Keeping it Personal

The Personal Marketing Company keeps agents, clients close
The Personal Marketing Company keeps agents, clients close

If the day-to-day work of real estate professionals can be compared to walking a tightrope?with pressing concerns of current clients tipping against the need to stay in touch with former clients?Marty Reuter of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates believes The Personal Marketing Company can provide a perfect safety net.

In fact, his company is utilizing The Personal Marketing Company?s system to not only keep his agents top-of-mind with clients, but as a tool to regularly remind his team members about the important referral and return opportunities waiting to generate future business.

For the nearly 20 years Reuter has been in the business, and especially since his arrival at Weichert about four years ago, he has been an advocate of The Personal Marketing Company?s customized ProPowerTM system, as well as a variety of the company?s popular printed materials.

?We had them brand the ProPower system especially for our Weichert client follow-up program,? Reuter explains. As the franchise arm of Weichert, Realtors?, it is Reuter’s responsibility to help provide qualified vendors and services that keep his agents and brokers on top of their game.

According to Reuter, even though The Personal Marketing Company has grown to become one of the industry?s largest marketing service providers, he and virtually every Weichert team member on the ProPower program still receives the level of personalized service typically afforded to customers from a much smaller company.

?I like the fact that although they have grown, they still have a friendly family feel?very accessible,? Reuter says.

Reuter adds that the ProPower program provides a series of mailings that are customized with Weichert?s company colors and appear to be coming directly from each client?s sales associate, not a vendor.

?It’s a turnkey program,? he explains. In this competitive market we’re in today, our associates have the best of intentions for following up with past clients regularly, but they are becoming very engaged in dealing with current transactions.

The ProPower program helps us put a system in place that keeps in touch for them. Experienced agents need this because of the demands on their time,? he adds.

According to Reuter, Weichert?s ProPower system maintains this top-of-mind awareness for five years with 23 contacts. The program also includes an initial survey of services that assesses the performance of each participating associate.

?This survey in and of itself is extremely valuable,? he says. It alerts us about anything that needs to be corrected?then provides consistent reminders to former clients?not that we are still looking for business, but thanking them for their business.

Reuter says the system works both ways. The sales associate is given notice of what, when and to whom the reminders are going, which also encourages a sales associate to use the reminder as a signal to possibly do a quick personal call as well.

?It’s a double nudge; it reminds our agents and our clients at the same time,? he says. We find our clients are generally very satisfied with their agents. Unfortunately, when the agent doesn’t follow up enough, the consumer may think they are out of business or they just don’t care. That’s why this kind of periodical contact is a good move.?

Aside from being ?a very efficient program, and very cost effective,? Reuter adds that the look of the products have kept up with the times and the technology is very adaptive to his agents? changing needs.

?But they have not forgotten the old-fashioned personal service to their clients,? he concludes. I’ve heard no complaints from our companies, and I have had none myself in almost 20 years…and I can?t say that for every one of our vendors. Our reps at The Personal Marketing Company have their act together!?

John Voket

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