The 4 R's of Relationship Building

by Jessica Sullivan Client Success Coach, LoLo

Your business is more than chasing leads and pushing paperwork - it takes trust. Building a business on referrals makes it easier to continually grow - but you have to nurture trust to grow relationships.

It’s easy to maintain a relationship when you’re in the middle of a transaction. Regular follow-ups and check-ins are a must to keep things moving along. However, when you’ve moved on from that deal and are focusing on successfully navigating through new ones, it’s hard to devote the time and energy to maintaining the relationships that you’ve built with previous clients.

Maintaining these relationships is critical though, when you take into account a stat that NAR released saying that 66% of sellers find their agent through referrals or past transactions.

That’s where your marketing plan comes in to ensure you don’t miss out on those valuable opportunities. It’s not just about capturing new potential leads, but also about maintaining contact with previous clients, future clients, friends and family!

So as you’re putting together the perfect recipe for your marketing plan, make sure one of the ingredients is a campaign designed to build relationships. It’s worth doing a mental check to make sure that the campaign incorporates the 4 R’s of Relationship Building: 1.RELIABLE: Is it consistently delivered so that it builds familiarity? (People have to remember your name so they need to see it on a regular basis i.e. monthly).

2.REFRESHING: Is it something unexpected and different than they get all the time? (People get enough spam, so send them something that stands out).

3.REAL: Does it feel generic or like something you handpicked? (People appreciate the personal touch so find a way to personalize your touchpoints).

4.REPRESENTATIVE: Does it align with your values? (Birds of a feather flock together so make sure that each touchpoint or gift you send your clients speaks to the kind of person that you are).

When you’ve found the right recipe of marketing ingredients that align with the 4 Rs, you’ll find it’s easy to maintain the relationships you need to keep your business moving. You may even find that you grow true friendships from your client relationships!

Looking for a way to build relationships while sending something of value and supporting your local community? Check out LoLo’s Local Gift of the Month at www.lolo.gifts.