As a real estate agent, I never know where my next client will come from. I know I may be over-simplifying here, but these methods of securring business just don't make me want to hop out of bed in the morning:
~ Capturing the lead
~ Converting the FSBO
~ Going after the Expired listing
~
I'm especially uneasy with the last one. I refuse to beg/pester/annoy anyone for referrals. If I do my job well, then I feel confident my family, friends and past clients will remember me if they know someone who has a real estate need.
And here's where the Golden Rule comes in...at least for me:
If someone I have worked with in the past has done a superb job, and they were likable enough, I have no problem referring them to someone else looking for that same kind of service. But if said-superb-service provider contacted me every month...whether to say "hi" or send me "something of value", and ended each such contact with a gentle reminder to send business his way...well, frankly, I'd be annoyed. I don't need my dentist or insurance salesman or car dealer or handyman contacting me 12+ times a year to remind me they're in the business...and would LOVE my referrals.
As a matter of fact, DON'T YOU DARE contact me that much.
I'm an intelligent woman, and I have a pretty good memory. I know exactly who my insurance agent is, even though I haven't spoken to him in over a year. My handyman and my dentist are wonderful...and I've referred others to them many times. Before I became a Realtor, I remembered who my real estate agent was. She did a great job and I used her services several times over the years and recommended her to others, even though I only heard from her on my birthday and at Christmas.
Of course this is just me, and the way I choose to run my business. I'm sure those methods work for other agents.
But this is my business. And it sure is a wonderful thing that I get to decide how to manage it!
