Plant Seeds and Nurture Leads

Most people who contact you for their real estate needs are actually less interested in your ability to sell than they are in your ability to seek to understand their needs – both their long and short term. The truth is they don’t want you to SELL them anything; they want you to be their ally and look out for their interests. When trust in that objective is established they are more likely to look at the options you have available.

In the traditional sense of salesmanship it was all about completing single unconnected transactions without a plan for maintaining that client in the long term. Relationship marketing shifted the focus from closing the sale to choosing the client interests. This strategy still wants to see ongoing sales, but it does so through effective attention to the present and ongoing needs of your client. It instills a ‘service after the sale’ approach that allows the client to get a sense of the care you are willing to extend as part of the ongoing relationship. One highly successful method of finding initial contacts is through the use of networking. When you spend time developing industry related contacts you will find that your real estate business is the beneficiary of your good will. You might develop a network that includes professionals in areas such as home improvement, insurance providers, and inspection companies. By developing these business relationships within your industry you will find that you have a means of passing along valuable information to your clients about associated needs they might have while finding these same businesses willing to provide a similar endorsement of your real estate firm. Follow up remains a primary key to the long term retention of clients. Follow up allows you to rectify any mistakes that may have inadvertently been made, it allows you to track their enthusiasm in their new purchase and assess any new needs your existing client may have. A virtual assistant provides a means of helping you with details associated with making effective networking contacts, learning the skills of relationship marketing and the all important components of follow up. As your real estate firm adapts to a new business environment, a virtual online assistant can provide the real estate know how to keep you moving in a positive direction. The new climate in business requires an understanding that just as a farmer must wait for the seeds planted to mature into a harvestable crop so too should you find solace in the understanding that your clients must be nurtured and cared for. Remember a premature harvest provides very little yield. While there is much client nurturing that is handled by a real estate agent it may be beneficial to investigate the services a virtual assistant can provide in assisting you in your long term objectives. The good news is by taking care of your real estate clients you are ultimately taking care of business.

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