If you are an agent you know how profitable it can be to take care of referrals from other agents. Having involved in two-way referrals along with other agents is one of the most lucrative areas of the business. But the fact is, most real estate brokers are not taking advantage of this prospect as much as they could.
As an adviser, you need a game plan for getting information, and this article contains many suggestions for developing one. What exactly this strategy really boils down to is definitely combining the power of the internet and having good old-fashioned networking.
Using the MLM Power of the Internet
The internet helps you interact with people from throughout the country and around the world. This is especially the truth when it comes to social networking sites like Productive Rain, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tweets, and many others.
But for most real estate professionals, it is difficult to see how social networks like Active Rain and also LinkedIn can benefit their enterprise. After all, real estate agents deal generally with local clients, it is therefore not clear how having specialist contacts in cities on the reverse side of the continent is going to enable you to.
It is true that Facebook or myspace, Twitter, and some others will allow you to network with local people. Like you might look for friends and also followers who live in your current city, town, or location. Or you might join Facebook or myspace groups where the members reveal some of your interests. Point out, for instance, there is a group of involved citizens in your community who have shaped a Facebook group to be able to protest against a new home supply mall going up on the borders of the town. Or declare there is a dating group or maybe a photography group or a firm group for your city as well as the town.
But getting linked to groups like this has some noticeable problems. You may not want to relate to the cause being promoted, as well as it may just not be a top-notch “fit” in other ways. Commonly the range of interests is indeed broad on Facebook in addition to Twitter and finding folks who might be interested in your provider is a long shot. Any kind of group of local followers is likely to contain people with other reasons to promote, entrepreneurs pushing some or services, kids getting rid of time, and just ordinary people who wish to share news and images with their friends and loved ones.
Almost none of these men and women want you pitching your own personal real estate services – in subtle ways – in every single post or comment is made. So it will be difficult to make your marketing message across without having to turn more people off than you turn on.
What you really want to discover are people interested in real estate issues and opportunities within your local community, and you’re most likely not going to find them on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Active Rainfall, and LinkedIn.
What you will find on some of these sites are other realtors. But what good is that? They may not be potential clients. They are not likely to purchase a home in your town or town.
What you might be able to find on these sites are real estate agents who else share your interest in swapping referrals. Especially on a website where that is its whole focus. These are agents who else subscribe to the idea “If anyone scratch my back I am going to scratch yours. ” That is a great place to start in your search to build a solid, productive referrer network.
Old Fashioned Networking – The Other Necessary Ingredient
Notwithstanding its power and probability as a communication tool, the world wide web can be a very disappointing instrument for marketing. As thousands have learned, just throwing up an online site or a blog does not ensure visitors. And it most certainly is not going to guarantee customers. Even if you locate a group of people dedicated to sharing testimonials, there is no guarantee they will wish to share them with you. Obtaining a response from your network associated with contacts requires some function – what we call “good traditional networking. ”
The simple truth is, people will not buy from a person, or use your services, simply because you happen to be on the web. In the first place, many individuals never find you. And the second place, even if these people find you they will most likely not see any good reason in order to trust you or choose you over your competition. This can be a hard pill to consume for most people who have just invested hundreds or thousands of dollars to create a website, but that doesn’t help it become less true.
The same costs participation in networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, or maybe Active Rain. Being there really is not enough. You have to participate. Contributing helps you develop new pals, followers, and networking associates. Participating means telling others what you are doing, sharing your own relevant experiences, taking an interest in what others are doing, and displaying your interest by writing comments on their contributions and suggestions or providing suggestions once they have problems.
This is what many of us mean by “good conventional networking” – connecting with normal folks who share some significant interests with you, sharing tips and opportunities with them, along with showing an interest in what they can be saying and doing.
Can someone bring these two things jointly – the power of the internet along with good old-fashioned networking – to produce a successful marketing strategy in the process? Furthermore, is it possible to create a successful broker referral network this way?
Sure it is, and the formula is basically quite simple. First, you must discover other agents interested in social networking with you. The internet is a good place to begin – especially sites that are dedicated to real estate agent referral social networking.
And second, you must really network with them. Introduce yourself, ask them questions, respond to their queries, and show them you are interested in what they are performing. Just as you should do together with your clients, develop a system with regard to staying in touch with them regularly. You will be surprised by how many fascinating people you can meet, and just how productive such a network could be.
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