You came into the real estate profession knowing how important your connections and relationships are. However, you may not have known about the importance of conducting interviews with local community leaders as part of your day-to-day. We have some tips on how you can book real estate interviews with local businesses to foster mutually beneficial relationships. You can integrate interviews into your business practice to display to your community how valuable you are to them and let them know how important they are to you.
Book Real Estate Interviews Like These…
Face-to-face Interviews
Face-to-face interviews are a great way to reach out and connect. Some advantages to these types of interviews are:
- You have more flexibility and can follow up for clarification.
- They give you the chance to watch nonverbal cues that can help with follow-up questions.
- You have control over the physical environment.
- They present the opportunity to record answers.
- You can use a more complex questionnaire.
Telephone and Video Interviews
Telephone and video interviews are a great way to connect with a variety of people. Some advantages of these types of interviews are:
- You are able to connect with business owners who are too busy to travel to you.
- They’re a better form of communication for people who may not be comfortable meeting in person.
- They’re the best type of interview format in a COVID world.
Groups
Although not used often, another option for interviewing business owners or community members is to have a group-style interview. Some advantages of these types of interviews are:
- These interviews are more flexible.
- They give people who may not be comfortable one-on-one a chance to be part of a crowd but still have their voices heard.
- They provide an opportunity for more of a discussion than a formal Q & A.
Real Estate Agents Should Interview a Variety of People
Working with a lead and referral-generating platform like Parkbench gives you the ability to work with different people from your community. (Parkbench is a community-minded platform that positions local real estate professionals as the Digital Mayors of their communities.) Parkbench was created by a real estate agent. Their research over the past 7 years shows that conducting interviews is the best way to meet new people. It also offers value unlike your competition, and earns new clients and referrals. The interviews provide good exposure to business owners and show residents how much real estate agents value their community.
If you’re thinking of integrating interviews, here are some of the community members you should reach out to:
- Restaurant owners
- Small business owners
- Local politicians
- Frontline healthcare workers (nurses, doctors, PSWs)
- Teachers
- Non-profit organizations
But, wait! Don’t forget to interview yourself.
Interviewing yourself as a community leader should be your first step. People will be much quicker to trust you if they know what makes you tick. Present an informal view of who you are (not just resume-type details). Talk about why you love your community, and include quirky details about yourself (because if you love, say, chickens, you shouldn’t keep that love to yourself).
If you’re interested in finding out more about community-minded real estate marketing, check out this free resource:
