Want to keep your clients for life? Here’s a list of ten quick tips for keeping your clients satisfied and confident that they made the right choice in hiring you.
1. Communicate clearly and effectively.
Make it easy for clients to understand you. If you need to brush up on your grammar or diction, there are lots of resources online to help you get a more polished manner of speech and writing. If you find that you have a particular manner of speaking that sounds too informal or stilted, you can also work on that by yourself or even with a vocal coach. Don’t be afraid to try something new to get the results you want.
2. Stay professional.
Keep yourself polished and professional. This means hair, appearance, wardrobe. If you drive clients around, remember to clean your car. Keep your desk tidy. Use good manners. Keep personal matters to yourself when dealing with clients, while inserting relevant anecdotes when appropriate.
3. Keep your word.
Always do what you say you will do. When dealing with difficult clients, you can often earn their respect simply by keeping your word. Refuse to promise more than you can do. Before you make a promise, ensure you have the resources to delegate as necessary to meet your client’s expectations and keep your promise. Be the salesperson who gives just a little extra compared to your competition.
4. Admit to mistakes before you move on.
A verbal “I’m sorry” goes a long way, but a handwritten note or small gift goes farther. Little mistakes happen to everyone and being able to admit when you are wrong and take responsibility leaves a lasting impression.
5. Exceed expectations.
Go the extra distance for your customers. Make sure that your presentations are top-notch and full of useful information as you help them through the process of buying and/or selling a house. Think of the little details and take care of as many as you reasonably can for your clients. If you can deliver or have papers couriered, save your clients the time. Indicate signature fields on forms. Provide extra pens so there is no chance of a dry-out at the moment of signing.
6. Use personal, handwritten notes.
It seems rare these days to get actual mail rather than junk. Stand out from the competition by sending personal, handwritten notes as an extra means of keeping in touch. These are good for a range of events and occasions. For instance, if you know your client’s birthday or anniversary is coming up, be classy and send a card.
7. Bang your drum – loudly.
It doesn’t hurt to show and tell customers what you are doing for them. For instance, an email newsletter or a phone call. Discover unique ways to highlight why your service is excellent and how they can benefit from dealing with you. Talking about work you have done can be a way of finding out which methods are working for you and which are not. Clients will respond to what you are up to, so make sure to share with them.
8. Follow up and stay in touch.
“I try to reach out to former clients many times per year to make sure I stay top of mind when someone asks them for a Realtor recommendation or when the time comes to need my services again,” says associate Loralee Johnson of Re/Max Real Estate Edmonton in Spruce Grove, Alta. “Sometimes I pop by with a small treat or something to let them know I’m thinking about them. Sending out monthly market update videos is another way I stay in touch. Most importantly though, you need to do things that feel natural or fun to you, because you always want to be genuine and authentic.”
9. Stay relevant and interesting.
“Staying relevant and interesting, to me, means always being on the look-out for new ideas. Currently a lot of staying relevant and interesting hinges on incorporating video and social media into your plan consistently. Putting some personality into your marketing is key. People want to know you as a person to be able to put their trust in you as a Realtor,” says Johnson. “It’s essential to always keep innovating, learning and flexing that creativity muscle to switch things up and keep standing out from the crowd in terms of all your marketing efforts.”
10. Ask what you can do for them.
Find little ways of offering the gift of your time and service to your clients. Don’t be afraid to ask what you can do for them. “How can I help you?” should be more than a customer service greeting. Make it something to live by.
Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.
