I was doing some cleanup around the house this weekend and finally got around to a large pile of junk mail sitting on the counter (you know you have one too). One of the items sitting there was a set of calendars and a form letter from the sales agent of the builder of my house (bought two years ago).
Realtors are trained that this farming is a good sales practice. Send out something to every potential prospect on your list and keep multiple touch points. While I question the actual returns of this tactic, it really only works if there is at least a neutral opinion of the salesperson.
The problem is that this realtor was not helpful during the sales process. Additionally, she was not pleasant (I actually thought her to be mean) and generally gave me a very negative impression.
So no matter how many calendars she sends me, I’m never going to do business with her. In fact, any time I’m referring someone to a realtor I make sure I mention her name as someone to stay away from.
For no cost at the time of our interaction, she could have turned me into a potential customer simply by her actions and how she handled herself. Sending me a useless calendar is not going to win my business when all I wanted was some respect.
1 Comment
Tom – you’re exactly right. This is just one of the reasons why the real estate industry – MY industry – has such a negative impression among the public. The old ways of doing business are behind us, and consumers now are looking for relationships. That applies not just to real estate, but just about any industry. Build relationships with your clients and customers, and you’ll be miles ahead of your competitors. And you’ll make some friends along the way, as well.