Too often I hear Realtors® say, “Boy, I sure wish I’d get some clients.”

Hmmmm, like new clients are gonna fall outa the sky? They won’t. Yet many agents seldom farm, never run ads and....well, they never promote themselves very much at all.

The rule is “Only YOU can get new clients.” I tell you this like Smoky the Bear tells you that “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” We know that both rules are true.

Even if you aren’t a fireball of self-promotion, the key to success is doing even ONE marketing-oriented thing EVERY day. Get it? Just one little thing, because they soon add up to MANY. And here are some productive things that you can do:

1. Call one past client every day. Ask them what’s new. Tell them of some new service you’ve got. Ask them about relatives moving here. All that stuff.

2. Clip out a newspaper or magazine article that you know would interest one of your prospects. Mail it to the person with an FYI note. They won’t forget your kindness.

3. Arrange a luncheon with three of your most satisfied clients who just love you. Tell them that you want them to be your ad hoc “board of directors” for the day. Say that you want to pick their brains about how you can improve YOUR business. While at lunch, get a list of five prospects from each person.

4. Spot a home that has recently done yard landscaping or renovation. Drop the homeowner a note complimenting him on how excellent the house looks after the job. Who knows, maybe they are fixing up the place to sell it.

5. Every day, go on the Web and look up a top-selling agent in one of the out-of-area cities that you frequently visit to see relatives, do business, shop, vacation, etc. Drop that agent an e-mail complimenting them on their web site or whatever. Tell them that you visit there often. Tell them that you’d like to do reciprocal referrals. And that you’d like to have a coffee or lunch with them next time one of you is in the other’s city. Keep track of which agent went with what city and next time you plan a trip there, e-mail the agent ahead of time and arrange a meeting. Hey, referrals are good business, too.

6. Go visit or lunch with one of the following: Bank loan officer, CPA, an attorney who handles divorces or probate, city planning committee member and similar realty-related professionals. Why? Because they are “opinion makers” for many people who ask them about real estate—either problems or investment. Get to know them and then you can have YOUR hat in their ring, too.

7. Watch the newspaper for stories about someone who is joining a firm either OUT of or IN your area. Mail the person a nice “congratulations” card, readily available at most drug stores, offering your help if they should need it. And many people ACCEPT a job long before they get around to listing or buying a house. So, who knows? They might just call YOU to refer them to an out of area agent, or to help them find a home near you. Remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

8. Does the newspaper say that someone got promoted at a firm? With more income, maybe they’ll be moving up to a bigger house soon. Drop them a card with a personal note congratulating them on their success. Don’t forget your business card and be sure to refer them to your web site.

9. Have you talked to every landscape architect, garage door opener firm, cabinet maker, roofer, bug firm, lawn sprinkler, fire protection system and similar kinds of home-service firms in town? You haven’t? Well, then get the Yellow Pages out some rainy day and mail one of those firms your brochure and card. Ask the owner(s) if they’ll refer you if you refer them. Call them later to confirm the informal agreement. On another day, drop by their office with some extra brochures and business cards. Drop by and chat them up one late afternoon when they’ve returned to their office from a job. Then, actually send them some business. And make sure they know that you did. Such firms often work with people getting ready to sell and may well refer you if you help them. But it’s up to YOU to make the first “Squeaky Wheel” move.

10. Go take a short walk and visit the owners of the stores and businesses near your office. Do you know them all by name? When people ask them where to get info on moving to your city, where does the owner send them? Why couldn’t it be YOU? Get to know these local businesses owners, PLUS their managers and clerks. Then, even if they DO tell people to “go over there to that real estate office a few doors down....,” they may well add, “...and ask for Bob Agent.”

See, getting clients often comes from just doing a lot of little things each day. Or even one thing each day. Almost any agent can be efficient; that simply means doing things right. YOU, however, want to be effective; that means doing the RIGHT THINGS!!!!

Published: March 10, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Bill Koelzer is a Web marketing consultant to web-proficient agents nationwide. He is co-author, with Barbara Cox, Ph.D., of the Prentice-Hall books, Internet Marketing in Real Estate and Internet Marketing. Bill is also webmaster of Orange County Real Estate, among the most-awarded known Realtor® sites. Visit his website, Koelzer.com or e-mail him at .