At New Home Star, our team members implement Sales Associate Marketing Initiatives (SAMIs) as one of the most valuable tactics in driving traffic to their communities. These are low-cost, high-impact, community-level marketing efforts designed to appeal to four audiences: Realtor, referral, business, and prospect. For an overview of each category and our comprehensive process, check out this resource on our home builder marketing approach. In this article, we’re diving into strategies and ideas behind gaining referrals from current homeowners.
Once you’ve developed a strong relationship with your clients, it’s essential to ask for their referrals. If clients trust and respect you, they’re likely to recommend close friends or family to also utilize your services. Additionally, referrals are a powerful lead source and are very likely to purchase — so making sure a portion of your marketing is geared towards this purpose will be beneficial to your success.
Here are 25 ideas you, as a sales agent, can implement to build your referral list.
- Reach out to past buyers and notify them of your referral program via email, direct mail, social media, etc.
- Include a graphic or announcement in the community newsletter.
- Post about your referral program on the community Facebook page.
- Send birthday/holiday/closing anniversary cards to your previous buyers.
- Put door hangers on each home in the neighborhood.
- Send seasonal house reminder tips for each part of the year.
- Host a community movie night for families.
- Post on the Nextdoor app.
- Sponsor a housewarming event.
- Host a cooking contest/giveaway for homeowners.
- Plan a summer block party inviting families to bring a buddy.
- Host a dinner with closed buyers.
- Plan a neighborhood run.
- Send direct mail using a “Pick your Neighbor” graphic.
- Plan a community potluck.
- Host a cookie exchange.
- Sponsor a community yard sale.
- Give out a yard of the month award.
- Host a seminar inviting buyers and their friends.
- On the first day of spring/summer, hand and out flats of flowers.
- Organize charitable initiatives (Toys for Tots, canned food drop-off, Earth Day donation, clothing drive, etc.)
- Host a pumpkin carving contest.
- Have a trick-or-treat table in the community on Halloween.
- Put together a holiday light contest.
- Plan a ‘Photo with Santa’ event for families and their friends.
As your traffic keeps increasing, so will referrals, and ensuring you’re offering an exceptional customer experience to each client is imperative. Once a client has moved into their new home, don’t lose touch with them. Continue to reach out to showcase your care and support throughout their homebuying journey. Doing so will not only help you cultivate meaningful relationships but could also lead to potential clients down the road — taking your sales operations to the next level.
