| However good your skills are in negotiating and selling | | | | annual, quarterly or monthly basis. Designed pieces |
| real estate, any marketing professional will tell you that | | | | include postcards, letters, and folded card formats and |
| they are not enough to retain your clients. | | | | can include calendars, recipes, sports schedules, |
| Communication is vital to winning and keeping clients | | | | magnetic dry erase boards and more. The contents |
| for your business - building rapport and earning respect | | | | are fun and full of helpful and informative tips for the |
| are vital. Clients do not just buy your services; they | | | | agents' clients. Some subjects for example can include |
| buy your continuous support and that means | | | | home improvement tips or knowing when to refinance. |
| maintaining that important element of human contact. | | | | Each piece works to keep our agents name in front of |
| Without that human touch, your business will lose | | | | their clients year round and also prompts their clients |
| clients. With it, not only will you retain clients but you will | | | | for onward referrals. |
| gain referrals. Statistics show that it is less expensive | | | | Agents can keep their client list up to date all year |
| to keep a client than gain a new one. Most of us know | | | | round by simply faxing a client update form to us, that |
| the 80/20 rule - that 80 % of business comes from | | | | way the mail count is always accurate. The service is |
| current clients and 20 % from new ones. But were | | | | competitively priced and pays dividends as agents get |
| you aware that according to the Harvard Business | | | | referrals from clients already in their book of business |
| Review it costs up to 8 times more to gain a new | | | | by the most powerful medium of all - word of mouth. |
| customer than retain an old one ("Zero Defections" by | | | | In the competitive world of real estate, that's a solid |
| Frederick F. Reichheld & W. Earl Sasser, Jr.). If you do | | | | gold guarantee not only of continued repeat business |
| the math you will find that the 20% is only worth 4 % | | | | but of new business as well. |
| of your business in real terms. You do not want to | | | | Sarah Reiter is president of Creative Agent Solutions, |
| lose your past clients! | | | | a virtual marketing company that specializes in real |
| As president of Creative Agent Solutions, an Arizona | | | | estate services. Creative |
| based virtual real estate marketing company; I can say | | | | Agent Solutions is a member of the International Virtual |
| one of the main features of our real estate marketing | | | | Assistants Association (IVAA), the Southeast Valley |
| service is to utilize a Client Database Management | | | | Regional Association of Realtors (SEVRAR) and |
| system that allows us to maintain communications for | | | | Scottsdale Association of Realtors in Arizona (SAAR), |
| our agents with little effort on their part. We formulate | | | | as well as a Certified Virtual Assistant |
| a desired contact strategy with agents and produce | | | | (CVA) with the Settlement Room. |
| 100% customizable direct mail to their clients on an | | | | |