With the busy summer selling season winding down in most parts of the country, many real estate professionals are bracing themselves for the long (read: dry) winter months. Some agents think that just because less people are buying and selling homes, there's less work to be done in terms of networking and meeting new people.

But before you go into hibernation just yet, remember this simple piece of advice: Networking never goes out of style, regardless of the time of year.

What does change however is the people with whom you network. In other words, during the spring and summer months, you should be attending networking meetings and referral groups like they're going out of style. You want to create quality connections with individuals who are in the market for a new home.

However, in the late fall and winter months, the people with whom you network should be a little different. Instead of spending time trying to meet a number of new people, the smart real estate professional is extending that same networking effort toward their existing customer base.

Why's that?

According to the NAR's "2003 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers", the average adult buys and sells a home every six years. So if we assume the typical first time home buyer is 32 years of age and buys their last house all the way up to the age of 62, then on average, this person is going to make four more real estate transactions.

Not just one or two, but four more transactions during the course of their life, this person will presumably need the services of a professional Realtor.

Which means that a large majority of the people who have already used your services, are actually going to need them again in a few short years.

And since we all know that keeping a customer is infinitely easier than acquiring a new one, doesn't it stand to reason that some of your networking time should be devoted to continuing a relationship you've already established?

In the context of networking with new people, I call this creating a Visible Identity, and the same concept holds true when reconnecting with people you've already met.

As a real estate professional, how can you stand out in the mind of that other person from everyone else they've done business with, and continue to get repeat business? Here are a couple of my favorites.

Put together a "move in" basket

One of the simple truths about moving is that just about everyone hates doing it. By the time you're done packing up your stuff, moving it across town, and hoping that everything is still in one piece when you get there ... well, it's enough to tire out even the most patient of people.

But imagine the surprise on your customer's face when they find a nice wicker basket waiting for them in their new home, containing all of the move in essentials: Paper towels, wet wipes, a 32 oz bottle of Formula 409 and a map of the area, just to name a few.

Throw in a 10 percent off coupon to the local Chinese Food place along with some paper plates, and you are guaranteed to differentiate yourself from any real estate agent your customer has ever worked with.

Send a postcard

This is one you can use just about any time, but it's especially good when you're heading out of town. Whenever I get a chance to get away for a few days, I usually pick out a few people with whom I've done business in the past and make it a point to drop them a line.

I write down their addresses before I leave, and bring plenty of stamps so I can mail them off before I set foot back in my house, because we all know how busy it gets when you come back from a trip.

In terms of the actual message, it doesn't have to be anything too fancy, just a quick note to touch base and refresh the relationship. As an example, I might write something like this:

Hello from sunny Florida! I managed to get out of town for a few days and I just wanted to see how everything was going with the new house! I know I've been super busy myself, but maybe we can get together sometime for coffee or a bite to eat. It'd be great to catch up! In the meantime though, have yourself a great week and I look forward to keeping in touch.

So when you think about networking and you think about meeting new people to build your business, make sure you stay "connected" with the folks who have already used your services.

People are much more likely to give their business to an agent who stood out from the crowd and went the extra the mile by staying in touch, than an agent who did not.

And if all of that wasn't good enough, remember this last piece of advice: Sometimes the best customers are the ones you never lose.

Published: October 31, 2003

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.