Naturally, you want to impress your clients, do a great job with their real estate transactions and earn positive reviews on social media or other outlets. This is great for your morale not to mention the reputation of your business. However, satisfying your customers is also the first step to building a client base that includes two important factors: referrals and repeat customers.

As you grow your business, your first-time customers will become an important resource, and you can also be a vital resource for them. By taking the time to gently foster your relationship with your past clients, you may find you are establishing a stable base of loyalty and trust that will prove invaluable for the future of your real estate business.

Worth the effort

It may seem strange to think that a customer who has just purchased a home may become a repeat customer. However, the fact is that homeowners do not live in one home for generations like they did in the past. If you sell someone a starter home, you can expect them to consider a move within a few years. More importantly, a positive experience with you is going to lead to referrals. Studies show that nearly 40% of sellers listed their homes with agents recommended by someone else.

If you want to be the real estate agent who comes to mind when someone asks one of your past customers for a referral, you may want to try the following ideas:

• Send personal mailers to past clients with an authentic, handwritten note of well wishes.
• Send holiday cards to your previous customers.
• Send a special message or a small gift on the anniversary of their home purchase or other special occasion.
• Use social media to remain in contact with your clients and pinpoint life events that may indicate they are ready to buy or sell.
• Be a source of information for local events, entertainment venues, new restaurants or shops, or other news that you can share through social media or direct contact.
• Respond to any calls or questions from past clients even if they are not ready to buy or sell.

Of course, few things will turn off a customer or potential client faster than being inundated with mail, emails, phone calls or spam texts. To avoid this, you will want to keep track of which customers you have contacted and through which channels to keep from overwhelming anyone. While this may seem like a lot of work to fit into your busy schedule, the rewards can be great, including the chances of becoming a top agent with an enviable list of loyal customers.