New This Month
Print Article Archives
Reprints / Subscriptions
Editorial Calendar
Media Kit
Popular Features
Architecture Guide
Cost vs. Value Report
Good Neighbor Awards
Handouts for Customers
Top 100 Companies
Take a Quiz
30 under 30
Young Professionals
REALTOR® Emeritus
Architecture Guide
Cost vs. Value Report
Good Neighbor Awards
Handouts for Customers
Top 100 Companies
Take a Quiz
30 under 30
Young Professionals
REALTOR® Emeritus |
|
POST-CLOSING STRATEGIES |
|
||
|
|
For the Advanced Salesperson A Gift That Keeps on Giving Walter Sanford of Sanford Systems & Strategies in Kankakee, Ill., shares an innovative way to use a closing to turn a one-time customer into a long-term client. Q: You no longer give conventional closing gifts. Why not? Sanford: I decided that $50 bottles of wine and similar gifts weren’t the answer. They're expensive and disposable. When they're gone, they're gone. I wanted to give something that would have value for the client and ultimately lead to ongoing contact. With that in mind, I came up with the idea of a VIP Club. Q: How does it work? Sanford: The are two aspects to the program, each designed to promote continued interaction. The first club program is designed to let clients earn points by providing me with referral information. For example, if clients call me to update their contact information, such as a new phone number or e-mail address, they earn one point. If they give me a referral and I pass it along to another salesperson—who then pays me a referral fee—they get two points. If a referral lists with me, they get three points. And if the listing sells, they get four points. You can set up your own point system to help encourage the type of business you want most—referrals, listings, or customers. When clients accumulate 20 points, they’re eligible for a 20 percent discount on their next transaction with me. I even give clients plastic credit cards with their name and a membership ID number to make the program seem more official. Q: Isn't that much of a discount costly to your income? Sanford: Not really. By the time someone accumulates 20 points, I have made a lot of additional income from them. Also, most people never get to 20 points, maybe two or three a year at most. But it’s a great way to get the phone ringing and to keep people involved with you. Q: What's the second part of the program? Sanford: The members of my VIP club are eligible for more than 60 free services, everything from free use of my office fax machine to free 15-minute consultations with my accountant. These are services that cost me nothing or very little to provide but that people like knowing are available if they should need them. All of these services also provide me with a lot of opportunities for contacting people. If they come in to see my accountant, for example, I make a point of stopping by and saying hello. And when I add a new service, I send out a card or letter to every club member. Improving Customer Satisfaction > |
|