All too often, REALTORS® want to know what will bring in the leads, but instead, they should be more focused on how they can build stronger relationships through personal touches.
Back in the day, relationships were cultivated with handwritten notes, phone calls and handshakes. Remember checking the mail for something other than kindling? Mail was exciting! Especially those birthday cards with the $20 bill from grandma.
Beyond the excitement of receiving mail was the non-stop ringing of the phone, whether it be well-wishers or a proposal for plans. This brings back memories, right? Memories of a time when you received a personal invitation or expression of appreciation, not in the form of a social media post. The connections were between people, without technology as the mediator.
In the past few years, I’ve realized that the days of personalized touches are gone. All those touching moments have been replaced with Facebook comments, posts and memes. And, if you’re lucky, a text from those closest to you, which may or may not have been auto-corrected and suggested by Siri.
While technology has improved our lives, it has damaged our ability to make strong personal connections and build valuable relationships.
This is crucial in business, and especially in sales. Though it’s rarely advantageous to revert to practices of the past, let’s remember the carefully honed relationships that were the building blocks of successful “mom-and-pop” shops and family businesses as a cue.
One way to bring back these personal touches is by remembering potential clients’ birthdays. I know, this sounds like an impossible task, but we can make this manageable and effective by doing the following:
– Use Facebook to search for the birthdays of all those sphere contacts that are important to you.
– Track names, mailing addresses and birthdays in a spreadsheet or CRM. If you’re missing information, don’t be afraid to ask.
– Sort using the “birthday” field for easy reference.
– Go the extra mile and record the names of kids, spouses and pets so that when you do send notes, the information is readily available.
– Buy a stack of birthday cards and keep them at your office. Having stamps on hand will make it easy to pop your cards in the mail.
To make this a habitual act, schedule 30 minutes on the same day each week and save it on your calendar as “Birthday Cards.” Every time that appointment comes up, honor it by sending out your birthday cards. This may amount to two to three per week, but it will pay dividends when you are the only one who sends a sentimental card.
Don’t lose the personal touch. Make it a habit to recognize people and connect with them in a way that much of the rest of the world has forgotten.
Lindsay Favazza is Vice President of Marketing at Lamacchia Realty, Crush It in Real Estate, and REAL Training and Systems. For more information, visit
www.lamacchiarealty.com.
