One of the best ways to keep in touch with your sphere of influence is to have a stack of blank thank-you cards on your desk and make it a priority to send a few each day. Think of how many people you come into contact with – your clients, your coworkers, your staff, your broker, other agents, mortgage brokers, lenders, title companies, appraisers, assistants, people you meet through networking – they are all candidates for thank-you letters.

Here are some ideas for when to send handwritten notes:

• Thank them – You can thank them for referrals, for recent business, or for any nice actions they’ve recently done for you that you’ve appreciated.
• Welcome them – Have you just signed on a new client? Write them a card thanking them for their business along with any welcome kit items you might send them.
• Following up - Follow up with a handwritten card after a transaction or phone conversation. For networking events, follow up with a card along with interesting information you promised, or just to say you were happy to meet them and hope to stay in touch.
• Congratulate them – Have they had a recent business or career achievement? Maybe they’ve just celebrated a personal event such as a marriage or new baby.
• Holiday greetings – You don’t need to limit your holiday greetings to Christmas and New Years. Send cards for birthdays, to all the moms on your list for Mother’s Day, or to wish them a happy one-year home anniversary.
• Invitations – Are you having an event like a summer BBQ or Christmas party? Send a personalized card inviting them to your event.

When you send a welcome note, keep it concise and legible. You want to get your point across as directly as possible, but you don’t want to write paragraph-upon-paragraph as many people may find long, handwritten messages hard to read. If you need to go into extensive detail, consider typing up a longer version and sending it with the card.

Make your card about your recipient, not about you. Don’t ask for business or mention your real estate services in the card, as that will negate the card’s power. By asking for business or promoting your services, you are no longer focused on thanking your recipient and letting them shine by showing your appreciation. Instead, your remarks may sound insincere – as if you are only sending this card so they will return the favor with more business. Finally, always sign the card, so people know that you, not your assistant, wrote it.

To help your buyers understand the home buying process, offer them a way to manage all the information they will collect during their home search. A great way to do this is by creating a home buyer’s kit. Here are some things your kit should include:

Home buying process overview – Provide a clear, easy-to-understand overview of each step in the home buying process including a basic timeframe, financing options, how to search for and visit homes, how to choose the best home, how to negotiate the best terms, how to present the offer, and how to open escrow. Include a list of financial lenders, attorneys, contractors, escrow officers and any other vendors that you recommend.

Services overview – Explain to buyers how you manage the real estate transaction from start to finish, what types of communication they can expect from you, your contact information, and an overview of your working agreement.

Criteria clarification checklist – Help buyers put together a list of what they need in a home vs. what they would like to have. What features and amenities are non-negotiable? Which would be nice to have, but they could do without? For instance, do they have a neighborhood or school district they prefer? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? What type of home are they looking for? And so forth. If your clients are a couple, ask both parties to fill out their needs and wants – often, they will have different priorities.

Property searches – Show buyers how to search your website and the public MLS to find listings. Inevitably, they will also search for homes in print media, mailings, and driving around neighborhoods looking for “For Sale” signs as well. Clearly explain what they should do if they find one they like – such as emailing or faxing you for more information on the property. If you don’t explain what your clients should do if they find a property they like, chances are, they will call the number listed on the sign, ad or website and talk with someone else.

Home evaluation worksheet – Include a worksheet buyers can fill out to rate different home criteria such as the property exterior, interior rooms, location, community features, and other amenities on a scale of one to five. The worksheet should also have a section where buyers can write down notes about what they like and didn’t like about the property.

Listing information – Each time you show homes, print the details of each of the listings they will be viewing so they can keep track of their home search. You may also want to include a map of the day’s itinerary so they know where you are headed and where you’ve been.

By creating a basic home buying kit for your clients, you can clear up some of the confusion and overwhelm they will face during their home search, while encouraging open communication throughout the buying process.

Most people have a short attention span and don’t want to listen to a long-winded sales pitch from a real estate agent. They want just the facts – how will the home be priced, how will it be prepared, and how will it be marketed.

1 – Price

How the home will be priced will determine its selling potential. While you can make suggestions for what the selling price should be, ultimately, it is up to the seller to determine the asking price. You can prepare a computer-generated comparative market analysis (CMA) to estimate the price, but that doesn’t take into consideration a number of factors – such as how the home is presented or what the turnaround selling timeframe is – that may influence the actual selling price.

Because many sellers will go with the agent who estimates the highest suggested asking price, it’s up to you to educate your prospects on the merits and drawbacks of CMA analysis and what components sellers should use to determine a reasonable price buyers are willing to pay.

In addition, you should clearly explain the difference between selling a home for top price and selling a home for a quick turnaround sale. If sellers have a set timeframe, they might not be able to get top dollar for their home. Finally, explain options for re-adjusting the asking price if the home doesn’t receive any showings or offers within a set timeframe.

2 – Home Preparation

The second part of your listing presentation should tackle how to prepare the home for sale. You will want to address any glaring obstacles, tips for how to remove clutter and personal items, how to increase natural light in the home, how to make the exterior more presentable, and what information buyers are likely to ask for such as community information, a list of upgrades, and appliance warranty information. You don’t have to get into the specific detail of what you would do to stage their home at this point, but give them an idea of what work might need done as well as tip sheets and checklists to help them make their home more presentable to buyers.

3 – Marketing the Home

Finally, how will you market their home? Have a step-by-step marketing plan that outlines where you will advertise their listing, what your flyers and brochures will look like, how will market it on the internet, whether you will hire a real estate photographer or offer a virtual tour, how large your list of email subscribers is, how many visitors your website gets, and so forth. Have plenty of samples of ads, flyers, brochures and websites you’ve used to market your clients’ homes available to show them during the listing presentation.

By educating prospects upfront about the key components of the home selling process that will influence how quickly their home is sold, you can manage expectations and set the stage for better client communications during the working relationship.

Benefits of Email Marketing

Email newsletters have a number of benefits over direct mail, including:

1. Cost effective – There’s no postage costs. You pay a monthly fee based on the number of people on your mailing list rather than paying postage fees for each newsletter you send.
2. Track results – With email marketing, you can track how many people receive your email, who has read it, and who has clicked on any links you include.
3. Easy to pass along – Email makes it easy to forward your newsletter to friends. Just click the “forward” button and type in a few recipients, and numerous people can receive your newsletter.
4. Easy to add resources – Email allows you to add links to resources you recommend, so readers can click a link and immediately get more information. You can put a wealth of information in your email newsletter and not have to worry about the added printing and mailing costs of adding a few more pages.
5. Easy to set up – When you send direct mail, you must design your piece to be printer and mailing friendly. Creating a nice format can take time and involve spending hours with publishing programs. Most email service providers, on the other hand, offer a variety of templates for your newsletter, so all you need to do is add your text and hit “send.”

Tips for Writing Effective Emails

Writing an effective newsletter isn’t challenging, but there are a few tips you should follow.

1. Include a table of contents – If you have multiple sections to your newsletter (such as local market conditions, new listings, buyers looking for homes, etc), include an “In This Issue” section that lists each of the topics you will cover.
2. Keep the newsletter short – It is often best to highlight your key points and link to additional content that isn’t as pertinent. For instance, feature your best listings, and link to your website to view additional properties. If you have a blog and want to link to a few posts you’ve written, highlight the best two or three and include links to additional posts.
3. Format it for easy reading – Make your newsletter easy to read by breaking up large chunks of content into sections. Use bolded text, bulleted lists, and subheads just like you would on your website so that readers can easily skim your content.
4. Include a great subject line – The subject of your email must capture people’s attention and get them to keep reading.
5. Include your name in the “from” field – People skim the contents of their inbox, so if they don’t recognize the email is from you, they will delete it.
6. Proofread – Check your email for spelling or grammatical errors before you send.
7. Be compliant with laws – Email laws require that you include your full contact name and address along with a way to opt out of the newsletter.

Email newsletters can be a great, cost-effective way to follow up with prospects. They are simple to set up and easy to track the results of the newsletter.

Building a referral-based business is a five-step process that involves cultivating a network of strategic partners who are likely to refer business to you.

1 – Compile your contacts into a database

If you don’t already have a database of your current and past clients, your recommended vendors and service providers, and potential referral partners, start compiling that information into an easily accessible format. There are numerous programs out there to stay organized, such as Top Producer and Act! On the web, you can use HighRiseHQ.com. Or, if you are short on cash, use Microsoft Outlook to keep track of your information.

2 – Organize your contacts each day

Make a commitment to spend five to ten minutes each day adding any contact information you’ve collected to your contact database. Whenever you collect business cards or write details down on Post-It notes, make it a priority each day to input that information.

3 – Attend a networking event each week

The best way to meet new people is to join a business or networking organization and attend events. You will meet a lot of new people to add to your sphere of influence.

4 – Commit to personally contacting two people each day

If you only contact two people per day – through phone conversations, email, or mailing a handwritten note – that translates to ten per week or forty per month. The more you touch base with people, the more likely they will be to refer business your way. Other ideas for follow ups – send out an annual home valuation to past clients, endorse local business owners in your sphere, or send local real estate market updates (for instance, if their home gains value). You should also try to meet your top referral sources in person once or twice a year.

5 – Send monthly follow ups

A great way to follow up with potential referral sources is to add them to your monthly real estate newsletter. Each month, you can send out local market statistics, housing trends, new listings, and a featured article in your area of expertise. Only send this newsletter to people who have granted you permission first – it can be incredibly annoying to receive unwanted email. Before you end any conversation you have, simply explain you offer a monthly newsletter and would they mind if you sent it to them.

In each communication you have with clients, ask for referrals whenever you follow up. This is important because if you don’t specifically ask, it might not cross their mind. If you follow up by email, include a referral request in your signature. If you send mail, include a PS and a request for referrals. By implementing these five steps, you will begin to build your real estate referral business in just a few minutes each day.

• Common problems that led to the home not selling – If you’ve talked with a number of sellers, you’ve probably heard a few of them vent about why their home didn’t sell. Your guide should address these from the seller’s perspective, paraphrasing their words. The better you can get inside the minds of your prospects and look at the problem from their point of view, the easier it is to connect with them and build rapport. They want to work with someone who understands their frustrations.
• Reasons why they should re-list their home – Be understanding of the fact that if a home didn’t sell the first time, sellers will be skeptical that another agent can offer a better solution. Your guide should address reasons why if they re-list with you, they will get different results.
• A questionnaire or checklist – Put together a questionnaire or checklist that analyzes each aspect of the home selling process so the seller can analyze why their home didn’t sell. Your questionnaire should include questions on how the home was prepared, priced and marketed, as well as specific tasks the agent should have done during the process (like how often they kept in touch, what the commission arrangement was, the number of showings, etc).
• Tips for how to stage their home if they re-list – Include tips and advice for how to make each room more presentable, what to look for during the inspection, how to emphasize the home’s best attributes, and how to stage the outside of the home. You can also include a list of local contractors you recommend for minor home repairs.
• Tips for pricing the home if they re-list – Explain the criteria for getting top dollar for their home vs making a fast sale. Offer a list of local appraisers and give tips for getting an official appraisal.
• Tips for promoting the home if they re-list – Include your detailed step-by-step marketing plan for how you’d market the home, including listing in the MLS, on national real estate websites, as a single property home website, open houses and showings, any marketing materials such as brochures and flyers you create, if you hire a real estate photographer, publications where you will place ads, and so forth. Make sure to include samples of the ads and marketing materials you use, so sellers can compare how you would sell their home to what their previous agent did.
• Case studies and testimonials – Frustrated sellers will want proof that you can sell their home if they re-list with you, so include a few testimonials or case studies of expired listing clients for whom you successfully sold their home. Explain their reasons for why the home didn’t sell the first time (preferably in their words), what you did differently to sell their home, and the results.

A good expired listings kit should get sellers thinking about why their home didn’t sell in the first place (which is the purpose of the questionnaire), ways they can get their home in top shape if they do decide to re-list, how you would market their home differently so that it will sell if they list with you, and proof that you’ve gotten results for happy clients.

Great real estate agents have a feedback system in place that allows them to collect information from potential buyers and can uncover any red flags that may be making the home less attractive.

Method 1 – Survey the Buyer’s Agent

Call, email or fax a follow up sheet to the agent who viewed the home with the buyer. Ask them a few simple questions like:

• What attracted the buyer to this home?
• What did the buyer think about the price?
• What didn’t the buyer like about the home?
• Do you have any suggestions for improving the home?

Method 2 – Survey Buyers After an Open House

When buyers come to an open house, greet them by asking them to participate in an email survey about the home. Not everyone will agree to participate, but for those who do agree, you get their contact information and permission to follow up with them about the home. The questions you can ask are similar to what you’d ask the buyer’s agent after a showing.

• What attracted you to this open house?
• What did you like best about the home?
• What didn’t you like about the home?
• What did you think about the price?
• Do you have any suggestions for improving the home?

You can also ask the buyer if they would like any additional information about the home and invite them to join your mailing list. (If they don’t respond, don’t automatically add them to your mailing list! You want to make sure you have permission to follow up with them.)

By collecting information about what buyers do and don’t like about the home, you will have hard data to present the seller about any major turnoffs buyers have with the home and leverage to convince the seller to make any changes that might be made. After all, buyers don’t make offers on homes they dislike, and if there are any major issues, it could lead to fewer or lower-priced offers.

1. Local market statistics – If you specialize in a local market, most of the people on your mailing list should live or work within that area. Keep them up-to-date on home values, housing trends, and interest rates.
2. Unique listings – While you probably send out a list of your real estate listings regularly, choose one that is unique or special in some way and tell the story of the home in an interesting way. For instance, perhaps the sellers are prominent members of the community – can you write about their lives and why they are choosing to sell the home? Does the home have specific features that make it stand out among the rest of the homes in the area?
3. Unique buyer requirements – If you are working with buyers who are looking for specific features, highlight their story. People are fascinated with other people’s lives so tell a good story about who the buyers are and what their motivations for buying a home with this unique feature. Then ask for help – do any of your readers know of any homes like this?
4. Featured articles – Think of your newsletter as a magazine or newspaper column and send 500-word articles to your clients about various aspects of home ownership such as landscaping, home improvement, or refinancing.
5. Helpful resources – If you find an interesting article or website that your readers might enjoy, write up a quick summary or review.
6. Special events – Are you or members of your community holding a special event like a seminar, office open house, special dinner, or fund-raiser? Highlight the details of the event and why your subscribers should attend.
7. Local business profile – Sit down with a local business owner in your community and do a quick interview. Then, write up your interview, along with why your readers should be interested in this business.
8. Joint ventures – Partner with local businesses to offer your readers a special discount, coupon or additional perk if readers patronize their businesses.
9. New neighbor introduction – Have you just helped a buyer find the perfect home in a neighborhood? If they give you permission, write up the buyer’s story along with a testimonial from them about your services.
10. Current events – Do any current events happening nationally impact your local market?
11. Holidays – Send holiday greetings or gifts. Include information about how your local community will be celebrating the holiday. For instance, when your city is lighting the Christmas tree or when the fireworks are taking place for the Fourth of July.
12. Offer personal announcements – Offer a tidbit about yourself in each newsletter – what has been happening with your life? About to get married? Have a baby? Teen is going off to college? Going on vacation? Keep people updated with short excerpts about your personal life. People love personal stories, so when you keep them up-to-date, the next time they see you, they will have a conversation topic.
13. Run a contest – Offer a cash prize, free movie tickets, a restaurant gift certificate, an IPod or other perks for readers who participate in a contest you hold. You can offer incentives for people who send in their favorite recipe, vacation photos, or crazy pet stories. Tie in your contest to a local community event or holiday. For instance, if there’s a local community BBQ, ask people to send in their favorite summer cookout recipe. For Christmas, ask them to send holiday cookie recipes. For summer, ask them to send in their best beach photos. Tell them you will publish the best entries in your newsletter along with winning a nice prize.

If you want your subscribers to actually read your newsletter or regular updates, make sure to ask for permission before following up. Too many agents get contact information at networking events and immediately add people to their mailing list without asking. When you just meet someone and exchange business cards, it can be incredibly annoying when you start receiving their newsletter and haven’t asked for it.

The better way to follow up with prospects is to use permission marketing. Before you add anyone to your mailing list, let them know that you publish a regular newsletter and ask if they would be interesting in receiving updates. If they say “yes,” and many of them will, then add them. If they say “no,” they won’t make a good prospecting candidate and you will be wasting time and resources marketing to them – not to mention annoying them – if you add them to your list.

The key to follow up is to make your communications useful to readers. Ask yourself – if you weren’t a real estate agent, would this be interesting to you? Don’t simply promote your services – look for ways to help people or appeal to their interests.

To effectively convert potential buyers into clients, put yourself in your prospect’s mind. When they call you up or walk through your door, they have a number of questions on their mind: What should I expect from the agent? What homes will he show me? What forms will I be expected to fill out? What types of questions will I be asked? Above all else, they expect to receive a sales pitch about your services, so their initial resistance is high.

From your perspective, you don’t want to waste your time showing homes to unqualified or defensive buyers, so here are a few tips for improving your presentation and building rapport during the home showing process.

1 – Make a good first impression

When you first greet buyers, make sure you are smiling and look professional. First impressions matter.

2 – Educate the potential buyer about the home buying process

If a potential buyer is already in your office, then you can easily take a few minutes to ask them about their home buying needs and provide them with a brief overview of how you work. If they are calling you, it is best to ask them to come to your office for a few minutes before you spend time looking at homes.

3 – Qualify buyers by asking questions about their home search

Before you take buyers out to search for homes, find out if they are both ready to buy and have the means to do so. Ask them questions about:

• Their ideal home – What area is it in? What features and amenities are they looking for? How long have they been searching for a home? What have they been doing to find potential homes? What price range are they looking at?
• Their financial situation – Have they spoken with a lender? Do they need to sell their home before buying a new one?
• Making a purchasing decision – Have they ever purchased a home before – and if so, how long ago was that? Who is involved in making a buying decision?
• Their readiness to buy – Are they prepared to move forward if they find a home that meets their criteria?
• Working with a real estate agent – Are they currently working with another agent? What are their criteria for hiring an agent? Do they have any questions about the home buying process?

4 – Decide whether to help the potential buyer

What happens if a buyer isn’t yet qualified? You can either refer them to another agent in your office (and potentially get paid if they buy in the future) or turn them away. It is up to you to set up criteria for whom you will take on as a client. Sometimes it is best to turn prospects away if they don’t meet those criteria – or ask them to postpone their real estate search until they are both ready to buy and can do so. If you do decide to refer business to another agent, put the referral agreement in writing – and make sure the agent to whom you refer business is professional and will communicate promptly with clients.

5 – Present an overview of the buying process

After you’ve decided to work with a potential buyer, give them a short presentation on the home buying process, including a basic timeframe, financing options, how to search for and visit homes, how to choose the best home, how to negotiate the best terms, how to present the offer, and how to open escrow. The home search process can be a stressful and overwhelming time for buyers, so clearly explain it in a simple, easy-to-understand format.

6 – Sign a buyer representation agreement

Finally, at the end of your buying process overview, present buyers with a written buyer representation agreement that states they agree to work solely with you as their real estate agent. If the “fee” is an issue, clearly explain how that fee is almost always covered by the seller and in most cases, no fees are due at closing. By having buyers sign an agreement, you ensure you will get paid for your services.

By taking time initially to qualify buyers and getting them to sign your representation agreement, you will work with only those buyers who can buy, are ready to do so in the near future, and will be loyal to you.

Selling a home can be an emotionally draining experience for sellers. They often need to get a certain price to pay off their mortgage, put a down payment on a new home, and pay off any improvements they’ve done to the home. Because of this huge financial burden, sellers are often reluctant to reduce their price, though that is often the reason why their home didn’t sell in the first place – especially in a down economy.

Unfortunately, it is often the real estate agent who is blamed when the home doesn’t sell, so depending on the seller’s financial situation, he may choose to immediately re-list the home with a new agent. If you can adequately address his current concerns and frustrations through your marketing materials, while providing sound advice for making his home more sellable, you can tap into this profitable real estate niche.

One of the best ways to reach expired listings is to put together an expired listing guide that explains common mistakes and pitfalls sellers make when trying to sell their home and offers tips for promoting their home more effectively if they do decide to re-list. Here is a sample outline of what your guide might include:

• Common problems that led to the home not selling – If you’ve talked with a number of sellers, you’ve probably heard a few of them vent about why their home didn’t sell. Your guide should address these from the seller’s perspective, paraphrasing their words. The better you can get inside the minds of your prospects and look at the problem from their point of view, the easier it is to connect with them and build rapport. They want to work with someone who understands their frustrations.
• Reasons why they should re-list their home – Be understanding of the fact that if a home didn’t sell the first time, sellers will be skeptical that another agent can offer a better solution. Your guide should address reasons why if they re-list with you, they will get different results.
• A questionnaire or checklist – Put together a questionnaire or checklist that analyzes each aspect of the home selling process so the seller can analyze why their home didn’t sell. Your questionnaire should include questions on how the home was prepared, priced and marketed, as well as specific tasks the agent should have done during the process (like how often they kept in touch, what the commission arrangement was, the number of showings, etc).
• Tips for how to stage their home if they re-list – Include tips and advice for how to make each room more presentable, what to look for during the inspection, how to emphasize the home’s best attributes, and how to stage the outside of the home. You can also include a list of local contractors you recommend for minor home repairs.
• Tips for pricing the home if they re-list – Explain the criteria for getting top dollar for their home vs making a fast sale. Offer a list of local appraisers and give tips for getting an official appraisal.
• Tips for promoting the home if they re-list – Include your detailed step-by-step marketing plan for how you’d market the home, including listing in the MLS, on national real estate websites, as a single property home website, open houses and showings, any marketing materials such as brochures and flyers you create, if you hire a real estate photographer, publications where you will place ads, and so forth. Make sure to include samples of the ads and marketing materials you use, so sellers can compare how you would sell their home to what their previous agent did.
• Case studies and testimonials – Frustrated sellers will want proof that you can sell their home if they re-list with you, so include a few testimonials or case studies of expired listing clients for whom you successfully sold their home. Explain their reasons for why the home didn’t sell the first time (preferably in their words), what you did differently to sell their home, and the results.

A good expired listings kit should get sellers thinking about why their home didn’t sell in the first place (which is the purpose of the questionnaire), ways they can get their home in top shape if they do decide to re-list, how you would market their home differently so that it will sell if they list with you, and proof that you’ve gotten results for happy clients.