Seminar Recap: A Little Bit of Effort Goes a Long Way

     I had a wonderful time, as always, at my marketing seminar yesterday morning.  Thank you for all who came, first timers or multiple attendees, it was great seeing you!  For those who couldn’t make it, here’s just a taste of what I went over, so you can use them in your own business practices.

Don’t stall, make the initial contact.  Follow up as soon as you can with a lead.  The faster you reach out the better the return.  

Leave it open, so they can open up.  Always let the client talk first.  You may be able to help them in more ways than they realize.  Even if they’ve emailed you about something specific, when you make the follow up call ask them how you can help and then listen.

Show one house—no matter what.  A lot of other agents, after finding out a client isn’t pre-approved or doesn’t meet criteria deemed “serious,” stop paying attention.  I say, don’t ignore that opportunity.  That client will remember you as someone that helped them when others had turned them away.  You don’t have to go too far and show them all 10 houses they’re interested in.  Tell them to pick their favorite.

Separate yourself from the competition.   Use product knowledge, like what can save them money, their loan options and subsequently what types of properties they qualify for to set you apart.  Customize their experience and let them know you’re looking out for them, not just the sale.  Also, keep client folders and buyer info sheets.  These will help you maintain accurate information that will put that personal touch on interactions with your clients.

These are just some of the things I went over in the seminar yesterday, of course there are more tips in store.  Hopefully this little morsel will get you to come to my next one!  Can’t wait to see you!  Oh, and maybe Darby and I will have another Rap Battle for your pleasure ;p

    

Giving Back: Johnson’s Charities

Some of you may already know this about me and a few of you probably don’t but I really do think of myself as very fortunate and blessed career wise, and because of that I made a promise to myself that I would give back to the community. I love Richmond and I will do pretty much anything I can to make it a better place to live, I have made it a point to give to a charity every month based on the number of closings I have. Last month I was able to donate $500 to Johnson’s charities which after a little bit of research online found out they were the kind of charity that was really worth giving to.

Johnson’s charity was founded eight years back by no one else than the Johnson’s. What they do is very unique and special, in some ways even unorthodox. They work with other charities around Richmond to collect and donate back to some of the less fortunate neighborhoods, specifically kids in those communities. They do a Christmas parade every year in which they drive around different areas of the city and hand out gifts to those who may not be able to afford them otherwise. This action has brought smiles to kids all over Richmond, and honestly they are the real life Santa Claus for some of these people.

In the last year alone, they have donated around 10k toys in Richmond and Henrico. They have been covered by various media outlets in Richmond because of their good work. If you’ll like to learn more about Johnson’s Charities please visit their website by clicking here.

The next event they have coming up is on July 11th, 2015 starting at 4pm, titled Smoke and Vine. Which will take place at the James River Cellar 11008 Washington Hwy, Glen Allen, Virginia 23059. Click here to learn more about this event. 

This is not only a great opportunity to get out and go to a unique event but this will be benefiting Johnson’s Charities and all their efforts in the community.

The Johnson's are very active in Richmond and they try to bring awareness to their cause by participating in other events in the area.

Some of the other charities that I have given back to this year so far have been:

Loving a Soldier (January 2015)
Good Samaritan (February 2015)

If you have any suggestions for what should be my next charity please send me an email with your suggestion to rhonda@rhondahowlett.com