When it comes to forming lasting relationships with your clients and referral partners, there are two key things to remember. First, you want to make sure that they’re often reminded of you throughout their day-to-day lives: even if they haven’t worked with you in a number of months. Secondly, your partner or client should feel as if you genuinely care about their personal lives and needs.
These two goals can be established if you maintain consistent communication with your partners and past clients, but gift-giving is an often overlooked strategy that can further strengthen your partnerships. If loan officers can tactfully learn the best times to give appropriate gifts throughout the loan process, Tim Braheem explains that it’s far more likely that they’ll receive more referrals and business down the road.
If you’re new to the mortgage business, or if you’ve simply never thought about sending gifts to your clients, you might be wondering why Braheem focuses so much on this specific topic. The items you freely give away to those you have worked with aren’t supposed to be expensive or lavish or exceptionally unique; in fact, most mortgage loan officers send presents that they know will be used often by the client. For example, one may simply send a cozy blanket, or a portable cell phone charger. So, what’s the significance of small items like these?
Braheem, along with the other group members of the Leadership 360 Program, strongly agree that the gifts they send to their clients are carefully selected based on what is most likely to add value to their clients’ lives. A loan officer working in Minnesota, for instance, may give a client an ice scraper for their car and a pair of soft mittens. No matter how many times a gift may be used, the client will always be reminded of the kind person who gave it to them.
The first time you should send a gift should be right after the client’s loan is approved. Braheem recommends sending a basket of perishable goodies, such as fresh fruit or bakery treats, to the client’s workplace. This is an incredibly smart tactic for a couple of reasons:
The next time you should select a milestone gift for your client should occur after closing. These gifts should be valuable, long-lasting, and able to be used repeatedly. In the video, Braheem recalls being given a jar opener on one occasion, and he still thinks of the person who gave it to him whenever he uses it. Items like jar openers, address labels, chip clips, and blankets can remind your clients of you long after they’ve settled into their new home.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine what types of items your clients will actually find useful and valuable. If you’re not sure what you should get for a client or referral partner, marketer and writer Meg Prater suggests keeping these 3 helpful strategies in mind:
For more business and life tips from Tim Braheem, check out our other personal development blogs by clicking here!
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