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As a real estate agent, your clients depend on you when they are making one of the biggest investments of their lives – buying a property. Even in the digital age, your value as a real estate agent is still evident. 9 out of 10 homebuyers say that they would use agents, and most of them recommend your services to others. Now, with such responsibility on your shoulders, you need to make sure what you’re delivering to your clients is actually worth it. For this, one of the skills you must polish is networking.
Networking allows you to not only stick to your own experience but also to learn from others’ mistakes and expertise. Eventually, this also helps you in gaining new clients to promote yourself and your business. If you’re not sure where to start, then attending real estate agent networking events could be your go-to approach. For example, events like North Fort Worth Real Producers Hotel Vin Event are where you can meet and interact with other real estate agents, build relationships with them, and strengthen those over time.
Of course, attending the events isn’t enough. There’s more that you can do to excel. In this blog, we will be discussing how you can effectively network as a real estate agent.
We’re living in a digital world where socializing mostly happens online. You can always benefit from this and do yourself some good. Most real estate agents overlook how developing an online presence can be so crucial to networking and eventual growth. Remember, in this age, your first impressions don’t form when you arrive at your client’s door; they form when they search about you online and the results they find. So, you need to be active on your social handles and generate blogs that resonate with your clients’ needs – answering their queries.
Once you build an online presence, it will be easier for you to communicate your knowledge and expertise. Besides this, you can use digital platforms for online interactions, promoting properties, and sharing good press.
Always remember that the number of channels you’re active on is directly proportional to the number of clients, professionals, and leads you network with.
Pro Tip: If you’re pursuing online channels as a growth tactic, then ensure your contact information is updated and accurate.
You can build your online presence for your clients, but that’s not enough to get the work done in your field. You need to build strong relationships with contractors and vendors as these professionals could be an asset for bringing you valuable insights and help you stay on top of repairs and maintenance for your properties.
When you work with contractors and vendors, you need to communicate effectively and clearly with them. For this, you can set realistic expectations when you’re communicating your business with them. You should also give them a clear understanding of the scope of work and when they need to complete it. Most of all, be responsive to their concerns and needs and always have a regular follow-up to ensure that everything is going as smoothly as expected.
Once the contractors and vendors have a good experience working with you, they will be more than eager to collaborate with you again in the future. So, strong relationships with these professionals create a network of professionals that you can rely on for timely service and, most of all, quality.
Building relationships is what mainly counts as networking, and for long-lasting professional relationships, you need to build trust and credibility with other experts in the industry.
Once you communicate with the professionals, it doesn’t matter whether it is online or in-person; you need to be respectful and courteous. You must respond to their phone calls, messages, and emails ASAP. You must follow up with any action items that are needed within the designated time. All of this will help you portray your dedication and professionalism.
Talking about professionalism, you need to appear professional as well. For this, you need to be mindful of what you wear and how you behave. Whether you have client meetings to attend or real estate agent networking events, you need to dress appropriately and be aware of your tone and body language.
Remember: You are representing your brand/business, so you need to ensure you’re presenting yourself professionally and positively because the first impressions last.
There’s no doubt that networking for real estate agents is exhausting. It requires a great deal of effort and time to meet the right people and build relationships with them. And yet, there is a fair chance that most of the people you meet might forget to email or call you the next day. To handle this, you need to follow up with the people you meet through networking.
Now, follow-ups could mean anything. For example, you can send them an email, a text, a call, or can even plan a coffee with them. Since everything will be kept professional, they might appreciate the efforts you will be putting in – especially if your follow-ups are personalized.
Pro Tip: Make your growing network feel special when you’re meeting them or sending them a follow-up email, call, or text. You can start with something like, “When we met that day, you mentioned that your pet was sick. How’s it doing now?” etc. Also, be pleasant, proactive, and personable.
If you choose to build your network, the best way is to start from something in your community. You need to be active there if you wish to land potential clients and expand your client base. This will also help you learn more about the neighborhoods where your properties are located, their sellers, buyers, and the people around them.
For this, you can engage with your community members in different ways. You can try sponsoring local events, hosting workshops, speaking at events, or developing partnerships with local businesses.
Another thing that you can do is become a member of real estate communities. If you’re working in the DFW area, then Real Producers could be the go-to option for you. You can join our community and even get featured in our publications and magazines. With such networking, you can indirectly connect with the people who need you (clients), serve them, and grow. If you wish to join our community at Real Producers, then you can contact us now, and give your networking a boost!