Your Guide to Elevating Your Client Events in 2022
If you’re looking to build brand recognition and a robust referral network, client events are a simple (but – as all worthy things – not easy) way to do so, while contributing to the sense of community of the area which you serve. Whether you are just starting out in real estate or have a well-oiled machine of a team, there is no reason to be intimidated by the thought of client events.
“Your clients want to hear from you. Don’t be that agent who does a transaction and never keeps in touch with their client again,” says Lana Rodriguez, a Colorado Springs rainmaker who started her own client event journey by hand-delivering pumpkin pies to her sphere in 2014. “If you want to start, start small. Go door-to-door and deliver that pie. Because, guess what? Your competition is not doing that.”
Since her door-to-door delivery days, Rodriguez has sharpened her client-event planning skills to match her business’s evolution: a business that is on track for 300 transactions and breaking over $100M in volume for its first time, all done strictly via referral. In 2022, start planting the seeds for your own evolution with event tips from Rodriguez and fellow top agent Janice Overbeck – an industry veteran with a packed client events schedule, while staying on track to sell more than 315 units for 2021.
Step 1: Choose Your Calendar Approach
“When I’m creating the event calendar for the year, I make sure to catch all the major holidays so families can come and celebrate the occasion with us,” Rodriguez says. In thinking through her upcoming year, she maps out its entirety at the very beginning of the year. She tries to book all venues 90 to 120 days in advance, and 30 days before an event is scheduled to happen, the team starts focusing heavily on it. If planning the entire year at the beginning seems overwhelming, you may value a different approach. On her end, Overbeck, whose team puts on more than 50 events per year, sets calendar reminders four months ahead of each event in order to start advertising it on social media.
As each event approaches, Rodriguez shares a five-step plan to make sure everyone who is invited is well aware of it. Her team touches each client by:
Creating and sending them a Facebook invitePosting the invitation within a private Facebook group the team has already createdSending over a hard mailer Sending a video invitation (ideally from the venue) through an email blastGiving one additional personal touch, like a call or text14 Client Event Ideas for Your 2022 Calendar
Rodriguez and Overbeck have both reached mega agent status, bringing in hundreds of people per event and even being in possession of their own mega agent offices, perfect for hosting (Overbeck’s office is located on a major road and features a massive electric billboard; Rodriguez’s team is in the last stretch of developing an office space in the heart of Downtown Colorado Springs). However, the following idea bank can be adapted for your own circumstances and resources. Here are some events to consider adding to your arsenal in 2022:
Related reading: Five Steps to Putting Together the Perfect Thanksgiving Client Event
Ultimately, the most important part of succeeding with client events is staying authentic. “Trying to put on a good event for people because you want people to have fun is important,” shares Overbeck. “I think if you go into it trying to grow your business, it can come off as inauthentic.”
“Hosting these events fills my love meter for myself and my team,” says Rodriguez. “I believe there’s something really special about breaking bread with people. And, if you provide these experiences to your clients, you will differentiate yourself from the competition.”