How to Get More Listings and Referrals and Become the Go-to Agent in your Local Community

In a time when human connection is rapidly disappearing, it is more important than ever to bridge the gap and ensure that the real estate industry doesn't become robotic.

Technology has made it easier to communicate but on the flip side, has made it more difficult to connect. There are some simple "rules" around how to increase connection with people/clients. While they may seem "old school," there is a lot of value behind these actions.

• Write handwritten letters. While seemingly outdated, the impact of these letters can be high.
• Ask people interesting questions. All too often, business people want to "tell" their story, but the true connection occurs when you ask them what they value.
• Answer questions with honesty. People would rather know the truth versus a standard, rehearsed answer.
• Open up to your clients. Don't hide behind social media posts or text messages.
• Be invested in your network. Whether they are your clients or local business owners, take the time to understand what they need and want.

Getting back to the basics is a good starting point. Real estate agents used to be looked upon as their neighborhood hub, the go-to person for advice, contacts and relationships. However, during these past few decades, this role has taken a back seat to the "tech platforms," which has eroded the key influencer to one of a transactional nature.

What the industry needs now is for agents to take on the role of the community expert once again and establish relationships with people. For those who have committed to this path, however, it can be a lot of work.

Recently, two companies have aligned themselves to help further cement these ideologies in the real estate industry. Matthew Honsberger, Broker and Owner of Royal LePage Atlantic, a leading real estate brokerage in Atlantic Canada, is in partnership with Grant Findlay-Shirras, co-founder of Parkbench.com, a leading online platform that helps local professionals connect with their community.

"This is the ideal marriage between our two companies," Matthew states. "As our agents are the CEOs and janitors of their own businesses and everything in between, they are juggling many different tasks and time is precious. Thankfully, Parkbench has created a system that is easy to follow and effective at the same time. My agents can now meet new people and create long lasting relationships while giving back to their communities."

One of the keys to building a solid real estate business that is both sustainable and referral-based is to have a continuous supply of new contacts so agents can create a larger sphere of influence to draw from.

Become a trusted advisor and referral resource. The more value you bring to the table, the more a client will be loyal to you, trust you and refer their family and friends to you. Your newsletters, videos or blogs should be creative and full of useful market information. People want to know what's going on in their local communities and look to you for relevant information to suit their needs and desires. You want to be recognised for your property and sales expertise and recognised as the area expert so keep it real and focused.

Interview business people to expand your sphere of influence. Nowadays, all you need is a smartphone and a willing participant to create a compelling interview that will attract people to watch. This process accomplishes a few things.

1. It gets you out from behind your desk and getting to know people in your area.
2. You become the neighborhood 'connector' that people will naturally migrate towards.
3. It increases your database exponentially.

But who do you interview? Again, the list is endless but here are some good ideas:

• Local Small Business Owners. They could use your help to promote their goods and services, and rarely are you turned away.
• School Administrators/ Council Members. One of the top questions people ask before considering buying a home is, "How good is the school district?" School quality has a big influence on people's choices when considering which neighborhood to move into.
• Community Associations. People who are involved in their community associations tend to know a lot of people and are good connections to have. They also host various events throughout the year that you can be involved in.

For a comprehensive list of people you should contact, click here for a free ebook:
'30 Local Professionals Real Estate Professionals Should Meet'

Parkbench.com offers the backdrop and support for REALTORS® to engage with their local "audience" and support them in many different ways. For instance, relevant, daily news is automatically hyper-linked to each community website, as well as local business deals and neighborhood events. The true secret sauce lies in the use of free video marketing that the Local Leaders® (term for the agents using the platform) offer business people. The agents interview these people and then promote them through the website and various social media channels. The Law of Reciprocity is strong with this offering and the real estate agents benefit greatly from this type of interaction.

"Locals must support each other, and I created Parkbench to be the one-stop shop for people to do this and stay up to date with what's going on around them," Findlay-Shirras explains.

"Connection is a massive driver for being recognized in this industry," Hillary Hasty, Manager of Marketing and Design at Royal LePage Atlantic explains. "The Parkbench system is a different tool that our agents can utilize to help them gain access to people they otherwise might not be able to reach. Our agents want to provide value beyond the transaction and solidify their presence in their community. We believe that our alliance with Parkbench will give our agents the boost they need to differentiate themselves from the competition."

Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. Agents need to focus on fostering relationships to get clients. The key to becoming the agent of choice in your neighborhood is to add value to your community members.

4 Elements of Building Meaningful Relationships

Meaningful relationships are established over time and have four key elements:

1. Initially, someone becomes aware of you. The person has perhaps heard your name in conversation, seen your advertisement, or has perhaps seen one of your posts on social media.
2. Next, that person gets to know you. Maybe you meet them for coffee, discuss business and trade some personal information.
3. The third element of the relationship is the person likes you. You have demonstrated your integrity and willingness to listen to their needs. This bond will stay with you as long as you continue to keep honest with them.
4. The final element is trust. You become their adviser and they seek your counsel. You have demonstrated that you are trustworthy.

In the end, your service as a responsible agent to your clients will lead you and your organization to success.

Are you ready to learn more? Do you want to be a community minded broker?

Maybe it's time to rethink how you have been doing business. If you want to become the local market expert and increase your exposure within your geo farm community, reach out to Grant Findlay-Shirras or Matthew Honsberger for more details and become a Local Leader®.

Next Steps:

If you're an agent in Atlantic Canada, contact Matthew to get access to Parkbench at no upfront cost to you.

If you're a broker/owner or team leader who wants to give their agents a systematic and predictable way to create high quality leads in their geo farm that doesn't cost you any money, then contact [email protected] to learn more about "the local broker program."

Free Resource

Do you want to know the top 30 local professionals who refer the most business to agents?

Download this free ebook and learn who they are and how you can connect with them. Also, you will learn how to add value to business owners so that you can build referral generating relationships with them.