Showing Client Appreciation
Helps Generate More New Business
Showing client appreciation is a key business development strategy.It enhances your relationship with clients, which in turn generates more repeat business and referrals.
Specialized Mailings Demonstrate Client Appreciation
Individual mailings are the conventional letters that you send to individual clients.
The ideal time for the first of these letters would be immediately after a client's transaction closes.
In the letter, tell your clients ho wmuch you appreciate the opportunity of helping them and tell them you will keep in touch from time to time.
Other occasions on which you could send individual letters include
- thanking clients for referrals
- clients' special achievements, honors and awards
- clients' milestones such as significant birthdays and anniversaries
Personalized mailings on the other hand
are mass produced computer-generated letters using the mail-merge
feature of a word-processing program. Ensure that you have a system in place to monitor and respond to clients' activities.
This could be as simple as keeping your eyes and ears open and then taking the appropriate action when you learn about a special achievement.
Whether offering congratulations on reaching personal and business milestones or recognizing a special achievement, these are occasional mailings, triggered by specific events.
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Benefits of Individual & Specialized Mailings
- Assuming that clients appreciate the recognition, these mailings can enhance an existing relationship between you and your clients.
- Help keep your name in clients’ minds, which will help reinforce their positive memories of the good service that you provided.
Drawbacks of Individual & Specialized Mailings
- Some clients may see these mailings as being intrusive
- Many people are also sensitive about the use of their personally identifiable information, such as birthdays and anniversaries
- Requires very efficient system to monitor and respond to special events.
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Client Appreciation Events
Included in this category are events that do not specifically relate to real estate sales activities.
They range from specific customer appreciation activities such as parties and receptions to charitable, sports, cultural and seasonal events.
Benefits of Client Appreciation Events
- Offer opportunity to meet and interact with clients and contacts under non-business circumstances
- Clients and contacts can be invited to bring guests: this will enable you to extend your network of contacts
Drawbacks of Client Appreciation Events
- Can be very time-consuming to plan and costly to conduct
- Can be counterproductive if key clients and contacts are inadvertently left out
- Clients and prospects may not attend
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Special Promotions From Referral Partners
Your referral partners offer rich resources that can help you demonstrate your client appreciation.Your association with other credible businesses enhances your credibility with clients.
By offering your
clients the opportunity to benefit from these relationships, you can
demonstrate further enhance your credibility, extend your client service and also
effectively
demonstrate your client appreciation. Working with one or more referral partners, you would offer your clients certain promotions - discounts, unique offerings or special events, provided by your referral partners.
Ideally, these special benefits are unique to your clients.
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Benefits of Special Promotions from Referral Partners
- Your connection with other competent and trustworthy businesses can enhance your overall profile and credibility
- The connection with other credible businesses can help distinguish you from the competition
Drawbacks of Special Promotions from Referral Partners
- A connection with businesses perceived to be incompetent or untrustworthy could create a guilt by association effect jeopardizing an your overall profile and credibility
- Some clients may see joint promotions as unprofessional, believing that instead of promoting other businesses, you should stick to what you know best – real estate sales
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Showing your clients that you appreciate them--in whatever format you choose --should be key element of your marketing plan.
It enhances your relationship with clients, which in turn helps remind them of how you helped them and the great service that you provided.
These positive memories contribute to the life-time value of your clients ...and also help drive your client pipeline....your just rewards for showing how much you appreciate your clients.
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