9 Real Estate Business Tips to Help Nurture Leads (2023 Updated!)
The relationship between a real estate agent and the client should be constructed as a partnership. Proving to your real estate leads that you have their best interests in mind is crucial to building trust and loyalty. If the client knows their agent is always available and ready to help, they will more likely stay on board, and both parties will benefit from that.
In the competitive real estate business, seemingly minor details can make an agent more or less successful. Any oversight could diminish profits and might even drive a potentially loyal client away. That’s why we’ve gathered the most relevant quotes from experts in the field to help you turn every real estate lead that comes from one of the best real estate lead generation companies into a reliable, paying client.
Here are their best tips on building a long-lasting relationship with clients:
1. Maintain the Relationship
According to Rhett Lewis, the CEO of Gemstone Well, a common pitfall when it comes to agent-client relationships is that the agent doesn’t follow up after a sale.
It’s very straightforward to compose monthly emails with market updates and forward them to the client. Once the sale is made, making sure the client is satisfied with the purchase and showing interest in their needs can solidify the relationship and increase the chances of new business deals. This is easiest to do with the best real estate CRMs. You can log in all information you know about the client (their birthday, anniversary of the day they closed on their home, the ages of their kids, etc.) in order to make all touch points more personalized. This goes a long way when trying to build a lasting relationship. If you are on a budget, there are many free real estate CRMs, or many that you sign-up for a free trial to see if it’s the right fit for you and your business.
Real estate sales shouldn’t be viewed as single transactions but rather as the start of an ongoing process. When there are confidence and trust on both sides, subsequent deals will be less complicated and turn out more profitable.
2. Get Into the Details
Managing Partner of VR Business Brokers and President of CVBBA, Neal Isaacs, considers it vital to understand the client’s goals and assist them around technical matters of the sale.
A real estate agent must have a firm grip on particular issues such as taxation, creative deals, and property swapping, better known as a 1031 exchange. The client should know about every possible beneficial option and have them thoroughly explained.
Being able to guide the client through the details that might provide the most favorable terms of the transaction will show that the agent is knowledgeable, reliable, and well-meaning. This can make the relationship long-lasting and win the agent more deals in the future.
3. Maintain Your Voicemail
Katy Klesitz, the owner of Katy and Frank Home Buyers, knows how important it is to reach your agent when you need them.
It might seem like an obvious and basic tip, but there are plenty of examples of agents not answering calls while their voicemail is too full to receive new messages. The inability to reach the agent or their lack of response is frustrating, annoying, and likely to drive off new and returning clients.
Making sure your voicemail works and clearing it of old messages is a simple task that many fail to do, losing potential deals as a result. A well-maintained voicemail will not only make a positive, professional impression but might make the business more profitable.
To avoid missing out, you may want to use an answering service—companies that handle business calls on your behalf.
4. Provide Value and Build Trust
As Loren Howard, founder of Prime Plus Mortgages, states, trust comes first in the real estate business.
Community-building and providing clients with valuable content is the best way to go if you want to build a trusting and firm relationship with them. When buying or selling a home, people will naturally turn to agents they have confidence in and always choose those they trust the most.
Taking an interest in your customers, updating them with valuable information, and showing care for clients and their families’ interests will prove invaluable for your business. There are tons of real estate software tools that can help you do this successfully.
5. Quality Communication
Managing Partner of Twillful, Andrew Chwalik, points to communication skills as the ultimate marketing tool.
As an often-recurring problem clients have in sales transactions, poor communication can cause a deal not to go through and the business relationship to end. A successful real estate business should pay attention to communication style, how often the agent contacts the customer, is it the right time for communication, and is the right person conducting it.
Hitting all those beats well will mean more trust and more comfortable future contact with the client. Good communication, understanding their preferences in these matters will provide a strong foundation for a relationship, and a further building of trust.
Communication skills will play an essential role in maintaining the relationship as well. Remaining in contact, providing useful information and updates, and reaching out will not only make a one-time client into a loyal customer but might earn you their recommendation to others.
6. Build Integrity and a Good Reputation
Rick Davidson, Founding Partner of RealChange, LLC, explains the importance of staying true to your word and always striving to go that extra mile.
The best way to build a relationship of trust and confidence with clients is to ensure them of your integrity. This means managing the client’s demands, meeting every deadline, and providing extra value whenever possible.
As much as today’s market is supplied with technological resources that make the real estate business faster and more efficient, the agent’s personal brand and reputation are always at the core of the business. Nothing will ensure returning clients and referrals as much as the agent’s integrity and quality of service.
Ensuring you know every detail about the market and the sales process, meeting the client’s demands, and following up on what’s promised and expected will make you reliable and trusted. This is the essential trait every successful real estate agent must possess.
7. Embody Four Essential Attributes
Fred Schmidt, another founding partner of RealChange, LLC, says that there are four essential attributes that he’s spent his career trying to instill in himself and inspire in others.
He believes the ability to overcome obstacles is one of those vital attributes. In order to become a successful real estate agents, you must have grit and determination. Even if times are tough, successful agents never give up.
It’s also essential that agents maintain a positive attitude, both internally and externally. Success is more likely to come your way if you are pleasant to work with and inspire confidence. If this attribute begins to waver, it’s likely your profits will too.
Even after reaching success, you must never fall idle. Another essential attribute is to have a life-long willingness to learn and grow. You must be willing to listen and be open to new ideas and opportunities.
Finally, at the core of all things, successful agents get along with others. They want to please their clients, along with fellow agents in the industry. They are giving, trustworthy, and know the core values it takes to succeed.
8. Calculate the Return on Investment
Stacy Caprio, Founder of her.ceo, points out how important it is to familiarize your client with the ROI figures.
Potential homebuyers often need additional convincing to finalize the sales deal. A good agent needs to keep in mind that their clients are on the verge of a crucial life decision and ensure them it’s a financially sound one.
It’s a simple matter of taking the time to research and calculate the ROI, put a spreadsheet together, and explain the benefits to the potential client. Besides showing that you care about their best interests, you’ll inform the client about a vital aspect of the transaction and help them make up their mind more easily.
Check out our list of the best places to buy real estate leads if your looking to up your business.
9. Build Trusting Relationships While Making Your Business More Profitable
According to the experts we’ve consulted, a trusting relationship that relies on a dependable, always available, and knowledgeable agent is sure to make a real estate business garner more deals and profits.
Take these valuable tips and use them in your business practice. The results will be apparent immediately, and your business will become more profitable than ever. If you do decide to start your own business, remember that the first step is to consider whether you want to be a sole proprietor or an LLC. Keep up these practices, and you’ll be sure to find success.