by Jim Gillespie
Special to Realty/Builder Connection
Here are seven tips for keeping a client:
1. Immediately after you have completed the purchase or sale of a home with your clients, invite them out to lunch or dinner to celebrate the completion of the transaction.
2. During this celebration, tell them that you’ve enjoyed working with them, and ask them if they’ve been happy with their relationship with you and the service you have provided them as their real estate agent.
3. Tell them that you are interested in building long-term relationships with your clients and that what you would like to do is work towards building a long-term relationship with them where you provide them with the quality of service they want to receive from their real estate agent and you are the agent they work with for their future real estate transactions.
4. Ask them, “What would you expect from me as your agent in order for us to form this type of relationship with each other?” Make a list of what they say then ask, “If I diligently do all these things you’ve asked for, would you be willing to have me be the agent who represents you when you have real estate requirements in the future?”
5. Do what’s on their list.
6. Check in with them periodically to see if they have any requirements and see if you can assist them in any way. Then from time to time say, “I want to make sure that I’m fulfilling my end of our agreement. Is there anything else you’d like me to do for you at this time?”
7. Continue to provide them great service in a timely manner.
While this approach cannot absolutely guarantee that your clients will work with you as their agent on every real estate transaction they do in the future it certainly will maximize the probability that you will be working with them again on their next real estate transaction.