If you are still referring to what you do as “real estate transactions,” please step aside and let another agent take center stage—one who has made the mental and emotional leap from transacting to transforming clients’ and customers’ lives.

A transaction, by definition, is one single sale or purchase. It belies the real value in building the client relationship … the coveted referral. Referrals are earned by creating the transformational environment for the customer/client. When the agent takes all of the information out there today and transforms it into knowledge that is actionable toward helping clients/customers achieve their goals, then and only then is it transformational. The knowledge gained transforms the sales process into one where the agent earns the right to ask and receive a referral. Referrals are our life-blood and our reputations depend upon them!

It takes a great deal of time and money to generate new business, whereas it takes far less to garner business from folks who already know and trust us and would be happy to share our high-level service with those for whom they care.

No one wants to refer someone whom they feel did nothing more than give out information. With all due respect to my readers, it takes zero skill to give out information. If that constitutes a good portion of your “service,” perhaps a career as a phone operator is in the offing? When customers experience a transformational process, they willingly become the client of the agent and allow the agent to provide them with the maximum service level possible.

Any client/customer who can say, “yes,” to having experienced transformational service would be delighted to be a character reference for the agent time and again. If the research is correct, within a lifetime career in real estate an agent can count on one good client being the original source of 7 transactions or more. So, start transforming your relationships into referral gold mines! When the process is transformational, clients/customers feel:

1. Valued and listened to throughout the relationship
2. Safe to go forward and make important decisions based upon the feedback they get from their agent
3. The agent should and will tell them what they need to know to make great business decisions, even if that information is not necessarily what they want to hear
4. They are part of a team and one cannot succeed unless they both succeed
5. The agent knows his/her stuff … here and now, totally up- to-date on market trends and news, both locally and nationwide
6. They can bring any information/ questions to the agent and the agent will help them sort it out in a way that they understand (not in “agenteese”)
7. Confident they are in good hands and have no need to talk with ten other agents to make a decision…

Marylyn B. Schwartz, CSP, is an expert in real estate and corporate sales training/management and team development. She is a real estate trainer for Leader’s Choice.