Give Your Database a Refresh
The new year is a time for renewal. We set new year’s resolutions, update our business goals, declutter our office space, clean up the desktop — it feels like everything gets a fresh start this season.
While you’re in the mood for a refresh, remember to check on your database too! To truly kick off the year strong, you must make sure you are marketing to the right people.
The best way to do this is by jumping into your real estate CRM and giving your database a refresh.
Getting Started
To begin your refresh, you’ll want to get in contact with each relationship individually to ensure that you are still their go-to real estate pro.
If you have a larger database, this concept might feel a bit daunting, but trust us, it’s worth it! It may take a week or two to call everyone, but at the end of the process, you’ll save tons of time by understanding which clients will actually be working with you in the new year, whether that’s by sending referrals or buying/selling their home.
By the way, avoid sending emails or texts, which can feel impersonal and get easily overlooked. Instead, pick up the phone and call these relationships for a warmer touch point!
Ask the Right Questions
The point of a database refresh is to find out which folks will actively refer you to friends and family. To learn this information, you’ll need to ask the right questions!
Go in with a plan — check in with the client and see how they are doing. Then, gently ask if you are still their go-to real estate agent by using specialized referral dialogues.
This process reinforces the Work By Referral mentality to your clients, so they enter the new year keeping you top of mind. Be sure to follow up each call with a personal note thanking the client for their business!
Update Real Estate CRM
After each call, it’s important to update the client’s entry in your real estate CRM. Referral Maker® CRM from Buffini & Company makes this easy.
The system allows agents to rank clients A through D to help target lead generation efforts. A+ clients are the people who have sent you multiple referrals and will continue to do so. D clients are to be deleted from your database — these are people who are working with a different real estate agent and are not going to refer you.
Once you know each relationship’s rank, you can streamline your marketing to focus on the A+ clients the most, then the As and Bs. These are the contacts who will be generating most of your business, so they deserve the most of your time!
If you do not refresh your database, you risk losing time, money and energy targeting your lead generation efforts to people who will not grow your business.
As you prepare your business for the new year, don’t leave your database in 2020. Be sure to give it the refresh needed to optimize your lead generation efforts in 2021. Referral Maker® CRM from Buffini & Company can help — sign up for a free trial to see how this award-winning real estate CRM will keep your business organized, optimized and productive!
