.
- Showcase unique properties in the area, as well as why they’re valuable to buyers.
- Send buyer leads the latest property market data to keep them informed.
- Get personal! Tell your leads what you love most about the community, and why you think it’s the perfect place to settle down.
- Provide testimonials from community leaders and residents.
By sending your segmented leads valuable, specific content over time, you keep your brand top-of-mind and more likely to be chosen when it’s time for them to buy or sell.
Use a Virtual Assistant to manage your micro-tasks so you can manage your client relationships
Everything needs to be done, but you can’t do it all! Even with the above policies and solutions in place, an overwhelmed realtor will find it difficult to manage relationships effectively. Because modern realtors need to focus on client relationships and mission-critical items, outsourcing smaller administrative tasks to an experienced assistant is the answer.
This is where a Zirtual Virtual Assistant (VA) comes to the rescue. A VA will pick up the slack and ensure leads are being managed effectively, prospective clients are being responded to, and your digital channels are active and engaging. While they deal with repetitive administrative tasks like calendar and email management or checking voicemail, you’ll have the time to chase leads, network with the right people, and sell more homes.
Zirtual simplifies your life. You move more property.
Zirtual’s college-educated Virtual Assistants are qualified to take on the micro-tasks that hamper your ability to chase leads and follow up on important buyer or seller inquiries. Take your contract management to new levels of pipeline profitability with a VA who understands the pressures and challenges of real estate. A Zirtual Assistant can cost as little as $398 per month, but that investment can lead to an exponential increase in sales productivity. Think of it this way: selling just one more $350k home a year at the current 3.5% commission pays for a VA three times over. And with our Zpro suite, you can create and publish guides, eBooks, blog posts, and other creative collateral with ease.
Make sure you don’t miss out on that deal of a lifetime because you were too busy to pick up the phone. Discover what a Zirtual Assistant can do for you by downloading our free eBook for overwhelmed realtors:
