These five familiarity strategies are one reason why senior realtors in your brokerage—who have spent several years working in the same areas—find it easier to succeed.
The time and effort they have invested in building familiarity in their territories have yielded significant rewards. By examining their approaches more closely, you will uncover five key strategies that have contributed to their ongoing success in developing familiarity over time.
Persistent and Consistent Prospecting
The first step in building familiarity is through persistent and consistent daily prospecting. Each time you make a call, send an email, meet face to face, drop off a business card, or leave a voicemail, you create familiarity. This is one of the key reasons why persistence pays off. The more often they see or hear your name, the more familiar you become to them and to the gatekeepers who protect them. In simple terms, the more you engage in prospecting, the more recognizable you become to your prospect base.
Referrals and Introduction
The most effective way to establish familiarity is through a referral or introduction. A referral provides you with instant credibility because you benefit from the trust that the prospect already has in another person. There are three basic types of referrals:
1. Customer referrals
2. Personal referrals
3. Professional referrals
Networking
There are networking opportunities available in your community or territory every week. To find these opportunities, check with your local chamber of commerce. You can also search Google or Bing for the calendars of other business and civic organizations in your area. Additionally, ask your prospects and customers which events, conferences, and trade shows they plan to attend.
To be successful in networking, avoid being a walking, talking marketing brochure. Remember, people are generally more interested in talking about themselves than in hearing about you.
Your goal is not to sell but to create connections with others. Sales can come later, after those connections are established. It’s important to approach conversations without expecting anything in return.
You build connections by asking questions, listening actively, and showing genuine interest in other people.
Company and Brand Familiarity
Some people ask whether the name of a brokerage matters. The answer is yes.
The advantage of working for a large, well-known brokerage is that they continuously engage in activities to boost brand recognition and generate leads. This includes traditional advertising, social media, content marketing, trade shows, and conferences. As a result, sales agents employed by a major company with a strong brand have a significant advantage in capturing the attention of potential clients.
Personal Branding
Familiarity is also established through personal branding, which involves actively enhancing awareness of your name, expertise, and reputation.
In conclusion: It’s important to emphasize that building familiarity is not a replacement for the essential aspects of your business, such as prospecting, developing your home selling and buying systems, marketing and advertising, and providing excellent client service. You cannot devote all your efforts to building familiarity while neglecting other important areas of your business. Achieving a balance is crucial in real estate.
If you need assistance with this, feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help. Meredith Marketing Solutions supports real estate agents in building their businesses from the ground up and measuring their success.
Our approach combines life and business coaching with effective marketing strategies. We focus on three key areas: branding strategy, marketing analysis, and marketing execution.
Click here to begin your journey to the next level of success.
