Supercharging Your Success With PC/COI
This post will walk you through how to set up the ideal Past Client and Center of Influence System. The system is designed to keep you top of mind with your sphere and position your as the go-to person when they think of real estate. This page gives you the system, and the plan to execute.
Please Consider
Consider the following statistics from the National Association of Realtors 2013 Buyer & Seller Report:
- 42% of buyers were referred by (or used) a friend, neighbor, or relative. 12% had used that agent previously.
- 39% of sellers were referred by (or used) a friend, neighbor, or relative. 25% had used that agent previously.
In talking with 100’s of agents over the years, I know that those that experience consistent, persistent, and perpetual success always have a stellar plan to take care of their past clients and center of influence. When building solid systems in your business, there is not a more important place to start than RIGHT HERE!
The System
Whether you have been in the business for a long time, or you are just launching a real estate career, it’s important for your sphere and past clients to think of you as their real estate agent.
If you are new, you need to transition your network from thinking of you as the stay-at-home-mom, oil executive, or their high school alum into their real estate professional. However they have seen you previously, the goal is for them to think of you as their go-to real estate professional.
Even if you have been in the business for a long time, we can never take for granted that they will continue to think of you as their Realtor. You must find ways for your sphere and past clients to go beyond awareness, into considering, preferring, and hiring you. They know several Realtors. We want you to be consistently be their go-to person.
In other words, you must show up as their Realtor in between the times they need one. You do that, and no question … they will think of you as their Realtor. How does that happen? Systematic execution of a a plan that allows you to consistently say that, “I am your Realtor.”
Here is that system:
2. Mail monthly
5. Set up Market Insights in the MLS for every property owner.
6. Every other week, meet with someone on your Top 25 list.
8. Bi-annual letters to PC/SOI out of state
Step 1
CALL QUARTERLY
I know what you might be thinking. It’s the dreaded phone. “Oh no! What do I say? I don’t want to bug my friends for business.”
That’s fair, and not an uncommon fear. But, there is a simple way to change your feelings about picking up that phone. If you start to think of it as a matter of service – a responsibility to take care of your friends and past clients and their real estate interests – making phone calls is easier. If it is only about you, then you’ll likely find those calls continue to be tough.
Here are some examples of what we are talking about when we are referring to service centered calls:
“The Houston market is experiencing a tremendous amount of change and growth. You might be curious about how these changes impact your investments. I’m keeping my friends updated on their values; I’d like to include you in that list. What is the best email to send you your neighborhood stats?”
“The Grand Parkway construction schedule has recently been updated. I’m going to shoot you an email with the new information. Do you know of someone that is considering a move because of these upcoming changes?”
“You may not be aware that the FHA loan limits have just changed. Your home might be one that might be affected if you decided to sell. Have you guys been thinking of making a change?
“We are seeing interest rates making some shifts in the last few weeks. Are you guys still comfortable with the home loan you have?”
“I saw that your school just qualified as a Blue Ribbon school again. That’s great. Because of that, we have a tremendous amount of interest in your neighborhood. Do you know of someone thinking of a move? We have a tremendous number of buyers that would like to be in a neighborhood just like yours.”
“Are you comfortable with your current assessed value with the County Tax Assessor? I’d be happy to pull properties to see if it’s in alignment with values.”
“This week is The Woodlands marathon. I’m going to shoot you an email with the schedule and alternative routes. How are the kids?”
Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be about real estate. Sometimes there are interesting things that impact their investment. Sometimes it’s enough to bring up what you have seen on Facebook. Talk about common interests. Don’t be afraid to call and check in. Real estate questions will come up. Don’t be timid when they do. If they are asking you real estate, this is just the beginning of them thinking of you as their Realtor.
Step 2
MAIL MONTHLY
This monthly postcard accomplishes that high level touch, and the best part … Gary Greene participates in that expense with a credit equal to 1/4 of the cost. Simply sign the company authorization, and we will send it out automatically on your behalf. No thinking. Automation for the win!
Example 1
- Send seventy five postcards First Class at 68¢ per mail piece, the total pre-participation
costinvestment is $51.00. When you place your online order, at checkout, Gary Greene will automatically reduce what you are billed by 25% ($12.75). - Next, simply forward your invoice to Linda Sawyers at LSawyers@GaryGreene.com and she will credit the office contribution (in this example, the remaining $27.25 of the $40 credit) to your accounts receivable. So, your net cost to mail to seventy-five people once a month is crazy low $11.00. Hard to beat, only 14¢ per person.
Example 2
- Send out 100 postcards First Class at 68¢ per mail piece, the total investment would be $68. When you place your online order at checkout, Gary Greene will automatically reduce what you are billed by 25%.
- That’s it your done. Go out, share, serve, solve and simplify like a Pro.
Not only are the financials incredibly attractive, the best part is the ease with which you can execute this program. Once your contacts are loaded into the BHG Greenhouse Digital and Print Centers, no designing, printing, pasting labels and delivering to the post office. Simply make it part of your monthly business development system. Fast, simple, effective and profitable.
If you need to get your database into Greenhouse, set an appointment and Linsey will help you get that handled.
Step 3
EMAIL MONTHLY
Take advantage of what the company offers . With your Authorization, we will set up a monthly email to go to your entire database. This is free to you, and automatic. Set it. And forget it. We will send useful, meaningful emails to your database of clients and sphere for you. No thinking, no planning.
The caveat? Your database needs to be in The Greenhouse. If they aren’t in there, set an appointment and Linsey will help you get that handled.
Step 4
FACEBOOK 15 MINUTES A DAY
After all the social media hype cooled, Facebook remains a truly valuable platform. This should certainly be a central part of your PC/COI plan.
The magic happens on a personal profile, and not generally business pages. Facebook can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with people, deepen and enhance existing relationships, and make new connections. And, in the world of real estate, having a strong connection with your network is central to having a thriving real estate practice.
Facebook is easy to use, but to get in and out in 15 minutes a day, to be really effective, there are some tips and tricks that we’ll dive deeper into on another page.
Hint: It’s less about what you post and more about how you listen.
Step 5
AUTO-NOTIFICATIONS
Remember our stated goal? We want to find ways to show up for our center of influence and our past clients in between the times that they need a realtor. We want to show up as their Realtor before they even need one.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to be the source for all the information about what is listing and selling in their neighborhood. Simply take all the homeowners in your database, and go into the MLS and set up a MarketInsight to be delivered to them every month. Directions to set these up can be found HERE.
You will also want to send these to all of your past buyers.
Once you set them up, follow up with this as an email or phone call to your client/sphere.
Script
“Hi Joe! It’s Linsey. Wanted to let you know that you should receive a monthly email from me about your neighborhood. Many of us are used to tracking the value of our stocks and other financial investments. With Texas real estate, that can be difficult because we are in a non-disclosure state. For my friends, I’ve set up an easy notification. This monthly email will show you recent activity in your immediate neighborhood so that you can maintain a sense of market conditions and values. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m still her for you!”
Step 6
TOP 25
Every other week, take someone from your Top 25 out to dinner or lunch, or out for coffee or a glass of wine.
What is a Top 25? Think of your Top 25 list as the VIP of your database. Who are your VIP’s?
- Favorite past clients
- Raving fans that already refer you business
- People that are very well connected in your community
- Anyone that you would like to deepen or strengthen a business relationship with
- Current hot prospects
The Top 25 list can change over time, but if you meet with someone on that list every other week, over the course of the year you will have met with everyone at least one time. A powerful, well cared for Top 25 is sometimes all you need to have a robust business sourced from past clients/center of influence repeat and referral business.
Step 7
ANNIVERSARY CMA
Seasoned agent or brand spanking new … take ever single homeowner that you know and divide them by 12. Assign them an anniversary month, whether or not you actually sold them that home. (If you have past buyers, assign them their actual anniversary month).
Run a comparative market analysis (CMA) for each homeowner during their ‘anniversary’ month.
In a large, manila envelope, MAIL them their CMA with the following handwritten note:
“You guys may not be planning on making a move, but with all that is happening in our local real estate market, I thought you might be interested in what’s happening with your neighborhood’s values. If you ever have any real estate questions, I’m still here for you! Warmly, Linsey”
THIS is you showing up as their Realtor in between the times they need one. Do that, year-in-year-out, and without out question, they will at least consider you as their Realtor when that move does come up. They may know 5 Realtors, but you are the one showing up year-in-year-out as their real estate expert.
Step 8
BI-ANNUAL OUT OF AREA LETTERS
Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, and it’s the #1 Fastest Growing City in America, according to Forbes magazine in 2015. Your friends, family, and past clients that are living in other parts of the country may decide to move into the Houston area, or they may know of someone else that is making that move.
The question is, do they know you sell real estate here? And, if they do, would they think to refer you? We need to remind them, and ask them to consider referring us.
Twice a year, send out a letter to your out-of-state network sharing something about Houston, and reminding them that you are happy to take care of their friends should they find themselves moving to this vibrant, growing city.
And, Finally….
Execution Roadmap
Once you have the plan in place, filled in the marketing solutions, and organized all your peeps, the trick is execute consistently. How will you know what you have to do everyday?
Use this WEEKLY ACTION CHECKLIST as your roadmap. Whether you are swamped or just starting, knowing what your job is every single day will help you consistently do the lead generation and lead follow up required for that consistent, persistent, perpetual success.
To Your Success!
