“I’m looking forward to meeting you for lunch!”
Do you remember saying this when it wasn’t even given a second thought?
Lunch, coffee, dinner….the “in person” meet up appointment used to roll into the natural course of relationship building that would personalize that first impression experience.
Breaking bread with another human being just has a way of helping us build a bond.
However, for most, we have been absent of having these experiences like we normally would for months and many of us are feeling the effects.
Call after call with our title agent customers, I often hear the same big concern and question, “Dean, I usually sponsor lunch or a dinner when meeting a new prospect or prospective team relationship, but many clients are not comfortable meeting in person and I’m out of ideas, how do I market to them in a personal way?”
Perhaps you find yourself in this predicament, like many others do.
So, how do you continue to market new prospects and existing customers in a personal way if you can’t meet them in person?
I’m glad you asked!
Here are a few tips to consider that may help you reset how to personalize your marketing efforts if you can’t meet in person:
1. Put Their Tools In Your Title Agent Tool Box
Most of your customers are leveraging a handful of productivity tools that help them in every aspect of their business from marketing to transaction management.
Do you know what these tools are and where to find them?
If not, ask a handful of Realtors and Lenders you currently work with to find out.
Once you have a few of them by name, add them to a section of your website in list format by category (ie. Marketing, Transaction Management, etc.) with login links so your customers can easily access these tools from your website…remember, they are already familiar with them.
This will help make your website become relevant and more attractive to be used on a frequent basis in a meaningful way while keeping your brand in front of them.
What about complementary tools? Do you offer anything that can help them do their job easier and faster?
Title Insurance Calculator
One common tool we found very useful for most customers is a net sheet calculator.
Crunching the numbers is something most Realtors and Lenders are asked to do sometimes daily from their interactions with Buyers and Sellers and having any applicable fees on deck at their fingertips to help them with turnaround requests instantly, makes them look good and keeps you top of mind.
There are several calculator options to choose from in the market, to personalize, be sure you land on one that allows you to customize with co-branding.
Yes, you want the ability to have your logo and contact information, but just as important you want to make sure your Realtor and Lender customers are able to put their picture, logo and contact information on there as well.
One easy way to add a “wow factor” to your relationship with a new prospect or existing customer is to set up the branding in your net sheet with their picture, logo and contact information on their behalf and present it to them already configured.
Think of this like stepping into a new car from the dealership with the seat settings, music, and climate control already tuned the way you like it….wow!
Someone took the time to pay attention to your personal details which shows they care and helps the relationship take a step forward.
So, take the extra step to personalize your toolbox on behalf of your customers and include an easy way for them to access their most commonly used tools from your website!
2. Learn The Native Realtor and Lender Language
You’ve likely heard the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” with any foreign language you’ve tried learning.
The same rules apply when learning about your customers.
Are you current with their latest pain points, sales goals, and territory focus?
If not, and your conversation is purely focused on asking them for their next order, it is time to strengthen your fluency.
When you have an opportunity to connect, make it all about them by asking questions to help you understand more about who they are, what they are going through and ultimately how you can help.
Many times a starting point can be centered around how and why they began their career in Real Estate. Further in the conversation lean into an understanding about what their challenges, goals and focus areas are.
3. The Little Things Are The Big Things
When you think of the “little things” that you can do as part of your relationship building, what are some of the ideas that come to mind?
I immediately gravitate towards wishing someone well during life’s milestone moments…birthdays, anniversaries, or sending thank you letters and emails after a positive interaction, etc.
However, l believe you would agree that there are many other little things that could be listed here.
Beyond the traditional phone call and email, following your customers on social media, and actually liking and commenting on their posts are great forms of validation and visual display that you are taking the time out of your day to acknowledge something that matters to them.
Whether it is a consistent check in, acknowledgements of life’s events or supporting posts, these little things are personal and help add to the big things that you aspire in the relationship.
Personal Story
I’ll never forget when I was selling my own home as a seasoned Realtor, knowing all the pitfalls you would think would help to cut down the stress of moving but no matter who you are, moving is stressful.
I received a phone call from the lender representing the Buyer. His name was Kam, and he called simply to introduce himself and to let me know he was available for me in case I had any questions. While that call by itself set him apart, what came next is something that has stayed with me for years.
I remember him asking me, “So Dean, from reviewing the contract I can see you are under a tight timeline (30 days). Is there ONE THING I can do for you RIGHT NOW, to help make this transaction go smoother and be less stressful for you and your family?” …… mic drop.
Literally, I sat on the other line speechless.
I never had anyone ask me what they could do in that specific moment to help me move something forward.
It was magic, and after thinking about it for a minute, I replied with, “Well Kam, I know there is a 10 day Inspection and we are contingent on the Appraisal as well. We would like to start packing the house, however, knowing with those two contingencies things can go either way, I don’t want to start packing up the family to have to unpack if something goes wrong, however, we will only be left with a couple weeks if we wait too long. Is there any way you can get the appraisal completed in the 10 day inspection period?”
You see at the time, my native language was all about moving coordination and transaction management….Kam picked up on this, got fluent, and spoke my language.
He ended up getting the Appraisal completed and approved on Day 9 of our 10 day inspection and earned a relationship for life with me. I’ve since referred him dozens of family and friends who all have sung his praises.
So, the moral of this story is staying fluent with your Realtors and Lenders is a way to help you market to them in a personal way.
Make it all about them and learn how you can help move them forward in the moment.
Remember, “if you don’t use it, you lose it”….practice reaching out on a consistent basis speaking their language and you will be welcomed like you were a native speaker in no time!
To your success,
Dean Collura
CEO
www.titletap.com
P.S. Interested in learning how we can help you personalize your online marketing for your law firm or title agency? Request a free demo today to learn how TitleTap can provide you with more than just a professional website.
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