Terri Murphy, speaker and legendary social media expert, says this about social media: “It’s not just about connecting with people, it’s all about conversion.” We connect, and then we convert.
With so many methods of communication to choose from, it’s difficult to determine the best way to stay connected with your clients. Is it text messaging, cellphone, monthly newsletters, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn? The answer to this question is…whatever the client prefers.
Not long ago, I received an invitation on Facebook to connect with a new friend, along with a message that she and her husband were thinking about moving to a larger home as soon as he finished his medical residency. I accepted the friend request and clicked on her profile. I could quickly see that the connection was legitimate. I then sent her an email saying that I would love to speak with them and asked for some details about their current home and suggested a couple of times to meet.
Three days later, I still hadn’t heard back. Then I had an a-ha moment. I realized that she reached out to me on Facebook, the way she prefers to communicate, and I replied via email, the way I prefer to communicate. I quickly copied my email and posted it on Facebook. Within 15 seconds I had a reply!
We set a time for the listing appointment, and after seeing the home and running comps, it was clear that they were upside down in their home. To further complicate matters, they didn’t know where the husband would get a job once he finished his residency. We decided to stay in touch and wait until he knew where he would land a position. I put the client in Top Producer and launched a 12-month action plan using a series of Dave Beson’s letters, and periodically commented on her Facebook posts.
Six months later, while speaking in Vancouver, British Columbia, I received a Google Voice message via text that this client had found a home and wanted to move on it quickly. I replied using my computer via Skype and connected directly with his cellphone. I contacted my showing assistant to show them the home and we presented an offer that very same day. There was a bidding war and my clients had the winning bid.
This transaction could have failed so many times had my systems and processes not been properly set up to communicate effectively. If I had only emailed and not Facebooked my reply, if I hadn’t launched a 12-month action plan, if I hadn’t been able to receive voicemail to text using Google Voice, if I didn’t have Skype…a breakdown in communication at any one of those points could have easily meant losing a million dollar sale. This was the perfect storm of multiple methods of communication working together, allowing me to connect and convert.
I love this business and the tools we have available to make sure we don’t lose a client. The key to success is to learn how to use these different tools, and then listen carefully to how the client prefers to communicate—and then follow-up in the way the client prefers.
It’s not just about the connection; it’s all about the conversion.
Verl Workman is president of Corcoran Consulting, Inc. (CorcoranCoaching.com, 800-957-8353), an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential broker’s or agent’s existing practice.
Sign up today for your complimentary business consultation at www.corcorancoaching.com/programs.
