How to take care of your database

In business, there’s a fine line in keeping in touch with your past clients and becoming that annoying guy  who’s always calling, e-mailing, or mailing. So how do you make sure you aren’t annoying and stay within that helpful professional or friend zone? 

There are plenty of ways to keep in touch without them turning off. 

1. Deliver information they can use

Clients won’t be so turned off when you provide them with useful information, such as the latest news of the community and the local housing market.

For example:

• Email that includes home sales in their area.
• Call to update them with current rates on mortgages.
• Call or email to offer home maintenance reminders, like changing smoke detector batteries once a year.
• Send them value of the home they have now.
• Monthly newsletters and video message.
• List of favorite spots ( restaurants, bars, live music...etc).
• List of Facebook pages to follow for events and deals notifications.

 2. Deliver a gift 

• Here are some ideas: “Dirty/clean” magnets for the dishwasher.
• Sports team schedules.
• Bags of popcorn with stickers that say “Real estate is popping; give me a call.” gift cards, lottery tickets, scratch off tickets.
• Gift cards.
• Lottery tickets.
• Scratch off tickets.

3. Send them handwritten card

Remembering important events in your clients’ lives and sending a card in the mail, or a simple e-mail message can go a long way in building memorable relationships.

• Birthday cards
• Home anniversary cards
• Important date reminders 

4. Don’t forget to call

Phone calls for past clients’ birthdays or special days also can make a great personal touch.

5. Follow up with a survey

Experts recommend sending customer-satisfaction surveys two to three weeks after closing. Keep the surveys brief, asking your customers what services they liked and what needs improvement.

 6. Stay Connected on social network

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can make it easy to keep in touch with past clients on an informal and more friend-type basis. You can also create a Facebook group for your past clients and deliver useful information straight to that group. 

7. Special Events

Special events  can go a long way in getting your past clients’ attention and set you apart.

• Host a party for your past clients. 
• Wine testing.
• Photos with Santa.
• Pie giveaway.
• BBQ cook off.
• Movie night at the local theater.
• Fall pictures.
• Easter pictures.
• Easter egg prize giveaway.
• Halloween costume party.
• Parents night out.
• Ice Cream Social.
• Photobooth.
• Saturday at the park with food truck, games and music. 

You can always ask your Vendors to partner with you on client events and split the cost.

Qualify your database

It is important to qualify your database. Qualifying your database serves to prioritize your most valuable prospects for your marketing strategies. When you sort and qualify your database, you can focus your attention on the clients who will be an integral part of your success by sending referrals to you. As a result of the attention and value you provide, these clients are more likely to send referrals your way.

You can sort your clients into the following categories:
A: Core: Raving fan who will send me at least 1 lead per month.
B: Raving fans: Would refer to me if asked for a realtor referral.
C: Sphere/Past clients: They know you, like you and trust you and might refer you in the future
D: Farm Area, Haven’t Met’s:… Might work with you based on marketing.

CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a contact list with a brain. It not only records your customers' contact information, but it remembers the details of your relationship and every interaction—whether by phone or email, and nowadays across other channels such as social media or even your customer helpdesk.

 
Most Popular:

Pipedrive ( great for Real Estate)
HubSpot CRM ( great for Real Estate)
Brivity ( great for Real Estate)
BoomTown 
Zoho
Kunversion 
Salesforce.com
Freshsales
Active Campaign
Insightly CRM
Infusionsoft 
Chime 
Base
Top Producer
Apptivo CRM
PipelineDeals
BNTouch Mortgage CRM
PlanPlus Online
Marketing 360
Freshdesk
Prophet CRM
Propertybase
Base CRM
Realty Juggler
Market Leader

Inman surveyed agents and brokers about whether they use a real estate CRM, which one they chose, and how they feel about the choice they made. How much does the typical agent pay for a CRM? Answers ranged from a low of “free” to a high of $26,400 per year. The median respondent investment was $600 per year, or about $50 per month. More than two-thirds (71.5 percent) of respondents said they use a CRM. The top five CRMs that respondents use, in descending order of popularity, were Top Producer, Market Leader and eEdge; Contactually and Realty Juggler were tied for fourth place.

Reasons to call

Thanks for your business.
Wishing Happy Holidays: Christmas, New Year, Easter.
Wishing Happy Birthday.
Thanks for the referral.
How was your day?
You might like this article.
I’ve got a good idea for you.
Ask for opinion. What do you think about___?
Great News.
Just listed/ just sold/open house.
Something reminded me of you.
Been a while.
Do you know of a good_?
Updating your database.
Grow Preferred Vendor List.
Home Anniversary.
Important Date reminders.
Ask for meaningful--not gratuitous--input. Or call and say, "We're really trying to do a better job at (something specific you do). Can I take you to lunch and get your advice?"

Ask for a referral. Chances are, your clients can’t read your mind. While some of them may refer you without prompting, most need a gentle reminder. Before you hang up, remind them that you’re never too busy for any of their referrals. This will keep you at the tops of their minds when they learn a family member or friend is thinking of buying or selling.

When interviewing agents, it is always surprising to learn that: 

• Many agents admit to not really having an organized database
• They have a type of database, but rarely spend any time working with it
• They have a software program that houses a database, but do not utilize any kind of
  engagement strategy to keep the contacts nurtured and viable
• They do not implement any kind of ongoing database growth strategies

How do you take care of your database?

A database is more than a list of contact information; it’s a list of relationships.