Creative Ways to Get More Real Estate Clients

There are always commercial real estate clients to find in your location and serve. The only other fact that has some impact on the “client search” process is the economy.

How you find clients as a local agent depends on the economy at any given time, and your efforts. You can control your actions but not the economy, so work with it and adjust your business systems.

The economy can impact business and investment sentiment. That will flow through to inquiries, listing intentions, investment criteria, prices, lending, and supply. Given all of that, people in your location still need your real estate help.

An Evolving Property Market

So, the real estate market does not “disappear,” and the people who require agent support are always out there. Agents who are organised and diligent in contacting and meeting new people and starting new conversations will always find business opportunities, listings, and transactions.

Who are the people who need your help? That question requires clarity, as it will direct your focus when prospecting. Become clear on just who your real estate clients are and why they would need your help. Build your contact system around that.

Verified Agent Systems and Organisation

Most agents and salespeople struggle with the “organisation” requirement and the diligence that goes with it. That’s a great chance for agents who can learn to focus and keep doing what they need to do.

What should be your focus? Try doing the right thing every day. It’s time to look at yourself, especially since the real estate market is always changing.

Established Client Prospecting

Here are some proven strategies to help you with the prospecting process.

1. Connect frequently with local businesses – It is remarkable how much information and leads you can get from local business owners and occupiers. They have particular property requirements, but they also have a good awareness of what is happening in the location. If you talk to business owners daily, you will find the leads you are looking for.
2. Research property owners by street and building – Segment your streets and precincts into zones where you can talk to people you believe have some more value to you and your real estate services. So, buildings, people, and property locations become your ‘hit list’ for connections and conversations. Research is required, which is why the organisation is valuable to your daily work.
3. Identify the critical property owners and VIPs in a location – VIP owners and investors would be repeat buyers and sellers of commercial real estate. They could have property portfolios that contain properties in multiple locations and across property types. How many owners do you have like that now? Target those people out and engage with them.
4. Set up a social media campaign that is “location” referenced – Social media is always a “low” factor in the new business generation. The latest business will come from targeted calls and conversations, not social media. Most commercial property owners don’t waste time on social media. Indeed, you can use it, but don’t expect volumes of business from it. When you use local references in your social media, you get more readers, and people are more interested in what you say. You could say it is one primary way of creating value from “low-value” social media marketing.
5. Keep in contact with people from previous campaigns – When you have real estate listings, you can talk to people about what is available and what they need. From that, you can see what requirements they may have locally with property ownership and occupancy.
6. Create local conversations daily – Most real estate is transacted by people you already know or live in the precinct. Conversations help with that. Those people know the location and are familiar with prices, rents, supply, and demand. They are interested in what is happening in real estate. That makes it easier to engage with them helpfully.
7. Read the property and local newspapers – In the property pages of your local papers, editorials and stories can give you information. Names are valuable to you, so spend 30 minutes a day scanning the local newspapers for updates and references to property owners, changes, developments, and updates.

So, there are things to do here with the new business generation in commercial real estate. There are plenty of challenges here, but there are many opportunities you can find as an agent.

Create the conversations, and you will find the listings you want. Stay organised in all the conversations you start today because real estate requirements generally develop over time.