Becoming a successful real estate agent takes time and dedication. With an increase in population, there is a need to cater to the high demands for housing and accommodation. There are people who want to rent houses, buy property and others who want to invest in real estate. What this means is that there is someone to bridge the gap between the real estate developer and the client. Increased listings mean the number of real estate agents goes up. This is when as an agent, you should set yourself apart from your competition.
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This has made agents go the extra mile of promoting and marketing themselves to get their names out in the market and get more clients. Below are tips that will help you become a more successful real estate agent.
Table of Contents
Follow Up With Your Clients
People forget the most important part of closing a sale: following up. Keeping in touch with past and future clients is important as a real estate agent. Buying a house or selling one is not an everyday occurrence. Therefore, a client needs to remember you exist when they need help in performing any task related to real estate.
One way of staying top of mind with your clients is by simply thanking them for doing business with you. Whether they have recently moved in or years back, they will feel appreciated when they receive a thank you note from you. You can also send them a holiday or birthday card. The aim is to stand out from a large number of realtors in the market.
READ ALSO: 7 Ways to Improve Your Real Estate Customer Service
Take Clear Pictures
As a real estate agent, it is important to take clear photos of your listings. When people are looking for houses online, the one thing that will help them make a decision is the images. They want to see different sections of the house. Good clear images will get you that lead to convert.
In today’s technology-driven world, there is no reason why you should be using poor quality images to market your listings. Phones nowadays come with good cameras with different editing options. If you have the money, you can hire a professional photographer to take beautiful images for you.
Before sharing your next listing, check on the quality of your images. Take advantage of the natural lighting in the house. Snap different shots so that you can have a variety of images to work with when coming up with the final ones.
Don’t Forget to Ask for Referrals
One of the most successful marketing efforts for any business is getting referrals. Having a client refer you to another one is usually a stamp of approval on how good you are at your work. Your current client trusts you enough to refer you to someone they know.
If you have crazy targets with no time to network and sign on new clients, having a referral program can help you close more deals. The problem with most agents is that they want to get referrals without providing an incentive to the referee. People will trust recommendations from friends and family over someone they don’t know and have never heard about. As a real estate agent, you have to put yourself out there to get new business. Ask your clients to refer you to their friends who are interested in renting or buying a house. Then come up with a way of compensating them for the referrals you receive.
Getting Everything Together
Real estate agents don’t focus on one channel of getting clients. They find new ways of maximising results and earning a return on investment. If you want to be successful, the first step is to understand who you are targeting and the goals you want to achieve. If you are selling high-end property in a gated community, the approach and strategy you use will be different from the one you’ll use when selling commercial property. Once you get this in order, you will devise a plan that will work both offline and online. This strategy will help you have a consistent message which will increase your referrals, leads and get more repeat business.
You might be struggling with marketing and putting everything in order. If this is you, getting a company to help you will make your work easier. They can help you automate all your marketing efforts, get access to marketing products which will make you stand out from your competitors and reduce your overhead costs.
Be Active on Social Media
Almost everyone is on social media interacting with their family, friends and even brands. As a real estate agent, how active are you using social media to grow your brand? Learn to put yourself out there if you want to prospect and attract more clients interesting in what you’re offering.
A social presence will show you are serious about yourself and your brand. Most agents make the mistake of posting listings only. But you also don’t want to look like you are constantly selling and not providing value to your clients. Share blog articles and content related to real estate. The topics could range from decor tips, financing, what the law says about owning property, how to own property in Kenya and many more. Your network will start engaging and showing interest in your listings when you constantly provide valuable content.
READ ALSO: A Short Guide to Writing Good Property Descriptions
Final Thoughts
As a real estate agent, marketing yourself is usually time-consuming and costly but it is something you need to do if you want to get your name out there.