The BEST Strategy to Build a Referral Business

These people need to get consistent, personalized digital outreach. Bi-weekly, I think, is great. once every three weeks. Awesome. But no fewer than monthly. They need to get something every month. That could be text messages. It could be emails. It could be occasional phone calls. Whatever that looks like. And then there's a third tier, which is the wider network. These are people we just need to stay in touch with. Neighbors, maybe former co-workers that you have lost some touch with, social media connections, and inbound leads who've gone cold. Sign calls, internet leads, whatever that looks like. They need to get valuebased content. monthly market insights, helpful tips, community information, things that are going on. It's low touch, but it's consistent. The mistake I see most agents make is spending the same amount of energy on everyone and ending up with just shallow relationships across the board. Go deep with that top tier. Like, go deep there.

That's where referrals really live. Everybody else still gets touched. Everybody else still gets loved on and cared for. But that top tier is where the the business is. All right. Now, let's talk about what we actually say and just as importantly, I think when to say it. The goal of having a good touch point strategy is really, really simple. You want to stay top of mind when someone in your database hears about a friend who's thinking about moving. That's it. Top of mind. If you will remember that piece of the puzzle, I think it will inform the frequency of your communication. There's kind of four types of touch points. Number one is just a check-in. There's no agenda here. We're not trying to get a referral. We're not trying to get business. There's no pitch. We're just reaching out because we care about you, thinking about you. Just wanted to reach out, see how things are going. That's it. Short, sweet, to the point, no problem. Number two is a value ad. You're sharing something that is genuinely useful. A neighborhood sales update specific to their street, a new restaurant in the area, a contractor recommendation, anything that makes their life a little bit better because you made that call.

Again, we're not asking for referrals here. Like, this is just us being of value to somebody. The third is milestones. These are birthdays, anniversaries, movein anniversaries, kids birthdays, graduations, anything like that. Can't believe it's been, you know, 2 years since you got the keys to your home. Hope it's everything that you hope for. That kind of thing, right? And then type four is the ask. This is where we're actually going to say, "Hey, you know what? If you know anybody that's looking to buy and selling, I'd love the introduction. Getting referrals from people like you means the world to me. It's what my business is built on. So, it's deliver, deliver, deliver, and then before you ask, you've already given them so much value that they're not going to mind. When we consistently hit people over the head with our real estate hammer is when they shut off. The ratio matters. It should be more about giving and being a good friend and being part of their community and them being part of your community than it is about specifically going out and trying to grab that referral. When we talk about referral business, one area often times gets skipped and that is do you back up what you talk about? What does the experience of working with you during a transaction look like? Because if you want those people to go out and talk about you in a good way, that experience has to be awesome. Referrals aren't built after closing. They're built during the transaction. Every interaction, every update, every moment you went above and beyond and were thoughtful. It's a deposit in that account. So, let's talk about the moments that matter the most when we're in a transaction. Number one is the first week. Did we do a great job of setting expectations? Are we being proactive in our communications? and are we making them feel special? Like they're our client. We're they're our baby. We're going to care for them so much. Second are the hard moments. And there's going to be hard moments in almost every transaction. No Realtors sit around the bar at conference talking about the perfect transaction. We talk about the ones that were crazy, but we still came through. The hard moments matter because we get the opportunity to show our value like none others during them. How we handle those and become solution focused and honest and keep our calm and our professionalism is how we get people to talk about us after the transaction's over. And then there's the closing and after the closing. I think a lot of times we show up at title and we get a check and we are like, "Hey, I'll never talk to you again." And that happens all the time in real estate.

Let's celebrate with them. Let's show genuine appreciation and excitement and then let's follow up like we're their best friend. Hey, the next day, how was your first night in your new home? Hey, a week later, everything going good? Just touch and base more and more often. And then somewhere around the 30-day mark, we ask for a referral. Like, that's easy. So, let's talk about that last part, the actual asking for the referral, right? Because a lot of agents freeze up here. They get, "Oh, that's cringey." And, "Oh, I don't feel good about that." They feel like asking for a referral is is almost like they're begging for it. And I don't like that. You're not putting your client in an awkward position. We know that they when they're surveyed, they want to give you referrals. So, let's make sure we ask. Here's how we can kind of reframe that. Asking for a referral is not asking for a favor. It's giving your client the opportunity to actually help someone that they care about receive the same awesome service that they got. It's a gift, not a burden. And that is an important distinction. I think the best referral always sounds like this. Hey, working with people like you is exactly why I love this business. If you know anyone who's thinking about making a move, I'd love the chance to take care of them the same way I took care of you.

That's it. It's warm. It's genuine. There's no pressure. All it it comes from is a place of confidence and not a place of desperation because you did a great job. You backed up what you're going to say. You can also make it easier for them to refer you by giving them something to share. a business card, a short video intro, a simple message that they can forward to someone else. Here's the last piece of this, and this is my biggest coaching tip for you on referrals. You have to train your referrals. If they just hand out your business card and don't tell you that they did, that business card is going to go into somebody's wallet or pocket and get washed in the laundry or it goes into their purse. And the next time they see it is when they're unpacking boxes cuz they've already moved. When somebody refers you, you've got to train them to send that person's contact information to you. Please hand out my business card, but when you do, if you don't mind, just shoot me a quick text and say, "Hey, I talked to soand so about you. Here's their contact information."

I'll immediately pick up the phone and call and make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Referral business doesn't happen by accident. It's built touch point by touch point, transaction by transaction, relationship by relationship. The agents who have figured it out, they're not lucky. They're just very consistent and very determined to show up for people even when there's nothing in it for them. And when the time comes, those people remember that and send them the business. So start with your top 25 or top 50, whatever that looks like. Commit to one personal touch point a week and let's build from there. That's how you build a referral business that doesn't depend on social or the next ad campaign or inbound leads that you're paying for anything on it. You build it on people and people don't go away. Hey, if this was valuable to you, I would be honored if you would subscribe, follow, like, share with one of your friends. And if I can ever be of service to you, please don't hesitate to reach