If you haven’t read Jeffrey Gitomer’s book “Satisfied Clients are Worthless”, you need to.  There is truly a difference between creating loyalty and just having satisfied clients.  After reading and pondering what I learned from the book, it changed how I look at my clients and the opportunity to create Loyal Clients for Life.

You have the perfect loan, the perfect clients, you make all of the dates on the contract and you even go to the closing.  You’ve created a “non-event” for the client so why wouldn’t they come back to you?

Tupper Brigg’s, one of the most dynamic Realtors in the country has had up to 73% of the listings in the town of Evergreen, Colorado at a given time.  So, I want you to pretend that you’re a Realtor, and your client has just purchased one of Tupper’s listings.  You, as the selling agent did a wonderful job.  At the closing, you hand over the keys to your clients, congratulate them and then passively you mention for them to send you some referrals.  Well, Tupper knows an interesting fact:  80% of his competition does not stay in touch with their past clients.  So here is what Tupper does after closing.

1.    A few days after closing when Tupper know that your clients have moved into the neighborhood, his wife delivers to their home a wonderful basket of baked goods and welcomes them to their new home.

2.    A week later, Tupper will be calling your client’s and re-introduce himself to them.  He’ll ask questions on how the move went, have they had a chance to meet the neighbors, etc.  Then comes the big question and here’s how goes.  “Let me ask you a question, is there anything wrong with the home, or is something not working that you thought was during the inspection?”  Tupper will get something out of the client that could be as small as a sprinkler head to a major repair.  So let’s pretend that two zones are not working on the sprinkler system.  Tupper’s response is, “Your problem is now my problem.  I’ll have my handy man contact you to get it fixed at my expense.”  So what happens next?

3.    Tupper will now put your client on his mailing list, he will call them and check up on them about four times a year, he will invite them to his summer picnic and holiday party, and guess who’s going to get the listing when the client gets ready to move?  Tupper!!

Protecting our Turf

As a mortgage banker, we fund the loan, but we don’t service the loan.  Every month, the service company tries to entice our client to refinance with them, to take out a HELOC with them; it’s so simple and easy.

Can we be assured that our client will come back to us, or at least give us a chance to do business with them again?  I believe you can by the following steps.

1.    The first loan transaction is the most important.  As I tell my loan officers and my sons, “You only have one chance to make a first and lasting impression”.  The superior service that we deliver must be consistent so that our client feels confidant to come back and referring their friends, family and co-workers.  Remember, you can’t WOW them until you’ve at least satisfied them.

2.    Did you WOW them with the experience the first time?  We do special “Congratulations” and “Thank Yous” during the loan process.  One of things we do when our client’s contract gets approved is sending them Tag-A-Room stickers for their moving boxes. They are really cheap (around $7.50), but it’s a surprise that they weren’t expecting.  Go to www.tagaroom.com and check out the site.

3.    Form a net on your client after closing.  I follow a similar follow-up system as Tupper does.  After closing, I send another small gift, which is a magnetic letter opener that I can put my card in. I write a short note thanking the client again and please use the new letter opener as my gift to them to get ready all the new mail that will coming to them.  I then follow up with a phone call to see how the move went and to see if I any of their contact information has changed because of the move.  I then go into asking some very important questions.  It will go something like this.  “Mr. Buyer, I need to know based on the service that we provided, would you do business with us again when you purchase your next home or need to look into refinancing?”  Hopefully, they say yes. I then explain to them how I’ll be staying in touch with them through my mail/email, phone calls to see how they are doing and to let them know when I will be doing special events such as picnics, real estate investment classes and seminars.  I remind them that the servicing lender is going to entice them to do their business with them but make sure that you call me first when their mortgage needs arise. What if they say No or maybe?  First, never argue with the client or try to justify why things didn’t go well. I’ve learned from experience that I might win the battle but I won’t win the war.  After the conversation, I will send a letter of apology and a gift certificate for around $50.00 and ask them to accept this with my apology.  I can tell you that 80 % of “Just Satisfied or Dissatisfied Clients” will respond positively and allow me to stay in touch with them— and some of them have become my best referral partners.

Final Thought

Creating loyal clients is a must for repeat and referral business.  They will keep coming back, refer their sphere, and bring stability in your business even when the market slows down.  Make sure you stay in touch with your past clients or your competitor will take over your turf.  Loyal clients already know and trust you.  They will not be easily swayed to go with someone else.  Loyal clients become friendships because you have stayed in touch with them.  Loyal clients are created over time not just from one satisfying experience.