Starbucks isn’t
only the place to pick up your daily triple nonfat latte with a
drizzle of caramel and extra foam on the side — it’s also a great place to
find leads.
In Lab Coat Agents, James Michaelin recounts how he got two leads
in one morning at Starbucks thanks to good listening and quick action.
“I overheard a business meeting that someone was starting a
business and they brought up needing to find a Realtor for a location,” he
wrote. “Well, [the] keyword Realtor was said so of course I introduced myself,
gave my card to both of them and they [wanted] to get together soon.”
Twenty minutes later, James got another lead from a man who
overheard his conversation with the two businessmen.
As it turns out, Michaelin isn’t the only agent who uses
Starbucks as a lead-generating tool. There’s been a lot of chatter
online over the past two months about the power of Starbucks and other
places like it, such as Panera Bread or even Dunkin’ Donuts.
Here’s some of the advice agents gave on how to make Starbucks
work for you:
1. Mark
it on your weekly schedule
Raj Qsar goes to Starbucks three times a week to do local
real estate research and work on handwritten thank-you notes. Because of
his consistency, customers expect Qsar to be there and look forward
to asking him questions.
2. Make
your presence known
Agents aren’t the only people who use Starbucks as a second
office. Most of the people are there are to get work done and rarely look up
from their phone, tablet or laptop.
So how do you let people
know a Realtor is in the room? JT Takacs suggests telling the
cashier to write “Realtor (insert name)” on your cup, so when
the barista calls your name, everyone will know your profession. Also, it never hurts to wear a name tag or Realtor badge.
3. Discreetly advertise
yourself with branded accessories
Order a customized laptop cover that has your name, logo,
website URL and a great call-to-action. Amanda Miller Hudson says: “I have the
Realtor ‘R’ logo in sticker form over the apple on my MacBook Pro. It works! I
picked up a seller lead last November at Panera.”
4. Focus
on making personal connections before generating leads
What agents love about Starbucks is the chance to get from
behind the tech wall and make real-time, face-to-face
connections. Don’t stop in with the expectation that you’ll walk out
with a handful of deals each day, because as many will attest, there
will be days and weeks when you won’t.
But you will build the relationships and familiarity
crucial to establishing your brand and long-term success.
5. Offer
on-the-spot advice
When Zillow evangelist Jay Thompson goes to Starbucks,
he brings a sign that says: “Have a real estate question? Fire away!”
And he buys a cup of coffee for those who are brave enough to take
the offer.
6. Bring marketing
materials
This seems like a given, but some may
feel apprehensive about bringing their regular marketing materials
with them into Starbucks. David Fresquez suggests having a set of “ready-made
buyer or seller folders that includes information about you, your latest
accomplishments along with some social proof.”
Keep these folders in your briefcase, backpack or bag and give
them to your potential lead once your conversation is done.
7. Small
sacrifices can hook a big fish
At Luxury Connect in
October, Josh Altman shared a story about how he was able to snare a sale at
Starbucks. He frequents one Los Angeles store in particular and
had purchased his coffee when he saw a well-known celebrity join the line.
So Altman threw out his just-procured drink and stepped in line
behind the celeb, struck up a conversation and discovered he was looking for a
home. He offered the star $1,000 to come with him to a place he thought would
fit the bill — certain it was perfect. And it was. Being willing to throw
out the coffee and offer money to show sincerity generated a happy ending to
the story, a $12 million sale.
Original Content Inman News
No comments:
Post a Comment