Current Client Referrals - If you're not getting them, you're missing the boat!

You work hard for your clients.  On your listings, you worry about them more than the Seller does.  For your buyers, you run around and tour property, set up tours, research comps and more.  You spend tons of time on your buyers.

Did you know that a Seller or Buyer is most likely to encounter someone who is buying or selling real estate DURING rather than after their experience with you? That's right!  Do you know why that is?  It's a psychological concept called the reticular activator.  Follow the link for a detailed explanation.  For our purposes it just means that your client is more tuned in to real estate in general during the time that they are working with you.

But few of you ask for referrals and many of those who do are ineffective in the way that they ask.

Your clients want to refer you but there are two issues that need to be addressed before they will:

1. They don't know how. - In The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell suggests that you need to find the "connectors".  I call these your "Advocates".  They are the people who will go out of their way to make sure everyone knows that it is foolish to do business with anyone else but you. But even these people do not know how to effectively refer you.  You MUST teach them.  Handing our your business cards won't cut it (see "Two Big Reasons Never to Hand Out Your Business Card" by yours truly).
2. They don't want to share you. - Even when you blow them away with your service, they will wait until after their experience with you is complete to refer you because they mistakenly believe that their business needs your full 24/7 attention.  So they will not refer you until after the deal.  But the benefit of the reticular activator is over by then.  So the likelihood that they will even notice when they encounter someone who needs your service is virtually non-existent.

So you need to implement two things in your business right now.  Not next week, not tomorrow, not when you have time... right now.  Think about it...  What better way to grow your business than to get two deals for every one you're doing right now?!?!?  You need a script that communicates both why it's in their best interest to refer you right now and how to refer you so that you get the referred prospect's contact information.

Kick your business up a notch.  Use our super-special, super-secret (shhhhhh, don't tell anyone), special sauce -- "The CCR (current client referral) Dialogue"!  Download the Google doc here for free.

BTW... Just like Clark Kent, with just a few tweaks this CCR dialogue becomes... wait for it.... "The PCR Dialogue" (past client referral dialogue).  AND it's a great reason to call through your database!

Happy hunting!