Choosing to get into the real estate business allows for a flexible schedule, the chance to be your own boss, and a high earning potential. However, real estate is not easy and there are times it can feel quite isolating, especially if you are not part of a team. Connecting with like-minded professionals is a great way to build a strong network of referrals to help you grow your business with support from your community. Read on, for more tips on how to build a strong real estate business that grows through referrals and community connection.
Get the Right Software and Tech for Your Business
Technology has had a profound impact on the way we work and it’s showing no signs of slowing. Whether you’re using a CRM to track leads, clients, and sales or social media to help you connect with your community, there’s lots of software and tech to choose from.
Recently, real estate has embraced technology like drones and 3-D tours to make online listings more accessible for buyers and to show off great inventory. When using drone cameras to show off your listings, consider getting permission from your municipality to also film the surrounding neighborhood to highlight the amenities in the area.
In the time of COVID-19, 3-D tours offer a safe option for potential buyers to view homes. Even if safety was not a concern, 3-D tours give buyers a chance to look around before booking an appointment. This could potentially save everyone time if they discover something they don’t like. Alternatively, maybe they’ll know right away that your listing is the home for them and they won’t even need to book an in-person appointment. Win-win!
The best technology for real estate agents is the kind that harnesses the power of community. Real estate runs off of referrals. A platform exists that allows you to connect with the people in your community to generate referrals while also giving back to them.
Parkbench is a referral-generating and real estate lead platform.
Parkbench encourages connection by sending agents into their communities to interview and interact with other local businesses. These interviews are then shared and promoted on your website to encourage organic referrals from the people within your community.
To see this platform in action, Parkbench client Arnold Hickey is a prime example of how to become successful in real estate business. He leveraged the community connection of the Parkbench platform to completely reinvent his real estate business. After years of success before Parkbench, Hickey has continued to grow his business. He can see success even through a pandemic because of his hard work with the Parkbench platform.
Speaking of Ways to Reinvent Your Business…
Maybe, like Arnold Hickey, real estate is a second or even third career. Or perhaps you’re just starting out in the industry and looking to find new and different strategies for business success. It’s never too late or too early to find ways to stay relevant and keep your business fresh for your clients.
Here are 3 tips on how to reinvent your business. Arnold Hickey and many other Parkbench agents see continued success with these strategies:
- Set a goal to make a new contact every day: Go out into the community to meet new people. Interact with your audience on social media. Either way, making a genuine connection every day will expand your network and pad your pipeline with referrals.
- Collaborate: You have to go out and join a real estate team (if you prefer to fly solo). Collaborate with like minded agents and the businesses in your community. Collaboration is a fun way to network and give back to your community.
- Embrace a community-minded approach: When you care about your community, your community will care about you. Expanding your sphere of influence by employing all of these tips will help establish your brand with your neighbors. It will also get more referrals, and reinvent your business on a model that gives back to your community.
A Successful Real Estate Business Thrives Off These 2 Things
Technology and community connection are key to success. Here are some examples of how you can put these concepts into action to have a strong real estate business.
- Referrals:
Referrals are the lifeblood for a real estate business. But asking for referrals in real estate is difficult. When agents turn their focus from their own business to the needs of their community, that shows how much they care. That’s when you no longer have to ask for referrals – referrals will come to you.
Try These Unique Ways to Get Referrals
- Promote Local Businesses: Start showing off the local businesses in your community. This will put your name at will be top of mind the next time they hear of someone who is selling a home.
- Provide Extra Value to Your Existing Clients: You don’t have to be done with clients once they are moved into their forever home. By keeping those connections strong you will put yourself in the position for repeats and referrals.
- Give Increased Value to Your Community: When you put your community first, you will position yourself as a local expert.
- A Killer Marketing Plan:
To create a marketing plan for real estate business success, use a combination of traditional and new marketing strategies. Automation and video are popular strategies for a reason, they work. But including more collaboration, and taking a community-minded approach to your marketing plan can help you get more referrals and fill your lead pipeline.
Include These 4 Strategies in Your Real Estate Business Marketing Plan
- Automation: There are tons of CRM, email, and social marketing platforms that are affordable and even free for you to choose from.
- Videos: Your clients are expecting you to use video as a marketing technique in real estate in 2021 and beyond. If you haven’t jumped on board yet, now is the time.
- Collaboration: Collaboration and partnership is key to a successful real estate marketing plan. Reach out to local businesses to find out their needs and how they might align with yours. Work with a local pumpkin patch in fall to get your past and present clients their own pumpkins. Find a local plow company that will keep your current listings snow free in winter!
- Time: If you are concerned about how long this might take you to perfect, reach out to a referral generating system like Parkbench. With their support, you can implement strategies that will help you build your business.
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