REFERRAL BASICS

1. PUT IT IN WRITING.   Always,  ALWAYS  make  your  referral  in  writing.  Whether  your  referral  is  within  your  office,  across town or across the country  having  a  written  (and signed) Agreement will assure that your information is properly  conveyed and that you  get  paid.  If  you  don't  have a  good  referral form  click here  and download ours for free. And we  encourage  all  members  to use ours so that we will all be familiar with what is required. If your broker mandates a  company form, then use that - we don't want you doing anything which is not approved by your employing broker.  

2. WORK. If  you  aren't  spending 40 to 60 hours a week - every week -  in PROactive  work, you are not going to be financially or professionally successful. And don't  kid  yourself,  you  ARE  a Part-timer. Expect part time income. 

3. ASK FOR THE ORDER. Before  you take  the listing,  or  even  before you go  to  the
appointment ask where the  sellers  are  moving  to and  if  they  are  moving  out  of  the area,  let them know you can find the best  Realtor  in  their  new  area - at  no  charge  to  them.  Working with buyers?  Maybe  they  own  property  in another city they would like to sell. More and  more original  contacts are  being  generated  by  online  sources.   Do  the  buyers have a  property  to sell? ASK, ask, ask! Don't be so  distracted  with  trying  to  "sell"  your immediate  service  you forget  to  do  the easiest  part - recommending  some  one  else.  If  it turns out you don't get the business they contacted you about, you may still get the referral. 

4. IMMEDIATE CONTACT. When you receive a referral IMMEDIATELY send the  customer/client an email, call them and snail mail them your card  and  brochure  with  a  cover letter. DO ALL THREE . If you're sending a referral make sure  the  customer/client  knows  they  can  expect contact within 24 hours and find out what their time and  method  preference  is.  DO  NOT expect them to make the first contact, it rarely happens. Remember - be PRO active! 
   
5. BE PROFESSIONAL.  Have  your  "stuff"  together.  State-of-the-art  printed  materials  from business  cards  to  brochures  to  presentations to websites are  no longer  the  exception in our business. They are the  professional  standard. (Need  a  custom  brochure or  other promotional  material? (check out our DISCOUNT SUPPLIES page)  Our  customers  and clients  expect us to be  at least  as  technologically skilled  as  they  are.  If your online skills  are  lacking,  take  a  class  or practice  or  both. The  real  estate  industry  is  now  considered  to  be  30% technical - if you don't have these skills, you ARE NOT  a professional  and  the  public  "gets it".  It's  way  past time  Realtors  do too

6. FOLLOW-UP.   You  can't  hit  a  home  run  if  you  don't follow  through.  Keep  in  contact  with your referral Realtor as well  as  your  customer/client.  Back in  the  dark  ages  when  I  first started doing military relocation I frequently heard buyers say in  response  to  my  question, "why  did  you choose  me?” "Because  you  were  the only one who called us  more  than  once" was a common response.  Use  a  contact  management  program  or  a  simple  paper  and  pencil  form to  make  sure  you maintain regular contact before, during and  after the transaction.  It's  the key to good service and you'll end up with a pocket full of commissions. 

7. RE-INVEST. As  you  earn  income  from  your hard work and professional skills, re-invest a pre-determined  amount  in  your  future  business. Remember  that  you  are  self-employed  and every business needs capital to continue to flourish. 

8. REST. Always schedule regular time off, weekly and annually. I  have  found  that the  more I restrict my customers'/clients' access to me the more  eager  they  are to continue  to  do business with me. If you don't take time to regenerate mentally and  physically  you  will  not be your best during "business hours". And remember, this is what we do for a living- it is not our "life".  We need to be happy, fit and creative people to do our best work.