Referrals are the lifeblood of business for many real estate agents and brokers. Yet despite their importance as a means of ongoing business & revenue, very few real estate professionals have a proactive plan for constantly cultivating repeat business & referrals. Here are a few proven strategies that successful real estate agents & brokers use nationwide to keep a steady stream of “friendly” business coming in the door:

• Create Offers Worth Distributing: You want your current & past customers to tell their friends, family & neighbors about you. But what tools are you giving them to do this? Are you making it easy for them to pass along your name, in a non-invasive way, that adds value for you and also makes the referring customer look good? Think about what your customers might want to pass along. How about a schedule of summer activities in the neighborhood? A landscaping consultation with a partner of yours (which could benefit both of you)? Perhaps the customer would host a “curb appeal 101” potluck at their house where you’re the featured speaker? Be creative about what you offer, that compels your customers to take action for you.
• The Right Time to Ask: Many real estate professionals ask for referrals too often. They do it in every email, on every piece of collateral, and on the back of every business card. What’s more important than frequency is knowing when is the right time to ask.
• Offers for Referrals: What would you give a past customer if they came back? If they referred you to someone else? This isn’t a kick-back or bribe. It’s a thank you that’s of significant value to the customer. How about a full-house cleaning from a professional service? An hour consulting from a home storage and efficiency expert? Lots of options. Make it worth their while.
• Be Visible: You do want to stay in front of all customers – past and present. An email newsletter, a monthly postcard. If you delivered great service at the time of their first transaction, you simply need to keep yourself top of mind for those customers to remember you when a referral or repeat business opportunity comes up. You never know when that’s going to happen – at a cocktail part, on the soccer field sidelines, at church. Because you can’t control the context, you need to control the frequency and longevity with which they remember your name, and the great service you provided.

What are your best practices for getting more referrals and repeat business? Please share more ideas in the comments!