I was recently asked on Facebook what steps one should take if they’ve failed to stay in touch with their database.
No matter if you’ve been in the real estate business for two, five, or 12 years, staying in touch with your database is an instrumental part of your continued success.
If you’ve been an agent for any number of years and you aren’t doing this, don’t panic: Today I’ll start you on the right track to reconnecting with your database.
About four years ago, I made the same mistake. I had gotten so busy that I wasn’t staying in touch with my database, and I realized two things: I wanted to re-establish that communication, but I felt uneasy about it because it had been so long.
Although I had been sending flyers, postcards, and invitations to our yearly events to my database, I hadn’t personally reached out to any of the people in it for a while.
I heard about Brad Korn’s plan and decided to put it into practice. Following that plan, you’ll first send a letter to the people in your database apologizing to them for neglecting to stay in touch and assuring them that you’ll turn it around. Then, let them know that you plan to call sometime in the following week.
Now, some of us have hundreds of people in our databases, and calling them all in a single week wouldn’t feasibly produce meaningful conversations. So, I had my assistant send a letter to somewhere between 20 to 40 people in my database each week while also creating a call list that consisted of those specific people.
The purpose of the initial call is to update your existing information on them and to simply catch up with each person you speak to. If they inform you that they’ve bought a home since you last spoke, use that news as an opportunity to start adding value by asking if they need to be pointed in the direction of some vendors or by asking if you can serve their real estate needs in some other way.
Toward the end of the call, let them know you’d like to stay in touch. Start rebuilding lines of communication by calling to inform them of events you’re holding in the coming weeks and months. This is also a good time for you to gain permission to add them to your newly implemented high-touch plan.
Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew, though. The worst thing you could do is commit to sending 400 letters in a week and not follow through. Make it a point to call 20, 40, or at the most, 100 people each week until you’ve attempted to reconnect with everyone in your database.
Once you’ve done that, you’ve laid the groundwork to stay in touch with your database going forward: You’ve touched base with them; you’ve offered them something; and you’ve received updated information on where they are in their life and how you can help them.
If you have any questions about developing a system whereby you stay in touch with your database or about improving your business in general, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to have a conversation with you!
