Just had lunch yesterday with a long-time client and friend and yes, I did have french fries.  Bad boy!  (every once in a while, you know).  🙂

And it reminded me how important it is for Epic listing agents to meet up with their past clients, their SOI and their friends belly to belly, as they say.

Meeting up with them on a regular basis is critical I believe to cementing your relationship with them, understanding their needs, their desires, their dreams and deepening the ties you have with them. 

I make a point to meet with one past client a week.  Sometimes its dinner, sometimes it’s just drinks and mostly it’s lunch.  I like lunches better because I don’t drink alcohol that much, it’s usually quieter and you have a concentrated one hour block of time with them. 

But here is the rub. 

DO NOT talk about yourself unless you are asked by them.

Sure, be vulnerable, tell them how you would react in that situation they are talking about, and be honest when they do ask you questions about you.

But one of the things I notice in social situations is that a lot of people have diarrhea of the mouth and go on and on about themselves. 

How boring!

Establishing rapport with your clients is all about you asking them questions about themselves.  Not blathering on about yourself.

Invariably, they will ask you about real estate and then you can talk about the market and how they are doing with their real estate investment(s).

And at my lunch yesterday, my client, out of the blue, told me he and his partner are thinking seriously about buyer this major home in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco and selling their current home.  I had no idea! 

So I will represent them on the buy side AND on the sell side and all for the cost of a $30 lunch.

Best $30 I spent all year.

So get working on your belly NOW!