People want to refer you.
Actually, I should say that people want to refer you if you meet two criteria.
The first is that you are remarkable.
I do not mean this in the sense of being amazing or over-the-top fabulous.
I mean remarkable in its purest form; worth remarking about.
Or, in other words, worth being talked about when you are not around.
The second criteria is that they must know that you want their referrals.
When somebody asks how business is, what do you say? Even if you are in a lull, you are likely to respond with something like, "Business is great!" or"I am busier than I have ever been!"What message is this sending to your potential referrer? You have got all the business you need or can handle.
Or, I am doing just fine without your help.
Let us discusshow to get both criteria working in your current relationships so that thereferrals will start coming in.
Being Remarkable What do you do that is worth remarking about? What do you do that makes people talk about you after you have left, or after a transaction has been closed? If your answer is a great gift basket, you are missing the point.
People often jump to the extreme when trying to answer a question like this.
I hear everything from "I offer a home warranty program" to "We throw client appreciation parties.
" Both of things are excellent ideas, but do they make you remarkable? Let us look at it from a different angle.
What makes a great sports team remarkable? Is it a trick or gimmick play, an outspoken and over-the-top player? The real answer to what makes a sports team remarkable is the consistent ability to execute the fundamentals at a high level.
Translate that to Real Estate.
What are our fundamentals? Can answering your phone as often as possible and returning calls as quickly as possible make you remarkable? Absolutely.
Can a call every week to a listing client to update them on progress on their home make you remarkable? Definitely.
Can a consistent newsletter packed with unique and relevant information make you remarkable? Without a doubt.
Identify the fundamentals of your business, do them consistently at a high level, and you will become remarkable.
You will become talked about.
On the flip side of that coin...
if you consistently under perform in the fundamentals, you will also become remarkable.
Remember, some of the remarkably bad sports teams are nearly as famous as the remarkably good ones.
Teaching Your Network to Refer You If you are remarkable (worth talking about) then you are ready for criteria number two.
Educating your clients in how to refer business to you.
People love to refer.
What did you do the last timeyou saw a truly great movie.
Not a "that was good" movie, but a "wow, that changed my life" movie.
You could not wait to tell your friends and family about it.
You could not wait for them to share in the same experience that you just had.
The same is true for restaurants.
If you have found a great little hidden gem of a restaurant, you can hardly wait to share it with other people.
Heck, you will invite people out for dinner just so you can take them there.
Now, real estate will never have the same impact as a motion picture can, or hit the same spot that a perfect meal will.
But it can be an experience that makes other people want to share it.
We often get "lost" in our own businesses and lose perspective.
We find ourselves trying to "think like buyers" or "think like sellers" like they are some alien species.
In all probability you, the reader of this book, have been a buyer and/or a seller.
We must not try to think like buyers and sellers, or try to get into their heads.
What we must do is stop thinking likereal estate agents.
Forget for a minute that you are in real estate.
You do not know the first thing about it...
but you need to sell your house.
What could a real estate agent do for you that would be remarkable? What could an agent do for you that would make you want to recommend that agent to other people? Guess what.
It is the fundamentals, isn't it? Sure, a great closing gift would be nice.
A house-warming party would be fun.
But an agent who you really connected with, that made you feel valued and important, that was available when you needed them, and paid attention to details is what would really be important.
Let us take it a step further and say that your mother needed to sell her house now.
Remember, you are not a real estate agent right now.
Wouldn't you want to refer that dependable and consistent agent to her? Of course you would.
There are too many lousy agents out there she might end up with if you did not guide her to somebody good.
You do notneed to ask for referrals.
What a terribly awkward and impersonalquestion to ask...
"Who do you know that needs the services Ioffer?" You might as well say, "I really enjoyed making money off you...
do you have any friends or family I can make money off of, too?"That is howthe client hears it.
That is the wayYOU hear it when somebody asks you that, isn't it?People want to refer good agents to their friends and family.
All we have to do, then, is to make sure they know that we welcome their referrals, and that we will give them at least the same level of service that they received.
In every piece of correspondence you send out, in the signature line of every outgoing email, in as many conversations as you can work it into, make sure you let people know that you welcome and value their referrals.
This does not have to be some grand script or sales approach.
Anything conversational, heartfelt, and brief gets the job done.
"Hey, if youknow of anybody needing a great real estate agent, I would love to help themout.
" "Business isgreat, but I have always got time for your referrals.
" You might be intimidated to start working those kinds of phrases into your conversations if you have never done it before.
Just try it once or twice and you will be surprised how natural it is, and how well it is received by your clients.
Once is not enough, by the way.
It is not that people forget, it is more that they think maybe you have gotten too busy or they "do not want to bother you" after some time has passed.
Keep the connection fresh and the reminders coming.
Your clients should know that your business runs on referrals and, that when they give you one, you will treat it like gold.
They have put their word on the line and you have to live up to it.
There is no faster way to go from the good kind of remarkable to the bad kind of remarkable than giving poor service and attention to a referral.