Having a strong network of Realtors is pertinent to the success of a given new home sales agent and community. Without a vast contact base of other sales professionals, it can often times be difficult to earn referrals and gain the trust of prospective buyers. Building up relationships with the Realtor community is a must and hosting SAMI events and promotions geared towards them is the perfect way to do so.
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To identify the top prospect marketing initiatives being utilized in the industry today, we took to New Home Connect™, New Home Star’s proprietary sales enablement platform. We posted our question in New Home Connect’s Peer Learning, a tool that sales agents can turn to their peers across the country for answers and advice to the situations they are currently facing. The initiatives below represent the feedback that we received to our question:
“What are the most effective SAMIs that you are currently utilizing, or have utilized, to earn referrals from the Realtor community?”
Realtor Appreciation Events: “We are hosting a Realtor Appreciation Day themed specifically around the month of adoration, February. We will be creating a vibe that aligns with Valentine’s Day, making use of decorations, sweets, and giveaways. We will offer complimentary mandatory CE classes, warm breakfast, catered lunch, and headshots. The whole day will be centered around taking care of our Realtors’ mind, body, and soul. We intend to use Facebook Live to capture this.”
-Anika J. (Sales Associate in Florida)
Catchy Themes: “To target Realtors, we have thrown different themed events, including ‘We Love our Realtors’ for Valentine’s Day and ‘Lucky to Have You’ for St. Patrick’s Day. These can include anything from special Realtor drops with goodie bags to a grand community event. It is all about being creative and having a simple, catchy theme. Make it memorable!”
-Jennifer M. (Sales Leader in Chicago)
Cross-Community Sales Pushes: “Last year, we had a lot of great inventory homes ready to close in Q1 for the early spring sales and closings push. My partner and I oversaw several communities and decided to host an event that would target all three of them. Our event was essentially an incentivized massive open house for all of our inventory homes. We rewarded each Realtor with an ‘enter to win’ drawing ticket for every home that they visited. By doing this, we were able to collect registration cards, answer questions face-to-face, and meet with potential buyers!”
-Justine J. (Selling Sales Manager in Idaho)
Realtor “Passport” Programs: “Basically, it works like this: The sales associate gives each Realtor a ‘passport.’ For every inventory home they visit, they receive a ‘stamp’ on their 'passport,' administered by the sales counselor. Once they have obtained enough ‘stamps,’ the Realtor receives some sort of prize. This concept can be utilized a number of ways. You can issue stamps for every prospect they bring to the builder’s community, for every spec home they visit, for every client they register, for every Realtor friend they bring to the model home, etc. You basically reward the agent for taking the desired action.”
-Nick C. (Senior Sales Leader in Arizona)
Targeting the Top Producers: “Unfortunately, our SAMI events often fail at attracting the top producing Realtors. It is common for Realtors to come for the food and gifts, but never bring a client our way. We can overcome this by being thoughtful with the Realtor SAMIs that we choose to execute. For example, consider asking for a ‘$500-$1000 bonus voucher’ to give every Realtor in attendance for any contract written within two or three months following the event. If this attracts the ‘top producers’ to your community, you can sell them on your process and quality. They will be hooked!”
-Lawrence K. (Community Sales Manager in South Carolina)
Topgrading Your Realtor Contacts: “Our entire division is currently focusing efforts on Realtor outreach and increasing our co-op rates. As of late, I’ve been working on building personal relationships with Realtors who sell in my area and at my price point. The goal is to top-grade my five favorite Realtors the same way that we top-grade our sales teams. Essentially, Realtors are extra team members; of course, we want to work with the best. Remember, SAMI is all about persistence, repetition, and making other people feel important.”
-Becky S. (Community Sales Manager in Texas)
Constant Communication: “I am consistently reaching out to my Realtor contacts. Whether it be reverse prospecting for inventory homes, mass mailing marketing collateral, or sending personalized invitations for community events; it is critical to keep in touch with your Realtor partners. My goal is to make them feel like they are getting a ‘leg up’ for the busy season and that they have found a secret hidden gem.”
-Victoria R. (Community Sales Manager in Chicago)
There are many different Realtor focused Sales Associate Marketing Initiatives that can enable sales professionals to establish and maintain strong relationships with their existing or newer contacts. We encourage you to plan at least one initiative a month and always remember to guide your audience through the most favorable thought process. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it can make!
Take a look at our extensive step-by-step Realtor marketing initiative guide for additional tips!
