Where is Your Next Lead Coming From?

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Commentary by Brian Buffini

I believe there has never been a better time to do business by referral. Times have changed and people have become more defensive. Answering machines, caller ID, and gated communities are just some of the ways people have ‘cocooned' themselves from the outside world. Skeptical of salespeople, they want to be left alone. Consequently, more people today are in need of referrals than ever before.

If you needed one tomorrow, where would you go to look for a doctor? Would you jump on the Internet? If you needed a babysitter, would you go online? We all look for someone to trust and a referral comes with a firmly established level of credibility and trust. That's why a referral-based business is both stable and predictable; it rests on the pillar of serving clients and then trusting that the referral will come. People want to work with people they like!

I'm not saying this just happens by itself. You must be systematic and intentional about building your referral business.

In markets like the one we are currently experiencing, we can all do with extra leads. Many of us have gotten used to an "abnormal" market where sticking a sign in the yard was often enough to sell a home! Well, I've mentioned this before…I am excited for this current market because it will sort out the professionals from the amateurs.

As a Realtor, I was not content to wait for business to just show up; I made sure I was out there "finding" it. And that's what you have to do. You are a business person; not an employee. If you don't get after the business, it's not going to come after you. Working by referral stands the test of time because it is all about "finding" business. Word of mouth will always be a passive approach because it is characterized by "waiting" for the business to show up.

Today, you can read a hundred ads for some "quick-fix" answer to all your lead-generation problems, but building relationships with people will never go out of style. Referrals will always sell you better than you can sell yourself.

As we've examined the referral systems over the past few months, we've also heard testimonials from our clients who are currently experiencing great success. Does that have an effect on your thinking? When you read a coaching article from me, do the follow-up stories from our clients have an impact? Certainly when I read a testimonial (also referral), I am more likely to be convinced of the content's merit. When you work by referral, you know where your leads are coming from, and you can actually predict how many will come in.

People want more than just a transaction. They're actually looking for a business person. When we went out onto the streets of America recently to film some footage for our events, people told us what we already knew; they want to be referred, and they want to work with a professional. At our Turning Point Retreat^TM, we screen some of these mini documentaries and let me tell you, the general public has a pretty strong idea about what they like. Again and again they told us how much they'd enjoy it if their Realtor stayed in touch on a consistent basis. Because staying in touch is what I teach at our events, we tried hard to find testimonials from people who wouldn't like this, but if they were out there, they weren't talking to us!

Ask yourself how many leads you miss because you spend too much time putting out fires. Manage your time by planning your day and then getting to work on the lead-generation activities I've laid out before, i.e. calls, notes, and Pop-Bys, which are the simplest, yet most effective ways to stay in touch and build a thriving business.
Bring a positive attitude and energy to the task and you can develop skills to make sure that happens. Put yourself in a position to receive; use the dialogs-"Oh, by the way, I'm never too busy for any of your referrals." With an open hand, keep yourself available to opportunities.

Thank your clients, make them feel special and then make an advocate of them. I have lived this process for 20 years. I built a fortune in real estate with this and it empowered me to do whatever I wanted with my life. The money was in place so I could follow my passion, which was to share with others the systems that helped me.

You have had the courage to open a business and work for yourself. It's not for everybody. Not only do you have to be 100% successful at getting the client, you must be a counselor, a lawyer, a part-time contractor and have an eye for detail. Generating leads is the business you are in. It should be your primary concern, and it is something you should be very serious about. Do you know who your next lead's coming from? RE

Get Referrals, Get Leads

Working by referral creates a steady stream of leads because:

• People want to work with people they like.
• You are not passively relying on word of mouth, but actively asking for business.
• You are systematically building relationships-and relationships never go out of style.
• People want to work with a recommended
professional, not an agent they blindly come across on the Internet.
• Referrals stand as an important testament to your skills, and people want to work with people they trust.
• Following the working-by-referral system ensures that you put lead-generating activities first, paving the way for a steady stream of business.

Brian Buffini is the founder and chairman of Buffini & Company. For more information, visit www.buffiniandcompany.com.

Discussion Forum

Topic	Posts	Last Poster
Can anyone explain me about foreclosure real estate investing????	3	Randy
Now I have a web site how do I get google etc to recognise it?	5	internetresearchwendy
NEED AGENTS / & REFERRALS	13	JohnMcArdle
If you Need a Office for Rent	5	ireancom
Dubai Property	1	bhomes
Seller switched appliances	9	RealtorWithVision
Safety Especially Women	4	CindyHartman
The Real State of Real Estate	2	WalterB
Southern Agents Advertise on TV in the North	1	vnebbia
Market Slow? I Don't Think So (relatively speaking)	5	ozone

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