Success in real estate takes hustle, consistency, and time.
As you grow your business, it can be easy to work on what’s going on right now, and forget or not have enough time to maintain relationships with clients you’ve worked with in the past.
Any top agent will tell you that taking the extra steps to maintain relationships with your network will pay dividends for years to come – in the form of referrals and repeat business.
The easiest way to get consistent referrals is by staying in touch with your network.
Texting Past Clients = New Clients
Nowadays, the most direct and convenient way to stay in touch is via text. For better or for worse, most people in the 2020s are in constant contact with their phone.
With a texting management service like CanaryTEXT, it’s never been easier to stay in front of clients you worked with 1, 5, or even 10 years ago.
The data we’ve found with top agents that work with us is the more casual the message, the better the result. Something as simple as “Wow. Can’t believe it’s already been a year since you closed on the house…how are you guys doing?” can have massive impact on referrals. Texting to keep in touch is one of the most effective ways to get maximum results from minimum effort.
Increase Repeat Business
5 years ago, you sold a client a home. One day, you find yourself in their neighborhood, and drive by their house. In the yard is a for sale sign, with another agency representing them! Nearly everyone that has been in real estate for a while has had some version of this happen to them.
Assuming you did a good job representing them, the most common reason this happens is just falling out of touch. Text is the easiest way to keep in touch with past clients. We find that one way top agents that work with us reach out to clients is by splitting contacts by location. Then, every so often, when they are in the area again, they have a mass text go out to all past clients in that area similar to this: “Hey, I found myself in Boylan Heights the other day with a client and thought of you guys. How’s it going?” We’ve seen dramatic increases in repeat business from agents using simple check-ins like this. Sometimes it just takes a little reminder a couple times a year for a client to come back to you after 5, 6 or 7 years for their next purchase.
The Facts:
- Most homeowners buy a new home every 5 years
- 82% of buyers say they’ll use the same agent to purchase their next house but only 12% do!
Online Visibility with Out-of-Network Clients
Clients that are moving to a new area (especially for a new job) often don’t have any local personal contacts prior to moving. Thus, when searching for an agent to represent them in purchasing a home, they have few options other than to turn to Google. One of the easiest ways to increase traction with these buyers is by having a ton of 5-star reviews.
Most top agents (including the ones that work with us at CanaryTEXT) use a texting service to set up an automatic follow-up with clients after closing to remind them to leave a review on Google. It requires no upkeep after setting it up, which itself takes just minutes.
If you aren’t currently doing this, you are leaving a lot on the table with out-of-network clients.
See how top agents are using CanaryTEXT to leverage their network for new and repeat business by trying it out today.