1. Welcome your buyer to their new home
When you’re selling houses on a daily basis, it can be easy to forget that for your clients, completing on a house is one of the most exciting things for new homeowners. Leave a warm feeling in their hearts by sending them a ‘Welcome to your new home pack’. You might include a small bottle of Cava and a local delicacy as well as a handwritten note of congratulations. Or how about a branded bottle opener or beautiful candle? By providing something practical, with your company name on it, you’ll help yourselves to stay at the forefront of your buyer’s mind. So, when family or friends ask for recommendations for property agents, thoughts will naturally turn to you.
2. Help your sellers to celebrate completing the deal
But it’s not just your buyers who deserve recognition for a job well done. Your sellers will be just as excited to have handed over the keys and be embarking on their next chapter. By sending a small token such as flowers or fizz to show your appreciation, you’ll stand out from the competition and cement the positive relationship you’ve built up. What’s more you’ll almost guarantee yourself repeat business or referrals as a result.
3. Don’t forget to thank the people who refer you
When new clients contact you be sure to ask where they heard about you. Aside from anything else, this is key information when planning your marketing spend. We like the idea of offering a heartfelt thank you to the previous client who gave the recommendation. A simple handwritten postcard will do the trick. By building yourself a reputation as someone who genuinely cares and takes time for their clients (both past and present) you’ll create a network of people that are happy to spread the good word about you.
4. Offer ongoing advice to help your buyers settle in
For your buyers, the hard work doesn’t stop when they move in. They’ll have utilities to set up, furniture to buy and potentially even contractors to arrange for any necessary building work. Anything you can do to take the pressure off will be gratefully received. And while, technically it’s outside of your remit, just think how much it’ll make you stand out from the crowd…and simply for the price of a phone call. We’d certainly be telling our friends if our agent offered us practical after sales support.
5. Make follow-up calls to purchasers
Along a similar vein to number five, keep yourself in the forefront of your purchasers’ minds by touching base with them a while after they’ve moved in. A phone call is easy to diarise so you don’t forget and you could even plan a morning to make a batch of follow-up calls in one go. Check in, ask how things are going and take the opportunity to ask for feedback on the service you provided – another great way to improve things going forwards. We’d be tempted to ask how likely the client would be to refer you to family and friends too – just to sow the seed in their minds that they might want to.
By finishing your property sales on a high and paying attention to your after sales service, your clients will be left with a positive impression of your business and the care and experience you offer. Which can only mean one thing. They’ll be much more likely to recommend you should family and friends be looking for property services too.
