Five tips to attract the ideal clients

One of the biggest mistakes Realtors® make when prospecting is not having a clear idea of who they want to do business with, according to Roberta Ross, president of Six Figure Real Estate Coach, Inc., in McMurray, PA.

“Most people go into real estate and put themselves out there,” she said. “They don’t have a direction and don’t know what they want. They think anyone and everyone is their ideal client.  Niche players fare better than non-niche agents,” she added. “It seems counter-intuitive to focus on a smaller niche but by doing so, you make their choice easy because it is clear that you are the right agent for them.”

Ross, a national speaker, coach and author, offers five points to attracting the right clients in a real estate business:

Decide on your ideal client. You should base your ideal client on what resonates with you because, to be effective, you need to focus your attention on this type of client and immerse yourself in their world. It should be true to you and a target market you enjoy. Maybe it’s focusing on a type of property like condos, horse farms or a certain geographic area, or a type of person, such as Gen-X or seniors. Once you’ve picked an area, make sure it’s a viable market.  Once you’ve decided on your ideal client, everything you do with marketing and lead generation must target them.

Determine what the client wants. How can you appeal to them? It’s difficult to meet their needs if you don’t know what they want. It’s a mistake to try to be all things to all people because you end up being nothing to anyone.  Before you communicate or market to them, ask yourself the question, “What do they want?”

Bridge the gap. Communicate to your clients that you can provide or at least help them with what they want. Everything you use to promote yourself, from business cards, brochures and flyers to websites and social media, should all target that audience by conveying that you have what they want. Much of an agent’s marketing is too general. To attract the people you’re aiming for, agents need to create clarity in the minds of their clients with their marketing pieces.  For example, in working with short sales, instead of a general message, you might have a flyer that says, “Owe more than the market says it’s worth? You’re not alone.” Who is an upside-down seller more likely to call? It becomes obvious because this agent created clarity in the mind of the prospect, rather than making a generic statement about trying to help everyone.

Expand your reach. Take your niche and expand it through social networking and blogging and make it viral. Hold events for that portion of the market and attract the clients you want to work with. Use pay per click advertising that targets your market. Instead of naming a real estate agent fan page after yourself, create a name that intrigues people in your target market, such as 365 Things To Do in _____(your specific town). Instead of only promoting yourself, you’ve created something that gives back to the community and expands your outreach.

Develop a prosperity mind set. When things don’t go as planned, change your plans and adapt. If you’re continually looking for opportunities, instead of obstacles, you’ll find them. Opportunity exists when most people think it doesn’t. Focus on what you can do in each moment to move your business forward, such as honing your skills and serving your prospects instead of things that you can’t control, such as interest rates or the economy.

Ross said, “Realtors® should be trying new things and if they don’t work, tweak it. There’s an enormous opportunity in prospecting because 90 percent of agents quit after contacting three contacts and research shows that 80 percent of the business happens after the fifth contact. The majority quit before they were ever successful.  That means opportunity for those who stay the course and stay in touch!

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