How To Find New CRE Clients With These Prospecting Tips
Apearing on The Broker List. This post originally appeared on Marketplace Advertiser, ClientLook and is republished with permission.
How To Find New CRE Clients With These Prospecting Tips
Keeping your pipeline full is a top priority for commercial real estate brokers. While it’s great to have current clients who bring you repeat business, its’s also important to know how to find new clients. Prospecting doesn’t have to be a game of luck if you know how to do it correctly. Gone are the days of just making phone calls; there are many more ways to find clients today. Use our commercial real estate CRM software to keep track of your prospecting efforts in conjunction with these tips:
Know Where To Find Clients
If you’re sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring, you’re going to be waiting for a long time. Instead, take a proactive approach to prospecting and put yourself out there.
Attend local networking events that other business owners will be at. Strike up a conversation with the person standing next to you in the Starbucks line, or with the other parents at your kids’ little league game. Pick an area that you can easily walk into local businesses and go in and introduce yourself. Send letters to property owners. Oh, and pick up the phone and start making calls. While not everyone you talk to will need your services, they may know someone who does, or they may keep you in mind to work with in the future. You never know where you will find your next client, so be willing to strike up a conversation with anyone. Be friendly – don’t come across too pushy or have an aggressive sales pitch. The goal is to make new connections and casually let them know what you do.
Keep Track of Who You Talk To
Staying organized is easy with our commercial real estate CRM. You can quickly add in new contacts, make updates about when you last spoke with a contact, and set reminders about when to follow up with them. Not only is it important to keep track of who – and when – you talk to someone, but to also make notes about what the conversation entailed. Will that contact be in the market for a new place to lease next year? Are they thinking of purchasing a new property in a few months? If so, you don’t want to forget to follow up with them at the appropriate time. (Tip: Save time by using our exclusive Virtual Assistant team to input new contacts, notes, and follow up information.)
Do Your Homework
If you want to have a higher conversion rate with your prospecting techniques, understanding what your potential client’s needs is a key factor. Take a little time to do your homework before you reach out to a new prospect. Know their name, their title, how long they’ve been in business, and the type of property that best suits their needs. Is their lease expiring soon? Are they looking to add an additional location on the other side of town? Do they need more space to accommodate their growing team? The more information you know about your prospect, the more value you will be able to provide them.
Provide Value
Always remember that potential clients have a choice of who they want to work with. Why should they choose you as their broker? People like to work with people who they trust and connect with. Find common ground, do what you say you’re going to do, and always put their best interests first. Clients will hire you based on your knowledge of the market and your ability to successfully negotiate a deal in their favor. They are hiring you for the value you bring to the table. (Related Post: The Top 5 Ways To Become A CRE Power Broker)
Mastering the art of prospecting will have a huge impact on your commercial real estate business. Keep track of your contacts, properties, deals, and follow-ups with the only all-in-one CRM made specifically for the commercial real estate industry.