Strategies for Keeping the Humanity in Real Estate

The way agents conduct business has been forever changed amid the growing tech boom, but you just can’t beat good old-fashioned human connection with clients.

From Zoom calls with clients to selling and buying homes online, we see a growing portion of real estate professionals embracing the digital boom that 2020 exacerbated. However, the vast majority of agents still place tons of value in building and maintaining relationships with clients personally.

While several practices have been digitized, here are tips and tricks to maintain a sense of humanity in how you interact with your clients:

Connect Often

Carve out a couple of hours a day to connect with clients and leads. There are several ways to touch base with people, but the important thing is to make that contact with them to keep your name top of mind and show them that they are at the top of yours.

Face Time Over FaceTime

While this may be tougher to do considering current circumstances, finding time to drop in or meet up with clients is a great way to stay connected and show them that they aren’t just another number. While technology may make it easier to drop off documents or manage the transactional process, try scheduling time with clients ahead of the week to sit down for a few minutes to chat or answer any questions over a cup of coffee or lunch.

Make Phone Calls

Never underestimate the power of having a conversation with your clients over the phone. While many folks may still be wary of meeting in person, shooting quick phone calls to clients is a great way to touch base and maintain—maybe even grow—the relationship you have with them. People are so used to Zoom calls these days that mixing it up and reaching out personally via cellphone could be a nice change of pace.

Gifts and Cards

Who doesn’t like receiving gifts or handwritten cards? Sending a gift or a letter to a client is an excellent way to reconnect with them. There are tons of reasons to send a handwritten card, short note or a gift throughout the year to your clients; you just have to pick one. Either of these no-tech methods can show that you are an agent who is willing to go the extra mile for your clients and maintain a great connection with them.

Mark Special Occasions

Sometimes it’s not just how you reach out but when you reach out that can make clients feel like you care about them. As you’ve built your list of clients, you should note information like upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.—if you haven’t, start. Use those as reasons to reach out and reconnect with them with a phone call, a card or a gift to let them know you value them.

Besides personal events, holidays and sporting events can also be a great time to reach out.

Jordan Grice is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email him your real estate news ideas at jgrice@rismedia.com.