I have been playing here in the Rain for just over a year now, and I have been fortunate enough to have received a good number of referrals from my friends here. For the past 12 years or so, I have been selling homes here in Austin, Texas. Since our primary company website gets decent traffic, I usually get a few referrals just from random agents looking on Google or Yahoo. ActiveRain has enhanced these numbers considerably.
As a result, I have a new outlook on referrals, and I hope other members here share this mentality with me, as it will help all of us. When I am speaking with someone who is looking to relocate to Austin, I now know that I have an extensive network of solid agents around the country that I can depend on to help any potential clients who have a home to sell. Granted, this is not a quick process in some parts of the world, but I feel confident that I can find a professional with a moderate amount of research here on AR. Of course, there are certain cities where I don't have to think twice, as someone has already captured that area in my mind.
This is a big paradigm shift for me, since I never used to seek much referral income. If someone asked if I knew anyone in (Fort Worth, Scottsdale, New Orleans, Topanga, CA, Long Island, wherever), I would look at them blankly for a second and say something like, "I'm sure I can find someone good there," which meant Googling the area. In other words, any referrals that I sent kinda fell into my lap.
This is no longer necessary.
Now, my face lights up: "As a matter of fact, I have a good friend there who has been in real estate for eight years. You HAVE to call him if you are moving."
What a difference a year makes!
The same goes for my listing clients, if they are moving to a new area. "Have you found a good agent in ________ yet? If not, I would love to help. I know a LOT of agents across the country, thanks to my involvement in ActiveRain, which is a blogging and networking site." Yes, I have said this, pretty much verbatim.
If you are not on the lookout for these types of opportunities, you may be letting some income slip through your fingers. If you are looking for someone in Austin or central Texas, look no further. I would love the opportunity to help! If I am not able to help, I can guarantee that I can find someone suitable.
In fact, writing this post has given me a new idea. I need to promote this concept more heavily on my website!
Yesterday morning, I closed a referral from an agent in Boise, Idaho. It took me very little time, and the agent called me today to thank me for a job well done.
Thanks for your time!
Copyright 2008 Jason Crouch All rights reserved Austin Real Estate
If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere or subscribe via email?
If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!
The nice thing about our business is how well we cooperate. It's nice to be able to send a referral to another agent who you know will represent your clients well.
Give him the star already...whats taking so long?
And btw, what if someone asks about Myrtle Beach? Sheesh, I thought I was on the friends list :P
Jason
As large relocation entities continue to increase their fees, and with a nationally decreasing amout of business in general, it almost becomes a necessity to seek out additional sources of business revenue.. You are correct in your assessment of the value of AR for this!
This is great info. I have talked to many realtors that are in the Buffini system and they have stated similar info as it relates to referrals and fees.
Congrats and take care
Jason, I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts here on this post. In fact, although I haven't yet experienced a whole lot of incoming referrals, I am armed and ready with my arsenal of Active Rain agents around the country.
Our area is all about incoming referrals...we don't have many outgoing ones here since we are a destination place. I market though how I can help you buy & sell real estate around the world...people look at me crazy!
Gretchen - I agree completely. Thanks for your comment!
Jer - Do you know a good agent in Myrtle Beach? :) If you want to see the star on this post so badly, why don't you flag it for feature?
Trey - I plan to make this a bigger part of my business going forward. Thanks for your insightful comments!
Edward - I think I need to come up with my own sales system. Every time I talk about any of my ideas, someone says, "You think a lot like Buffini!" Maybe I should look into his materials.
Brian - I have received a decent number, but I would love to have more. Obviously, this is the first place that I will check for any potential outgoing referrals.
Jer - You came close to giving me a referral for your brother, and I guess I will be helping him eventually. I think it just boils down to looking for opportunities. In your case, you would be looking to refer business to listing agents in other markets as people are making Myrtle Beach their new home.
Jason - This is great info and something I hadn't thought too much about. Do you do anything specific to try to generate referrals on AR or have they just sort of come to you organically based on all the other stuff you do on AR?
-Al
I agree that this is a great resource to network with agents all over for referrals.
Hi Jason. I have a buyer that I am working with here in the Fort Worth area that needs to sell a house in Ohio and one in Florida. It was so very easy to tell her not to worry about finding her own agent to get the jobs done due to my nationwide referral network that I am a part of.
Who says we are just jacking around here in the Rain? I know who my Austin connection is for sure!
AL - They have just come to me organically so far. By the way, thanks for commenting on this one! :)
Rich - Me, too!
Jason, I agree. There are people here that I feel as though I know personally, even though wehaven't met in person. I would have no fear of referring clients to friends and associates that I know from blogging on this site. Active Rain is really a magical place!
MANDY - I like that line even better. Thanks for the tip! I will be using your verbiage from now on. I need to find a good agent in Fort Worth, though. Do you know anyone? :)
JIM - I feel the same way. Thankfully, I have been able to meet a bunch of them at a couple of AR gatherings, but even those I haven't met I feel very comfortable referring business to.
Jason, Just keep me in mind if you have a client needing a loan in Tennessee? Ditto to you in Austin.
JIMMY - Will do!
Great way to think...I've made a good amount just referring friends and family to other agents and now they reciprocate!
Congratulations on your successes with the referrals! I hope some day I can write some success stories of my own. In the meantime if you have anyone moving to Clarksville TN or Ft. Campbell KY keep me in mind. I would be happy to work with any of your clients you would refer to me.
Jason - I had no choice. You write great stuff and since I joined my-blog-log my ugly melon gives me away every time I visit here. Sometimes technology sucks.
Edward - Good for you!
Meli - Do you know Jimmy McCall? :) He is also in Clarksville and commented just before you above.
Al - I was just giving you a hard time. Thanks again!
Hey Jason, I think if we agents, mortgage officers, inspectors and all the other in our business keep on working here in the Rain, we can keep more money in our own pockets, not put it in LEAD GENERATION INTERNET marketing companies. We can get to know folks here and we have, hey, IF I DIDNT LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTIN I WOULD REFER YOU TOO :)) .. but seriously, one day that could happen, I dont work Round Rock or Georgetown. :) Take care, and thanks for the good post.
GAIL - I appreciate that VERY much. You are too kind. I agree with your take on the lead generation companies.
See I told ya the gold star was coming!
Jason- I love to give referrals. Since we don't work with buyers before we hired our buyers agent we would refer all the buyers, even the ones for our own town out to agents. It is an additional stream of income which Lenn Harley is the queen of. I know who I think of when the word Austin comes up! That is a given! My son says you are very nice and kind.
JER - Are you psychic?
KATERINA - I actually mentioned your name today during a conversation with a fellow AR friend talking about people here who have done a good job branding themselves with their markets. Thanks for your confidence! By the way, did your son ever find a place here to rent?
If you are not on the lookout for these types of opportunities, you may be letting some income slip through your fingers.
Good evening Jason,
Excellent point. Referrals can put some nice extra money in your pocket. In fact, I heard an agent in FL explain how she earned over $80K just from her referrals last year. That's an exceptional case, that would not be easy to duplicate, but many AR agents and brokers can probably learn from your post and start devoting a little more attention to referrals. Quickly taking care of referrals is one of the many strengths of the Active Rain network. If any of my clients have referrals for Austin, I won't have to think twice. I will immediately direct them to you.
Sincerely,
Bruce
Jason, I have to admit my opinion has changed also. So how do you plan to promote this on your website?
Jason - RE/MAX has a very easy to use referral system. But I honestly prefer to find someone on AR. I can read them and know that whether they will represent the clients well. After all, we attach our names to the referral.
Referrals are a great source of business and also of networking. I actually received a referral yesterday from someone I referred a client to eight months ago!
Jason- I have yet to receive any client or referral business, through AR. Reading these success stories is encouraging, so I continue to play in the rain. I also feel that I now "know" a lot of agents, in different cities, throughout the states. Hopefully, I will get to be known, for Westport, CT.
BRUCE - Those are some terrific results, to be sure. I would be happy to generate half of that amount!
MARCHEL - I think I may say something along the lines of what Amanda indicated above ("nationwide referral network", etc.). I think devoting one page off of the home page for this would work wonders. It might capture a few additional possibilities.
ERIK - I will always look here first, for the reason you described. Good stuff!
Jason.... it's funny, when I read your comment about your face now lighting up when you can now send them to someone that you have great faith in. I am the same way and just recently lit up when I had a buyer find me from my blogs in Miami and I was able to send them to Ines & Rick... and about marketing it more? As I mentioned, we will be speaking soon, because if you remember, I plan on doing this on my outside blog site.
SIMON - Sounds like it's working as it should!
MARILYN - Keep on blogging, and they will likely come. Either way, I think it's important to keep our eyes open for referral opportunities outside of our own markets, especially in challenging economic times.
JEFF - I think I will be doing something similar. I would be interested in discussing this again sometime in order to brainstorm a bit.
Thanks for sharing Jason; I'm new to Active Rain and look forward to serving any referrals that the associates may refer to me in Huntsville, AL. If you hear of anyone moving to or selling in Huntsville or Madison AL it would be my pleasure to serve them.
I am in the Buffini program and it is a great system to help you work your sphere of influence; reasonably priced for the excellent materials that are provided; coaching is also available. You can check it out at http://www.buffiniandcompany.com/
Jason~That's great that an Idaho agent was able to send you some business!
I would be leary about referring someone I had just googled, but here on AR it is easy to get a feel for what a person is like, and if they would be a good fit for your friend or family member.
Those are some terrific results, to be sure. I would be happy to generate half of that amount!
Yes. Most people would be. I've heard of an agent in NJ that supposedly earns over $100K annually from referrals but I was never able to verify that report. The FL agent I mentioned is earning above average referral income, but she has deliberately structured her business in a different way from most agents. On the other side of the coin, she only had five or six personal transactions in 2007.
wish the one we tried to give you had worked out. there will be a next time, though. hope you're well,
cheers
You are SO right...thanks for the reminder and I'll follow you lead!
Great inspiration and your right.. work on that website>>> that's where it is all pointing to.
Stan
stanley.stepak@realliving.com
Avon Lake Ohio
Jason - I feel the same way! Thank you for saying it so eloquently! I know who to send clients to in Austin!
Great post Jason, I love referrals! One point I think that is important with calling other active rain members to give a referral (and most people may automatically do this ) is to mention you found them through active rain. I have been getting those little e-mails and even a phone call once but I think it was one of the scam companies and I really don't want to deal with them, but would love nothing more than to do a wonderful job for a fellow active rain member.
Hi Jason...I'll put you in for another gold star when you send a referral my way.
I just know that you have dozens of people asking you on a daily basis if you can recommend an agent at Lake Anna. It happens to all of the agents everywhere. Folks don't even have to mention the state. It's amazing.
Stop holding out on me...share the bounty.
Congratulations on the feature and most of all on the additional business you've received.
Kate
Jason, I agree with you! I have had referrals from agents I know here on the Rain and have been very successful. I also know many great agents throughout the country so that I can send my clients to someone that I know is a great agent!
I think AR is a great way to do this as it allows agents to get to know each other from many different parts of the country, much less of a stab in the dark than many other methods.
CRAIG - I will keep you in mind if I have anyone moving to or from your area. Thanks for the link and for your opinions.
Exactly right ... and we'll be remembering you for any people we have who need to move to your area.
When I hear Austin I think Jason Crouch. You have done an excellent job of networking making friends.
JASON - As you know, I was working on building a network before joining AR. I had limited it to RE/MAX agents because I had access to the national database. It was a very time-consuming process, and I was limited to how many areas I could reach in a short period of time. Now, I can safely tell people that I can find them an agent anywhere in the country. I no longer believe that it matters at all what company someone is affiliated with. In fact, sometimes I don't even know who someone is with, but I do know that they would be my first choice in many areas. If I had to do research, it would be much better to read the blog of a fellow agent than to interview them for a few minutes on the phone. If you want to get to know the real agent, check out their blog. Good post, worthy feature.
The concept of referrals from online realtionships one builds here and elsewhere in cyberspace, is not something often discussed, or well known, outside of these cyber-agent forums. I know because I'm new here and most of the 230 agents in our office in Silicon Valley have little idea what goes on in places like AR [highly ironic isn't it, being we're the techie capital of the world, yet very few are involved in AR and the like??]
Anyway, I'm very glad to have discovered it, and your post here Jason is great confirmation for me...Thanks!
It definitely helps getting to know agents through AR. I know before that I would just have to look up someone from another Keller Williams office, and try to find them through the Internet or their broker. Not always the best way to go. At least, we all can get to know each other through reading blogs and comments and a phone call or two. I think that one of the big benefits of AR is the potential referral network we each create for our clients and for ourselves as well as the rest of our team.
Yeah, I do have a few that need me to find someone to sell their home, but most that we have are coming from hometown where they know an agent...that agent sends them to someone here. Either way, find those people who want my area & send them already :)
Jason I have recently referred some good friends in Charleston to an Active Rain member and they are thrilled with the service they have received down there! It is really a great feeling knowing that I can count on some folks all over the WORLD! Just awesome!
Yes we do have a great network on active rain to send clients to.. Good agents in the rain
Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said. Amanda even took my spiel with the nationwide referral network line! I actually was contacted by a potential buyer last week who needs to sell a home in another part of the country - when I found out exactly where she lived, I immediately had a Rainer in mind for the referral, even though we had never spoken personally! I looked like a rock star to her since she was not happy with the agent who sold her the house and needed to find a new one. Networking in the Rain is soooooo worth it :)
Hey Jason! You are so sweet to mention Topanga in your post. My google alert was ringing! I know that having such a small little niche does not stir up a lot of referral traffic, but who knows? I can put them in a home away from the city hustle but just a short skip away from the city action. Anyone looking at the west side of Los Angeles might just fall in love with Topanga. I did!
::end Topanga commercial::
I know I have my Austin referrals covered -- Nobody does it better than Jason Crouch.
Elaine - Maybe you just found your song for this month's contest. ;)
Jason, Wow! I love your enthusiasm. You have been a very busy man. And it will all pay off in the end. What goes around COMES around...Keep up the good work.
The greatest challenge is finding someone who will handle a referral in the same way as you! Thanks for posting this!
I hope you know you have a go to guy in Spokane Washington ;]
Great stuff Jason! I know the next referral I have to give I will find it via Active Rain! You are my man in Austin ... Texas is a great place to live!!!!!!!!
When I was with RE/MAX (almost 12 years) I had a very active network of agent to agent referrals. I always took special care to go a great job for those referrals as their home town agent was looking for a good agent for them.
I have only been Raining for a few months now. I'm looking forward to some of these referrals!
I'd venture a guess that most of us don't capitalize on the cross country/continent referral opportunities we have as a result of A/R participation...........its training your mind and ears to hear ' whenever people mentioning coming from or going to an area outside our own........and automating our response.......Oh have I got the realtor for you! It should be like a Realtor Pursuits game! |
Jason,
That blog hit the nail on the head. AR has given us all a place to look, make contacts, and find a great Realtor to refer our friends, family and other SOI. Thanks AR and thanks Jason for giving me someone to refer to in Austin.
I've sent 2 listing referrals to members of AR. I actually did a blog post on my most recent experience. it's titled You never get a 2nd chance to make a good 1st impression! Check it out.
Jason, I actually used AR tonight to find an appraiser in an area that my "regular" appraiser doesn't do. It is much better (IMHO) than just Googling and I have used AR many times for that. This is my new primary resource for all things real estate related!
Hi Jason, Good post! Referrals are so important and Active Rain is a wonderful place to get and send referrals. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to meet and get to know so many fine agents across the country.
Jason,
I have started getting some referral calls from agents in other places because they remember me from Activerain. I really think the more we are involved here the more the Realtors will remember us when they need to refer to someone. Remember I am in West Tennessee north of Memphis and close to Reelfoot Lake and the Mississippi river!
Jason- Thanks for sharing your success from what you have been doing on Active Rain. it is encouraging as someone who is just getting started and I look forward to building friendships and meeting people whom I can refer.
Jason,
I could not agree with you more. We rely heavily on our referral business which just keeps growing. I am fairly new to AR though some of our other team members have been active for quite some time. It is great to get to know individuals thru this network that you can call on when the opportunity arises and this of course goes both ways. We are in metro Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
Good luck to you,
Carole
Jason, Ive only been 1 week in the Rain, And I have already tagged agents that I would refer to, based on their Beliefs reflected in their posts. Glad to hear it will be worth it
AR is great to give and receive referrals from. The more referrals you recive that means you are doing a great job.
Ahhhh the Power of the RAIN!
When I first joined AR it was because I wanted to build my business, network with my peers and learn about my industry. Who knew I would be giving and getting referrals from AR members.
Jason,
Thank you for the information! I am new to active rain and this type of "duh-i-should-have-known-that" info is just what I need to figure out how things work around here.
Thanks,
Emily
Jason, I love that I am able to put on website and brochures, "If you are looking to move to another area, I have developed relationships with a realtor in almost every major city in the U.S." It is nice to feel that you have a family backing you up and ready to help. Active Rain has given me a lot of confidence with my career; this is just one area AR has helped.
Thanks for the idea about promoting referrals on a website. Great idea...I'm going to take it one step further and put it in my monthly newsletter...
Activerain is an incredible tool for our business referrals! I love it!
Jason - I'm relatively new to Active Rain, but I now know if I have someone moving to your area who to contact...thats a great idea. I really hadn't put that much stock into referrals before but it looks like it can definitely payoff.
I'm a firm believer in paying it forward so now that I have referral network, I will definitely seek agents on Active Rain first...perhaps what goes around will come around for me in the future as well!
Thanks for a great post...
I am just getting my feet wet here at AR and I'm loving every minute of it. My only regret is that I didn't join sooner!!
Jason... Great post... congratulations on all the referrals you are recieving.
I am glad to see how much success you've had here Jason! I feel as though I do "know" you and wouldn't hesitate to send a referral your way. I like sending the referrals through this network, it is more personal than the RE/MAX referral network.
Yes! you are right. Thanks for sharing.
I'm very new to the AR concept....sounds like it offers alot of business-building potential (which is why I am here...make no mistake!). I have always been hesitant to jump in on the blogging concept, but there is no time like the present, I suppose! It's encouraging to see that this venue has been a good one for so many, facing the challenges in today's market....just when I need the inspiration.....not to mention the referrals !!!! :0)