Jim Rohn
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Do you feel like you have to spend money on Facebook advertising, buy Zillow leads or cold call prospects because you’re not attracting an abundance of referrals?
If so, then perhaps what I’ll share with you can help.
Hi, I’m Jeffrey Nelson and I help real estate and mortgage professionals build their personal brand with instant authority and start attracting an abundance of referrals.
If you're like most real estate and mortgage professionals, you probably deliver great service but your clients aren’t referring enough prospects to sustain your lifestyle, and before long you’re searching for ways to get more leads.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
When you attract massive referrals, you no longer feel like you have a ball and chain weighing you down or feel the pressure of having to chase strangers and convert into clients.
The reason it’s not happening now isn’t entirely your fault because the traditional method of gathering referrals puts your customer relationships at risk and it’s why I put together this 5-step cheat sheet as a companion to my book, "Atomic Leads."
You deserve more and are capable, but first, I must warn you.
There’s someone who doesn’t want you to succeed and they are the #1 dream killer that you must slay if you want to achieve greatness.
It’s called “fear”.
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Fear creeps into our ears and whispers hidden discouragement. It comes in the form of ideas that make you believe you can’t succeed or the idea won’t work and before you know it you’re convinced you should be doing something else with your time.
Pushing fear to the curb is your first step toward achieving more success so you can enjoy more freedom in life and business. If you want to get ahead you have to be willing to take risks and be a leader. If you follow the pack the scenery never changes and it’s why you don’t find yourself at the top.
Ready for Launch?
Did you know the space shuttle uses over 50% of its fuel to overcome inertia when leaving it’s launchpad? We take for granted how much energy we need when starting something new.
It’s not how you finish, it’s how you start.
Nope, this isn’t a marathon. It’s a sprint because greatness can be achieved quickly if you take massive action with laser focus. Most people fail because giving up and quitting is an easier option when faced with the first sign of resistance.
When I look back at my biggest milestones I can see most of the energy spent was at the beginning of each one.
To help you get started as quickly as possible and to keep it super simple, this cheat sheet is boiled down to 5 major steps.
The first two steps involves your mindset. Before things can change your mind has to change first. The remaining three steps are about implementing the process.
The faster you take action, the quicker you will be on your way to changing the trajectory of your business and life.
Let’s get started!
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If you were trained, like me, to use the traditional method of asking for referrals, you want to stop.
It’s backfiring and here’s why...
When you ask for referrals you’re making your customers uncomfortable and risk straining their relationships with friends and family.
You’re involved in a high dollar transaction and when there’s more at stake people don’t feel comfortable referring their friends.
People don’t remember what you do or say, they remember how you made them feel.
You may be getting some referrals from asking, but you’re actually missing a massive amount by not having a formalized process based on gift giving.
Remember the old adage, “When you give you shall receive!”
Adapting this mindset will bring you closer to your customers, and momentarily you’ll discover the perfect gift to give them that helps you attract 10x your referrals.
Let's look at the next mindset you need to embrace.
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Embracing those two words will change where you spend your time and how you spend money on resources. Anything that deviates away from your vision isn’t supporting your purpose.
You can improve your closing percentage by 70% simply by being the first contact, but let’s be clear about what “being first” means.
In every marketplace, there’s 2% - 3% of potential buyers who are active. Most of these people are already working with a professional so you're too late.
Then there is 6% - 8% of potential buyers that are thinking about buying or selling a home. Because it’s a small segment, it’s highly competitive. It’s why advertising and buying leads is expensive.
Most real estate and mortgage professionals are under capitalized or they do not have the tenacity needed to convert cold leads into buyers.
It's OK though, let your competitors find out that they cannot spend their way to the top because there’s 30% of potential buyers who know they have a problem and this segment is untouched.
This is where you want to tap into because whoever gets to them first wins!
But here's the thing....
...it's untouched because they’re not ready to speak with a professional.
What's shocking is that this obstacle can become your hidden advantage as you'll discover in the next step.
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If 30% of potential buyers who know they have a problem but aren’t ready to speak to a professional than who are they talking to?
Your customer. The people who LIKE and TRUST you.
But why aren’t they referring these people who are just one-degree away from you in your network?
I’ll be short and to the point.
The reason you’re not getting more referrals is because you haven’t given your customer a reason to share their experience with others. They’re not gloating about you because you’re no different than every other Joe, Dick and Harry who call themselves a real estate or mortgage expert.
If what I just said stings, it should.
It’s not entirely your fault because if you’re a student of professional development you have probably followed the advice of other gurus telling you to differentiate and declare yourself as an expert.
Which is true, but you’re still missing one thing.
When everyone is making the same declarations, nobody stands out. The biggest obstacle you are up against is that there are too many real estate and mortgage professionals who call themselves experts.
So, there’s only one thing you can do to rise above it….
...become a local celebrity expert.
Chances are there is someone you know in your local market, even if they are in an unrelated industry, who benefits from being recognized as a local celebrity.
They enjoy more benefits than everyone else because they are in rarefied atmosphere where there is no competition.
The only reason they’re a local celebrity and you’re not is because they’re doing just a small handful of things differently that you could be doing just as easily too.
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They don’t buy leads or waste money on advertising trying to spend their way to the top.
Everything they do is about developing their personal brand as a celebrity because it gives their customers something unique to share with their friends and it’s how they generate 10x referrals.
Let me pull back the curtains so you can see the best place to start for becoming a local celebrity.
Become an author.
Why?
How many real estate or mortgage professionals do you know who have a book with their name on it?
It’s a major competitive advantage because authors benefit from instant authority.
Don’t have time to write it?
No worries! In a few moments, you'll find out how you can get your own book with your name as the author.
Once you have your book you’re ready to implement a proven system described in the next step so you can start attracting referrals like a magnet.
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It’s exciting when you see your name as the author of a book so you feel compelled to want to give everyone a copy.
Don’t give out books like candy. Why?
You are wired to instant gratification so if you don’t see results right away, you'll lose sight of your purpose and stop altogether.
My objective is to help you get results most efficiently so you want to find your promoters first.
Start by compiling a list of your customers, friends and family on a spreadsheet and highlight the ones who have referred you. It doesn’t matter if their referrals converted into a sale. You want to identify who among your sphere of influence has already demonstrated this valuable trait because it shows how much they LIKE and TRUST you.
If you’re new or haven’t received referrals from anyone then highlight people on your list who you believe would make an excellent promoter.
Next, find them on Facebook and print their list of friends. If you’re not sure how to find their friends just Google, “How to find my friends friends on Facebook,” or similar searches to find instructions.
If you don’t use Facebook then use LinkedIn. Search your network for promoters and then print their connections.
With copies of your book in hand, you want to personally meet each person and ask, “Would you feel comfortable recommending my book to your friends, family and co-workers?”
After they reply, “Yes!”
You say, “Great! Let me briefly explain who we should send my book to….(describe your ideal customer),” and without pausing ask, “Who on this list should we send a copy?”
The purpose of using their list of friends is so you make it as easy as possible for them to find potential customers.
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Don’t make the dastardly mistake of asking, “Do you know anyone?”
I’ve never heard anyone named, “Anyone," have you?
Instead of asking for referrals, which is "taking" something from your customer, you want to turn the tables by giving something.
The reason this works extremely well is because you are helping your customers to give a gift to their friends and family, which they'll love to do.
If it's not obvious then compare these two options:
Clearly the second option is smarter, right?
But it's probably not a strategy shared with you before so it's new and you're left with the choice of taking the red or blue pill as explained in the popular movie, "The Matrix."
Morpheus tells Neo that if he takes the blue pill, “the story ends," and he will wake up in his bed and believe whatever he wants to believe.
But if he takes the red pill, “you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
In life, most of us take the blue pill. Day after day, we choose to remain comfortable because it's easier.
Don't wish for things to be easier, wish you were better.
And this is why you don't have to worry about everyone becoming an author and using this strategy you're discovering now.
Sadly, the majority will not endure the pain of change and it's why you should take action!
Be willing to do the things others won't and it's how you climb to the top.
Now let me bring the brilliance of this together so you can see how you really can get 10x referrals.
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If you have practiced Step 4 with your promoters then you’ll be prepared for your signings.
If you don’t attend your signings, you’re missing the golden opportunity to be growing your future bank of referrals because it's the emotional peak of the entire transaction.
Every signing should be a celebration so bring a large gift basket and include a few of your books. Yes, part with a few bucks from the commission you earned and invest into your future.
Ask your customer if you can snap pictures to celebrate the occasion. You want to take photos at the different stages of the signing so you have a collection. Most importantly, all your pictures should show the customer smiling.
Here are the stages when you should snap pictures:
If there are other people participating in the signing, like an escrow officer or attorney, be sure to include them in your photos too.
After the paperwork is finished, the first question you want to ask, “Now that you’re officially a homeowner, how do you feel?”
If everything has gone smoothly, they should feel relieved.
Then you say, “Buying a home is not easy and can be emotional so I’m really proud of you for sticking to your dream and achieving it.”
With the customer emotionally engaged slide the large gift basket across the table. Share how much you appreciate the opportunity to serve them.
They’ll express gratitude and this is your moment to fill your future bank of referrals.
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Ask them, “Would you feel comfortable recommending my book to your friends and family who may be thinking about buying or selling a home?”
When they emphatically respond, “Yes!”, you say, “Great! Let me briefly explain who we should send my book to….(describe your ideal customer),” and without pausing ask, “Who on this list should we send a copy?”
I recommend mailing the book with your customer’s name as the return address so it arrives as a gift and include a note signed by your customer.
If you have the note pre-printed then the customer can sign it on the spot.
Hi First Name,
I think you’ll find this book a great resource.
The author is a personal friend so if you have questions, feel free to reach out to her.
Customer’s signature
Take your photo collection from the signing and post as a video on your Facebook Business Page.
Make sure to tag everyone in the post who appears in the video because they may share it too.
If you’re an advanced Facebook advertiser then after 24 hours, boost the post and target your custom audience with a $1 per day for 7 days.
Rinse and repeat at every signing.
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This is the part where I won’t sound like a nice guy, but it’s what you need to hear.
It’s always easier to make excuses than it is to make money. You can make excuses or you can make money, but you can’t do both.
As you read this cheat sheet, you may have been confronted by gremlins. These creatures appear in the form of excuses.
“This looks like too much work!”
“I don’t have enough time at signings to do all of this stuff!”
“Customers won’t have time to meet!”
"This guy is a blowhard and doesn't know what he's talking about!"
“What if it doesn’t work, I'll look stupid!”
“Is anyone else doing this and getting results because I don't want to be first?”
“I like the idea, but don’t know if I can do it because I haven't seen it before!”
It’s always easier to give up and quit when there’s resistance. We rationalize with an excuse because we don’t want to be accountable.
As professionals, we must work everyday at creating an environment of accountability. Besides the joy of helping families become homeowners, the next best thing is the feeling of achievement, wouldn't you agree?
I know you’re capable and you deserve more so believe in yourself. Taking action is the only way of exterminating gremlins!
Now flip to the next page and see how you can get your own book even if you're not a writer.
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