How to Avoid the High Cost of Losing Touch By Scot Kenkel, CRS GRI DAD www.PersonalSalesCoaching.com Are you doing a good job of staying in touch, especially with past customers? The cost of staying in touch will always be less than the cost of losing touch. Is the art of staying in touch one of your strengths? Do you have an automated system for staying in touch? If you answered “No,” then join the crowd. Many sales professionals admit that effectively staying in touch isn’t what they do best. Some simply admit they need help. Not to worry: I can help. Staying in touch can be easy or complicated, cheap or expensive, painful or painless. It all depends on how you approach it. But losing touch can be painful and incredibly expensive. Nothing feels worse than discovering that someone you know quite well ended up doing business with your competition because she didn't know you were still in the business. It hurts even more if she was a recent customer. Why didn’t she know? It hasn’t been that long, has it? It doesn’t matter. It's not up to your friends, family, or past customers to remember what you do for a living. It’s YOUR job to remind THEM: so remind them. Often. Let's say you don't have a ton of money to spend on an automated, personalized stay-in-touch program. Let’s also imagine that you have a list of about 100 folks -- past customers, friends, family, and business contacts -- that you'd like to stay in touch with. And let’s assume that while you may run into some of these people during the holidays, you'd still like to do something to connect with them and make sure they don't accidentally forget about you: at least not at this time of the year. Simple enough. But let's not forget the fact that you’ve already spent all of your available money on gifts for the kids. In other words, YOU ARE FLAT BROKE! And you'll stay broke if you don't do something about it, right? Right. Then what should you do to stay in touch? Here's a simple and inexpensive solution to consider. First, divide your list into two sections: customers (this year or for all years) and everyone else. You'll want to value the list of past customers more than the others, since past customers will be in the best position to recommend your services to their own friends and family -- especially during the holiday season. Let's say that past customers make up 20% of your list, and the other 80% consists of everyone else. Try this:
Assuming the 20 are within driving distance, I strongly recommend that you personally visit each of them. Don't worry about giving them a gift: a simple greeting card will be just fine. The key is to drop by during a time when they're most likely to be home. Say “Hi,” tell them you appreciate them, hand them the card (or whatever you brought), and then leave. There's no need to try to talk them into buying or selling, no need to ask them to recommend you. The fact that you took the time to stop by will speak for itself. Try it. You'll see. For the remaining 80 folks, I suggest a simple, non-obligatory sort of phone call. Don't get stuck on the phone. If possible, call when they're not home so you can just leave a voice message. It’s best to be prepared for the ones who answer, though, so here are some tips: 1. Start by telling them that you only have a minute -- that you often think about them -- and that you've been incredibly busy with real estate. Try something like this: "Hi Joan, this is Scot,” (add your last name and how you know them if you don't think she'll instantly recall who you are) then add, “How've you been? (Listen, then respond appropriately.) Well, I only have a minute and thought I'd just call and say hi. Real estate has kept me so busy that I’ve been neglecting you." 2. Keep the call as brief as you can and don't worry about the outcome. At most, you'll need maybe five minutes for each call. You should be able to get through all 80 in less than seven hours of dialing, and of course, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. Even if it takes you 10 hours for the personal visits and another seven hours on the phone, the impact will be incredible. Set aside an hour a day over the next couple of weeks and you'll be finished before you know it. Don't put it off. Now go ahead and get back to work. About Scot Kenkel, GRI CRS DAD Scot Kenkel, a self-professed dad-a-holic, proud father of four, recovering travel junkie, training humorist, and overall smart guy, has been edu-taining real estate agents for nearly 15 years on how to grow their business using cutting edge sales and marketing techniques. Scot’s style has been described as energetic, fast-paced, down-to-earth, easy-to-follow, and sometimes hilarious but always informative. Find out more about Scot and his other courses by visiting his web site at www.PersonalSalesCoaching.com. You can also contact Scot directly by email at Scot@PersonalSalesCoaching.com or his office at (888) 831-5945. |