Earlier today, I sat through a presentation from a gentleman selling magazines that real estate agents could utilize to “Brand” themselves.

How? 

By inserting a photo of themselves and a form letter on the inside front cover.

The content of the magazine ranged from spotlights on places to travel, to recipes and ads for luxury cars. As an added bonus, a meaningless catch phrase like “dreams in motion” or “make your vision a reality” could be thrown in at no additional cost. Best (or worst) of all, if you signed up TODAY, YOU could get all of this crap for a discounted activation fee (activation fee? for what? It’s a magazine…) and a low price of $299 per issue for up to 50 copies per issue.

The selling point from the vendor was “to allow you to stay in touch with your clients after you assist them with their home sale or purchase.”

What a load of garbage.

Let me put on my consumer hat now.

I just utilized Mrs. Agent to buy my home, and she did a terrific job. As an added value after the transaction, the suggestion from this gentleman was: to have Mrs. Agent send me a worthless magazine with:

• Recipes
• Commentary on wildlife
• Spotlights on communities (mostly vacation spots) that I have no interest in that are nowhere near where I live
• Information about Donuts
• A poorly disguised “Send me more business through your friends” card that could be ripped out and given to my friends with Mrs. Agent’s contact information and a recipe.

There have been numerous studies published that state that while an overwhelming majority of consumers are satisfied with their agent and the level of service provided, less than 40% actually use that same agent again. If the additional value you are providing to your clients consists of stories about donuts and commentary on wildlife, how can you be surprised at these numbers?

Perhaps a more effective way to provide added value to your satisfied clients could be:

• Provide a quarterly update to your client on how their neighborhood is doing relative to the overall market
• Provide a quarterly update to your client on the pricing trends of their neighborhood on a quarter vs. quarter basis and a year over year basis
• Every year, on the anniversary of the home purchase, provide your client with an updated CMA of their property, an estimate of what it is worth now, how it stacks up with other homes in the neighborhood
• Keep your client apprised of any global trends in the neighborhood (is everyone redoing their kitchens? new roofs? new bathrooms? Tile? Hardwoods? etc). so your clients can stay in the know with the state of homes in their neighborhood.

These are just a few things you can send to your past clients that actually add value well past the settlement date. Remember, these folks hired you for your Real Estate knowledge and expertise, so send them information that pertains to REAL ESTATE. Better yet, send your clients information that is personalized, specific and tailored to their individual Real Estate experience with you.

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