Improving your referrals numbers by over 50% for $1.99 or less.

People go through life with low expectations. We are raised this way, people tell you to “not get your hopes up” from a young age because they don’t want us to get hurt. Adults are all ‘professional and tough’ on the outside but real people on the inside, and people like working with real people!

People remember emotional times. People remember stressful times. One of the most stressful times for many people can be flying. Southwest Airlines took full advantage of the fact that people remember traveling, and decided to amplify their customer experience to make it memorable. One of the best ways to make something memorable? Insert some happiness and fun. Want an example? Check out this rapping flight attendant who spiced up the normally boring safety announcements.

Nobody goes into the mortgage process with high expectations, sure people might be excited to buy a home but very few people are excited at the prospect of filling out hundreds of forms and surrendering documents they didn’t even know they had.  The closing table in general can be a stressful transaction ordeal for many people, but it is the biggest opportunity that agents, lenders and other settlement providers have.

Now – you real estate professionals. Why not take your initial meetings with clients, and especially the closing and find a way to make them undeniably awesome? The title of this article was how to increase referrals by over 50% for $1.99 or less, and you can do just that by making the process of working with you spectacular. The concept isn’t new: when you create raving fans they refer you more. The best part? People you are working with know more people who are about to start looking to buy a home. This concept is called a “reticular activator”. It is the part of your brain that is always on alert, it notices things similar to what it is going through. Bam! Your clients are buying a house, and all of a sudden they know a ton of people also buying a house.

So the million dollar question is how you can make the closing/application/initial meeting more fun, memorable and awesome? Here are  some ideas, but what do you think?

1. Music Price: Free – Play the song “Happy” really, really, loud (for the right client). Other songs that evoke happiness work too– if they won out in a competitive situation try playing All I Do Is Win.

2. Change Up A Boring Norm Price: Free – Take a normally serious situation and add your own twist. Has anyone ever seen a creative way to go through documents at closing? How can you make this fun. Channel your inner Southwest Flight Attendant 🙂

3. Pop Bottles Price: Cheap – Where it is appropriate, bring a bottle of champagne/sparkling wine. I have seen agents bring mini bottles of bubble just in case they happen to find “the one” with buyers.

4. Care Packages Price: Cheap – Remember when you started college and mom sent you a surprise care package? Why not come up with a fun buyer or seller package? Check out your local gag store and stock up  on things that are funny gag items that you think your clients will get a kick of. If they love whiskey or wine, put a bottle in. Are your clients sellers who are going to be constantly displaced? Give them 5 different small gift cards for local restaurants or bars that they can use when you kick them out to do showings. Go the extra mile by adding notes explaining why each item is in the package. Need ideas for care packages and swag? Check out the book TAG which features a few chapters on this idea.

5. Just Smile  Price Free – No matter what your budget, you can afford to smile. Smiles are infectious, if nothing else smile, and be seen smiling as much as possible. Even if you are stressed, don’t let it show. Keep calm and show everyone that you thrive under pressure. For an added bonus use a tool like BombBomb to send out short videos where you enthusiastically explain to your clients what’s going on.

What else has worked for you?

Looking for more tips on Lender and Realtor based marketing? Check out Matt’s book – the Tangible Action Guide For Real Estate Marketing.

Or check out his marketing website further at maltesemarketing.com.