What if you could turn your handshake goodbye into a hello for more business?
Here’s how you can do it: nail your bookends...
How you start a project will land you a client… but how you end things will decide your future. The way you end working with a client will result in one of three paths.
- Your client will forget you entirely.
- Your client will never work with you again.
- Your clients will become evangelists who tell everyone and their friends about you… resulting in referrals and repeat business.
Think back to a time you really got a “wow” experience. A company that comes to my mind is “Booster Fuels”. They deliver gas to our cars here at the NAEA offices. They fill up our tanks while we work, often at a lower price than most gas stations. That’s a great beginning.
They already went above our expectations for a gas station by coming to our office. But what makes Booster Fuels great is the end.
They nailed it.
It was totally unexpected to find the card with a brilliant insight to what we care about- spending more time on what DRIVES us. Wow. And, here we are telling everyone we can about it. They understand the pain we experience, gave us a solution, and crushed their ending. How many gas stations will drive to your office, fill up your tank for less than most stations, then hand YOU a thank you card?
Did you know that 75% of your business this year will come from only 20% of your past clients? What would happen if you could INCREASE that number?
Give thank you gifts that make your clients whisper, “wow.” That moment will turn them from a client into a raving fan of your business.
Once you have loyal fans, three things will unfold.
- Clients will tell people about your services for FREE because you knocked it out the park.
- You’ll generate leads faster than lightning.
- Your bottom line is going to increase dramatically.
We call that a WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN.
Expert Advisor Tip: Set aside 10% from your commission to give back to your client. It’s a smart marketing investment for attracting new clients who are already sold on you.
Okay, onto the gifts.
These are brilliant because they create an experience. Most of them are low to no cost to you over time and don’t take up space in your office.
7 GENIUS CLOSING GIFTS FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS
1. The Little Black Book
The Little Black Book is a resource of all the people and businesses your clients should know about in the community. Rather than heading to Yelp (paid for reviews) or Craigslist (a little sketchy), they’ll have access to the best local connections possible… courtesy of you!
Print them out in a nice black book and engrave your name at the bottom. They’ll keep it longer and, again, continued exposure to your client will keep you on the forefront of their mind.
Your Little Black Book
- Emergency Room Number and Address
- Doctors
- House Repair Services
- Painting Services
- Maid Services
- YOUR Number!
- Handyman
- Salon
- Financial Advisors
Now that you have a killer book of resources for your clients, here’s how to take that value to the next level.
2. Exclusive Offers From Community Partners
Moving to a new city can be jarring. Your buyers are going to be wondering… “What’s good to eat? What’s awful? Where should we go to get our hair cut?”
Exclusive offers is a fancy way of saying a coupon book. Get together with your favorite people. Negotiate for special discounts for your clients.
Ideas for Exclusive Coupons from Community Partners
- Interior Designer
- Massage Therapist
- Coffee Shop
- Pizza Place
- Childcare
- Hairdresser
- Dog Sitter
- Maid Services
- Chinese Take Out
- Babysitters
- Painters
- Personal Chef
- Handyman
By developing community partners, you’re giving them business. You’re giving your clients an opportunity to explore their new area of town at a special price- just for them.
This kind of generosity has a return- more money in your pocket and skip in your step. Community partners will send people your way before any of the other competition because you’re sending them a constant stream of business.
The chamber of commerce is bursting at the seams with eager community partners.
Expert Advisor Tip: Brand the community coupons with your name and number. Your community partners will be grateful everytime your client uses their services. They will find ways to pay you by pumping clients your way. And, your clients will keep remembering you every time they use a coupon.
You’ve got a book full of great resources and exclusive offers. You can use this next idea to WOW your clients and also entice them into a longer relationship- online.
3. Create a Virtual Tour Guide
Create a 10 minute “Welcome Home to {your city} Guide!” This is brilliant because it will bring to life the places you recommended. It will be like giving your clients and personal tour of the best parts of the city- without you having to leave your office.
You can deliver this via your website, YouTube, an email newsletter, or even custom DVD’s that you can give them at closing! Have fun with it and your clients will too.
Your Favorite Places Tour
- Coffee Shop
- Date Spot
- Park
- Favorite Eat – In Restaurant
- City Highlights
If you want to really hit a homerun, use this tour guide to introduce your clients to your favorite community partners. They’ll be more likely to go to these affiliates when they see their face often.
Also, your community partners will bask in gratitude for the free PR. They will feel compelled to return the favor by sending people your way.
Now that you’ve personally introduced them to your favorite places and people, it’s time to help them settle in. This will be the ace in your pocket to play later.
4. Create a Welcome Home Newsletter Sequence
Let’s face it. Moving is overwhelming. There is only so much new information people can take in at once… which is why you can create an email sequence that opens over time.
Your newsletter sequence will help your clients acclimate and it will keep your name on the forefront of their mind. Boom! Marketing magic.
Day 1: Amazon Shopping List: Create a list of essentials, like toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, and dish soap
Day 3: Include a Done-For-You Style Guide to decorating their new home.
Day 7: A simple electronic gift card to a hardware store to test out their new ideas.
1 Year Later, wish them a Happy Anniversary! Let them know you’re there for them and their friends when they want to move.
Now that you’ve created amazing resources for your client, you might want to give them an extra awesome WOW moment.
5. Hire a Cleaning Services
Here’s a marketing secret. People buy from places where they feel understood, like Booster Fuels. Booster understands that we don’t like wasting time, (not even 5 minutes) away from our families to pump gas.
C’mon. We know cleaning is super annoying. Take care of this for your clients and they’ll LOVE you for it. It’ll make their day.
You won’t have to go out and buy something- you or your assistant can just go online and buy a service.
With this gift, your clients won’t be whispering “wow.” They’ll shout it from the top of their new roof (and Facebook page). This is your secret weapon!
6. Hire a Personal Chef
Another golden marketing nugget is this. People will buy what they need… But people will trip over themselves for what they desire.
Most people need a car to function. A care like a KIA will get you to work. But a Lamborghini will get you excited.
Which one do you want to be, the Kia or the Lamborghini?
By hiring a luxury service like a personal chef, you just scored gold. When people move in, they most likely don’t have time to make a good meal for themselves. Hire a personal chef for a few days and they’ll feel like a celebrity.
Hire a chef for them here
Or send a box of hand-selected meals they can throw together
Most of these gifts have been experiences…and you want to give something tangible that will leave an impression. This is how you do it.
7. 12-Month Subscription to Home Magazine or Gift Basket
By giving your clients a 12-month subscription, they’ll be exposed to your generosity for a longer time. A subscription to magazines or gift baskets is so much more powerful than a one time thing. Lots of agents give one off baskets… but you’ll go the extra mile for them. That’s what a 12-month gift is saying.
It’s a simple and powerful way to say thank you for an entire year. All you have to do is click and send.
Expert Advisor Tip: In the Address, you can put “compliments of {your name, your business}.
Generosity is the marketing of the future.
And, great closing gifts do NOT have to cost a fortune to make an impact.
You can create even more genius ideas on your own by asking these questions.
Think about when YOU moved into a home. What was a mega pain? What would have made YOU whisper, “wow?” What would create a memory?
Tell us how you want to WOW your clients this year.
