Making the First Move When You Get a Real Estate Referral

Imagine receiving the following email message from a past client.

“Over the weekend, I was chatting with a neighbour and he mentioned he is looking for a real estate agent. I immediately recommended you and gave him your contact information. I said you did a great job for us last year when we moved here.”

Now that’s the kind of email any agent would like to receive more often! And, in fact, you can get more referrals like that if you sign up for a proven real estate marketing system for client referrals.

So let’s assume you have a client referrals system in place and did get that email. Ideally, that new prospect will contact you. But what if he doesn’t? Should you make the first move and reach out to him?

Yes, you should.

After all, there may be many reasons why that referred prospect hasn’t contacted you. He might not have taken down your name and contact information correctly. He might be relying on remembering your name and Googling it later (and not finding you!) He might even assume you’re going to call him first.

That’s why it’s smart to be proactive and follow up on a new real estate referral right away. Reach out to that potential new prospect and get the conversation started.

Here are some tips for doing just that.

• Contact the prospect as soon as possible. Studies show that the sooner you follow up on a real estate lead (including real estate referrals), the more likely you are to get a meeting.
• Explain that your client suggested you reach out to them.
• Instead of pitching, position yourself as a helpful resource. Offer to answer questions and provide any data and other information they may need.
• During your initial interactions with the prospect, look for an opportunity to suggest a bigger next step, such as a listing presentation, market value assessment, etc.

Of course, if you get an immediate sense that the prospect is keen on hiring you right away, then jump right into that role. That’s the advantage of using a real estate marketing system to generate real estate referrals. A referred prospect is often eager to work with you and may not even be talking to other agents.

As you would any client, give the referred prospect your best effort. You can assume they will be talking to your client, so you want them to report back that you’re doing a terrific job. That way, your client will become even more motivated to send you more real estate referrals.

In general, real estate referrals have the highest likelihood of quickly turning into a new client. But if you’re not careful, you can still end up dropping the ball just a yard from a touchdown! So when you get a referral, follow up promptly and in the right ways.