Many people misunderstand the difference between sales and marketing. Making a sale is clearly the only way to make money, so too many people mistakenly assume that the goal of marketing is sales. It is not. The goal of marketing is to build relationship. One way of thinking about the roles of sales and marketing it like dating. Some people believe the only purpose of dating is to end up in bed together. This is like marketing for the sake of sales. Others believe that dating is for the purpose of genuinely getting to know someone. Of course they most likely want to eventually end up in bed with that person, but that isn’t their sole motivation. This is like marketing for the sake of building relationship. Here are 4 real estate marketing tips to organically increase word-of-mouth leads.
Provide great service
People can’t wait to talk about two things: a great experience or a terrible one. When we have an average or “normal” experience, we don’t talk about it because we don’t even notice it. If you want people to talk about you, go above and beyond for them and they will look for people to tell about their experiences.
Ask them
It’s amazing how rarely real estate agents and other sales professionals fail to simply ask their clients to tell others about them. There is a fine line between being assertive and pushy, but if you work hard for your clients and provide a great service, there’s nothing wrong with asking your clients to tell others about you.
Stay connected
Like the old saying goes “out of sight, out of mind.” All-too-often once closing is complete, agents go on to find new business instead of working hard to maintain connection. If you stay in contact with your clients, not only will they be more inclined to tell others about you, but you may gain a client for life.
Be sure to give, don’t just take
No one wants to be or feel used. This is where the “giving” of marketing comes in. Great marketing establishes and maintains connection. Some agents send out a weekly newsletter with tips, tricks and other helpful information – and not just about real estate. Some realtors offer a couple of hours of last minute movers at closing. This welcome surprise delights clients and guarantees excited word of mouth and referrals. This is a lot more return on investment than a random housewarming basket.
Think of marketing like staying in touch with an old friend or wooing a potential romantic interest. Great marketing should help your clients feel valued and special. If you can do that, there is no way they won’t tell their friends, colleagues and anyone who will listen all about you.