You should personally visit your best past clients at least once a year. This is one of the many things you need to do to be sucessful in real estate sales and make clients loyal to you.
However, it can sometimes be awkward or even intimidating, to schedule such a visit. What do you say? What reason do you give? How do you get a client to agree to meet with you?
The best source of ideas is your IXACT Contact real estate CRM database.
Ideally, you’ve been filling out the information in your database with things like mortgage renewal dates, holidays observed, birthdays of family members, anniversaries, supported charities, pets, occupations, etc.
Knowing that a particular client celebrates Christmas or Hanukkah, for example, gives you the opportunity to call and arrange to drop off a holiday gift. You could say, “I have something special for your family and I’d like to stop by this evening at seven. Is that okay with you?
But gift-giving isn’t the only reason for scheduling a visit with a past client.
If you know your clients are planning to fix up or renovate their home, for example, you could call and say, “I know how difficult it is to find a reputable contractor. I’m seeing a client in your area this Thursday. I’ll drop by at six with my list of recommended contractors. Then, I can also answer any questions you may have about them.”
If your contact database indicates that a client’s mortgage is coming up for renewal within the next few months you’ll have another opportunity to visit. You can call and offer to go over financing options and recommend lenders to help them get the best possible rate.
Sure, it’s not always easy. You have to be creative and come up with the right excuse and approach. But the effort is worth it.
A personal visit each year with your best clients pays off in more referrals and repeat business. Don’t risk missing even one.