Whenever a client of yours moves, we all know the one thing they must do:  Change their address.

This presents a HUGE opportunity for you to help them with this chore and accumulate a lot of names on your database.

Here’s a quick and easy strategy to WOW your clients and build your business by sending out “Change of Address Post Cards”.

Linda Denovan, a Top Agent from Lake Havasu City, AZ, understands the relationship-building power of this strategy first hand:

“As a closing gift for my buyers I create a note card with a photo of the front of their new home.  I make return address labels for the envelopes and add stamps.

On the back of the note cards is printed  “Made especially for …. from Linda Denovan” with MY phone number.

My information then goes out to all of their friends when they mail the cards showing off their new home.  In addition, I let them know they can “re-supply” their note cards or return address labels at any time.  Not only does it make a great gift but my clients think of me whenever they send a card AND the recipient does too!”

Let’s take Linda’s idea and “kick it up a notch”…

How To Use The “Change of Address
Post Card System” To
Clone Your Best Clients…

This strategy leverages off the TRUST your buyers have with their contacts so your mail is seen in a more positive light than when you farm for clients.  And if you liked working with your buyers, chances are their friends will be great clients too.

Studies show that people make friends and tend to associate with others just like them. So this is a laser-targeted approach to cloning your best clients.  If you didn’t enjoy working with a client, this strategy can still work to find the “gems” out there who are ready to buy or sell.

Here’s how to execute this viral list-building system…

STEP 1: Get a great PHOTO of the home

Linda sends out note cards in envelopes but I’d suggest sending out a post card with an eye-catching photo of the home on the one side and the new address on the other.

If you really want to impress your clients, make it an outstanding photo.  Why?

Because it does TWO things:  First, it shows you care enough to continue to provide great service after the transaction (your clients will remember this and tell others).  And two, it demonstrates your skill at getting a great photo of a home.  This is a subtle way to have your buyers think of YOU when it’s time for them or their friends to sell their home.

If you’re strapped for time you could use an image of a house, with a headline, “We Moved.”  But remember, buyers want to show off their new home, not just their new address…so try to make it look good.

STEP 2: Make a great OFFER

Having your name and number on the cards will help you give you an “introduction” to your clients’ friends.  But an even better approach is to include an OFFER for free information on the card so you can maximize your opportunity for business from this strategy.   What could you offer?

• A FREE market analysis for SELLERS
• A FREE list of homes for BUYERS
• A FREE report for “Saving Thousands When Buying A Home”

The possibilities are limitless…

STEP 3: MAIL the post cards

You’re best bet is to mail the post cards FOR your clients, this way you know they’ll get out.   And it gives you a reason to ask for the names and addresses of their contacts (which by the way you can use to start sending their friends your helpful and informative Service For Life issue every month).

Or, you can give a stack of the post cards to your clients.  One bit of advice:  make it easy for them to send it out by putting the stamp on the cards for them.  They’ll appreciate it and more importantly… the post cards are more likely to get in the mail so your offer gets seen.

Want an EXAMPLE post card?

OK, here’s a “Change Of Address Post Card” a number of agents are using with great success, along with my notes on what makes a great “direct response” post card.

ANATOMY Of A “Change of Address Post Card ”

(Note:  click the image and zoom in to see the detail)

QUESTION:  Can you e-mail the “Change of Address” notice?  Yes, but with a few important caveats…

1. Your buyer needs to send the email so their friends recognize the “From Name.”  Or, if you send the email to their contacts…include your buyer’s name in the “subject line” of the email so it gets opened and read.
2. Still include a great photo of the new home in the email.  Use a system that can produce full-color HTML emails with the photo, new address, and your offer…or have a link to your website with the picture and this information.
3. You could email AND mail these notices to your buyer’s contacts.  Chances are they can easily send a mass email, so printing and mailing the physical post cards will be seen as a more valuable service to them.  And your offer will be seen by more people if sent by mail.

After a few weeks, ask your clients if they got the post cards in the mail and if they need any more printed, or ask them if the emails were sent. Then continue to follow-up with your clients and their contacts (if you have their mailing/email addresses) with a monthly real estate newsletter that is not all about real estate – so it’s welcomed and valued instead of trashed.

[Ed note: This article is a small excerpt from the "Fast-Track to Success" Turn-Key Real Estate Business Building System. To learn more click here.]

Here’s a great example of how to use a unique postcard to get the word out and sell your listings fast…

Agent Mike Haywood creates a simple postcard to leverage his network and promote his listings.  But look carefully, there are THREE things he does differently than most agents, and ONE important referral programming technique he uses to maximize his results…

You’ll notice from his description and example that he, 1) Doesn’t send post cards to everyone, 2) Uses his close relationship with his ‘house list’ (sphere) to leverage his selling power, 3) Promotes the BENEFITS  of the listing (“quiet Cul-de-sac,” “perfect patio for entertaining,” and “stunning views”), and 4) Makes a specific request (“Who do you know”…that would like to buy this specific house) – this ONE element alone turns his post card into a conversation piece for the members of his sphere to spread the word to friends and family.  Asking for specific action is far more effective than asking the general question, “Who do you know that’s in the market to buy or sell a home?”

Here’s Mike’s description and a picture of his postcard below:

“As an agent who operates strictly from referral, I like to do a lot of marketing to a small sphere.  With every new listing I take I send out ‘Who do you know’ cards to everyone in my group.  Just a small 4 1/4 inch by 5 1/2 inch post card with some pictures and a brief description of the home and asking if they know of anyone who may be interested in it.

This never fails to generate calls and many times I sell my listings right away.  The real benefit is that it plants a seed that when it comes time to sell we are going to call Mike because no one else markets this way and he will get our home seen.”