The biggest source of leads for Top Brokers is often referrals and the more loyal your clients, the more they will refer you.
Director of Discovery Finance Group, Joshua Vecchio has written over $250m, using techniques and tips being shared on his website Top Broker.
Over the years every single Top Broker I’ve ever spoken to has said their single biggest source of leads is referrals, and when I have drilled down into why their customers refer it is because of loyalty – their customers are Raving Fans. Their best customers are 100% committed to what the broker does, how they add value and help – and the customers feel compelled to tell their friends, family and colleagues about this.
So what are you doing to create raving fans, and increase your own customer loyalty?
One thing brokers often forget is that banks are impersonal, and we aren’t. Any Top Broker knows that success comes from building rapport with customers, as well as maintaining the right systems and touch points – customers want to work with people they know, like and trust so here are 6 Great Ways on How to Turn your Customers into Raving Fans!
1. Get personal, very personal
Customers go to brokers to get an individual one-on-one service, where you find them the most suitable deal in their situation – not a one size fits all approach like the bank takes. This seems to be something brokers often overlook when it should be something we all embrace. In John Di Julius’ book Secret Service Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service he argues that customers want to feel that you really care about them regardless of the industry or transaction type – and I completely 100% agree.
As brokers we are in the services industry, and you want to create systems in your business that recognise your customers and make them feel appreciated – do you send clients messages on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries and children’s birthdays? Do you know their favourite sporting team? It’s finals season – a simple SMS to wish your customer’s Football team good luck in the final shows you care, they might even mention it to their friends that they are wanting the game with and ultimately could turn them into raving fans.
2. Kill the robot
Further to my article last week on Being More Human Online, using SMS and Email may make it easy to communicate but the personal touch is ultimately lost in the ether. You shouldn’t only count on these methods as effective ways to keep in touch, offer to shout your customer a coffee or pick up the phone and have a chat – you would be amazed how many people really appreciate you reaching out and keeping in touch even if it is just to say hi and see how their new house is going.
As I’ve mentioned previously I take this one step further and have 2-3 client functions a year, providing market updates, engaging speakers/market commentators and networking events for my customers. The benefit for me is I can get in front of 50-100 clients at a time and the benefit for the customers is that it shows a personal touch that is sometimes lost through electronic communication.
3. Create raving employees
This is the factor that more often than not gets overlooked. In Di Julius’ book Secret Service after studying thousands of successful service companies he believes loyalty starts at the top of the business and works it way throughout the company – it’s so true! How many times have you been to a café to see unhappy waiters and staff, while you see the manager hiding in the kitchen scowling at the customers as they enter the shop – equally how many times have you seen the opposite where the manager is out greeting customers, and the staff’s service reflects their attitude. What are you doing in your own business day to day, week to week to provide ongoing training and empowerment so they understand what your business stands for and how you strive to serve your customers?
4. Keeping in touch
As per the points above it is very important to keep it personal and speak with your customers offline, but that’s not to say you should still utilise the technology we have available to us – you may have customers based interstate or internationally and it won’t be practical to phone them every few months or catch up with them for a coffee. It’s still important to keep in touch with an email newsletter, on social media or even a simple hand written card to remind them of their Annual Review. It keeps you front of mind in their busy day to day lives.
5. Build a reputation for reliability and responsiveness
Be available and make it easy for customers to reach you – and if not you, someone at your office. Get back to customers as soon as possible, both calls and emails and whilst there might be times where it’s not always possible to answer a customer email or call, let them know you’ve received their message and that you’ll be in touch with them to answer in a certain time frame. Confirming you’ve received the message will put your customers mind at ease and the timeframe will manage their expectations ongoing.
6. Put it all together to create Raving Fans
As I’ve mentioned previously a combination of the above areas will ultimately create Raving Fans, and it is the little 1%’ers that you do that will ultimately set yourself apart – Get it Right First Time, Be Consistent with Follow ups, Create a smooth Overall Experience and Keep to Milestones and maintain ongoing touch points.
I try to spend a little bit of extra time up front getting to know the customers and understanding their passions and hobbies for talking points and easy topics to ask when you are touching base with them throughout the year. And ultimately it doesn’t take much to give your customer a call every 12 months or so to genuinely see how things are going both on a personal and financial front.
This article originally appeared on Top Broker, a growing online space where tips and strategies are shared by Australia's top mortgage brokers.
Over the years every single Top Broker I’ve ever spoken to has said their single biggest source of leads is referrals, and when I have drilled down into why their customers refer it is because of loyalty – their customers are Raving Fans. Their best customers are 100% committed to what the broker does, how they add value and help – and the customers feel compelled to tell their friends, family and colleagues about this.
So what are you doing to create raving fans, and increase your own customer loyalty?
One thing brokers often forget is that banks are impersonal, and we aren’t. Any Top Broker knows that success comes from building rapport with customers, as well as maintaining the right systems and touch points – customers want to work with people they know, like and trust so here are 6 Great Ways on How to Turn your Customers into Raving Fans!
1. Get personal, very personal
Customers go to brokers to get an individual one-on-one service, where you find them the most suitable deal in their situation – not a one size fits all approach like the bank takes. This seems to be something brokers often overlook when it should be something we all embrace. In John Di Julius’ book Secret Service Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service he argues that customers want to feel that you really care about them regardless of the industry or transaction type – and I completely 100% agree.
As brokers we are in the services industry, and you want to create systems in your business that recognise your customers and make them feel appreciated – do you send clients messages on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries and children’s birthdays? Do you know their favourite sporting team? It’s finals season – a simple SMS to wish your customer’s Football team good luck in the final shows you care, they might even mention it to their friends that they are wanting the game with and ultimately could turn them into raving fans.
2. Kill the robot
Further to my article last week on Being More Human Online, using SMS and Email may make it easy to communicate but the personal touch is ultimately lost in the ether. You shouldn’t only count on these methods as effective ways to keep in touch, offer to shout your customer a coffee or pick up the phone and have a chat – you would be amazed how many people really appreciate you reaching out and keeping in touch even if it is just to say hi and see how their new house is going.
As I’ve mentioned previously I take this one step further and have 2-3 client functions a year, providing market updates, engaging speakers/market commentators and networking events for my customers. The benefit for me is I can get in front of 50-100 clients at a time and the benefit for the customers is that it shows a personal touch that is sometimes lost through electronic communication.
3. Create raving employees
This is the factor that more often than not gets overlooked. In Di Julius’ book Secret Service after studying thousands of successful service companies he believes loyalty starts at the top of the business and works it way throughout the company – it’s so true! How many times have you been to a café to see unhappy waiters and staff, while you see the manager hiding in the kitchen scowling at the customers as they enter the shop – equally how many times have you seen the opposite where the manager is out greeting customers, and the staff’s service reflects their attitude. What are you doing in your own business day to day, week to week to provide ongoing training and empowerment so they understand what your business stands for and how you strive to serve your customers?
4. Keeping in touch
As per the points above it is very important to keep it personal and speak with your customers offline, but that’s not to say you should still utilise the technology we have available to us – you may have customers based interstate or internationally and it won’t be practical to phone them every few months or catch up with them for a coffee. It’s still important to keep in touch with an email newsletter, on social media or even a simple hand written card to remind them of their Annual Review. It keeps you front of mind in their busy day to day lives.
5. Build a reputation for reliability and responsiveness
Be available and make it easy for customers to reach you – and if not you, someone at your office. Get back to customers as soon as possible, both calls and emails and whilst there might be times where it’s not always possible to answer a customer email or call, let them know you’ve received their message and that you’ll be in touch with them to answer in a certain time frame. Confirming you’ve received the message will put your customers mind at ease and the timeframe will manage their expectations ongoing.
6. Put it all together to create Raving Fans
As I’ve mentioned previously a combination of the above areas will ultimately create Raving Fans, and it is the little 1%’ers that you do that will ultimately set yourself apart – Get it Right First Time, Be Consistent with Follow ups, Create a smooth Overall Experience and Keep to Milestones and maintain ongoing touch points.
I try to spend a little bit of extra time up front getting to know the customers and understanding their passions and hobbies for talking points and easy topics to ask when you are touching base with them throughout the year. And ultimately it doesn’t take much to give your customer a call every 12 months or so to genuinely see how things are going both on a personal and financial front.
This article originally appeared on Top Broker, a growing online space where tips and strategies are shared by Australia's top mortgage brokers.
