Almost every successful real estate agent that I know gives a closing gift. It’s almost expected at this point. Do you know what happens when something is expected? It becomes a commodity instead of a brand builder. The question then becomes, how do you raise the bar on client gifting without finding ways to outspend your competition?
Let me start with a couple of facts:
Around 21% of your real estate clients will be repeat clients. Another 21% will come from client referrals. That means that approximately 42% of real estate business is directly tied to client relationships. That’s for an average agent. In reality, it’s much higher for rock star agents.
Investing in client relationships is playing the long game, but it’s the smart play. The most important date to give a gift to your client is NOT the day they sell or purchase their home. It is one year later.
Your clients will probably not be surprised or moved by your closing gift unless it is extravagant or exceptionally thoughtful. However, receiving a gift on the anniversary of their purchase is sure to make an impression.
What Does a Gift on the Closing Date Anniversary Accomplish?
It Reminds Them That It’s Been a Year.
This might sound silly, but it’s crazy how fast time flies, and sending a gift to help celebrate the first year in their new property is a great way to conjure up all the positive feelings they had dealing with you as well as the memories they’ve made in the past twelve months.
It Reminds Them That You Exist.
Hey, you had a great run together. For the time they were house hunting, you were probably always near the top of their list of recent calls. But after closing, that relationship probably fell off almost immediately. A closing gift on their anniversary means that they’re going to be talking to their friends and family about you all over again and move you to top-of-mind when someone talks about needing to buy or sell a house.
It Builds Your Brand.
If you want to stand out, you need to beat or set the trends in your region. Even though this is still low-hanging fruit, we’re always surprised at how few agents are organized enough to execute this strategy. But for those who adopt this strategy now, the positive effects on their brand, reputation, and revenue will be exponential to their marginal investment.
Automate Your Real Estate Gifting Strategy
One increasing trend is to find a gifting partner that will work with your client database to make sure that anniversaries and other important dates are utilized to strengthen your relationships and to make sure your gifts are shipped and received in a timely fashion while still staying within your budget.
Here at Pasolivo, we work with Real Estate Agents all the time and understand all the work and careful considerations that need to be made to ensure that you continue to leave a positive impression long after closing. If you’d like to talk to one of our corporate concierges, click below, and we’d be happy to talk about some different options that will help you grow your business and build stronger relationships.
