Past Clients

Your past clients are some of your best referrals and potential future prospects. So why are you ignoring them? Past clients should be included in your daily call sessions, and today I’m going to tell you why you need to stay in touch with them.

Most agents are focused on prospecting for new customers and expanding their databases, and of course that is necessary. But collecting data is not enough. All those names represent people you need to know personally. It’s those relationships that provide real growth inside of your business. If you think you are too busy to keep up with people you know who are not currently active in the market then you’re missing the point.

Staying in touch with your past clients is not hard if you have a system. It’s much harder to try to re-establish with them if you have not seen them in such a long time that you don’t remember them – or worse, they don’t remember you. That situation is not about them – it’s all on you. At some point they are going to sell their home and buy another again, and it will be your loss if you are not their agent when that happens.

We follow a simple system based on a one day, one week, one month, one year schedule for keeping up with our past clients. It works like this:

One day after the clients move into their new home, you call them and offer to address any questions they may have about the home — even follow up with the previous owners if necessary. We call this a “moment that matters.”

One week after that you call the client again to check in, and offer them a welcome gift. Refer them to a local business owner for a free meal at a local restaurant, or a discount with an area business. This courtesy gift helps them make contacts in their new neighborhood. It also helps you maintain your business relationships in that area.

One month later, you call the client to let them know you will be stepping away from them, but will call periodically about listings and sales in their area, and that you will continue to be their friend in the business. This is a critical call to establish your commitment to an ongoing relationship with them.

One year after the original sale, contact them to schedule a visit to have a look at the home, give them a fresh appraisal, and answer any questions they may have about the home or the market in their area. Continue to call on them at intervals with information that is relevant to them. When they are ready to sell that home, who do you think they are going to call first?

Now, a lot of agents think they’re doing great sending out birthday cards and greetings on the anniversary of the sale of the home, but that is not enough. The only thing that really matters is getting face to face with your clients, whether they are new prospects or people you already know. Even a voice on the phone is more personal than a card in the post.

One more thing to remember for the future: When you are finally ready to retire, hand off your client list to a new agent. Make sure that agent understands the importance of establishing and maintaining those relationships going forward. Introduce the new agent to those clients in person. Not only does this give the new agent a step up, but you will receive annuity income from referral fees any time a past client of yours lists and sells a property you originally handled for them.

Anybody can hire a real estate agent, but a friend in the business is priceless. Be that friend that your past clients want and you’ll be amazed with the results.

As you progress in your business, make sure you look into our Josh Phegan Company membership, training events and coaching opportunities.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Coaching Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week.