There is a mixed opinion on thank you gifts for both buyer and sellers. Some agents only do seller gifts, while other agents do neither. In my opinion there is no better way to continue to build rapport and invoke the Law of Reciprocity to show both sellers and buyers how much you like them by giving them something.
So, now that we have covered WHO, let’s look at WHEN you give them the gift.
Most agents give a gift at the handover of keys just after settlement. In my opinion, this is the worst time to give the sellers or buyers a gift. Think about what is going on in the life of a seller or buyer on settlement day. It’s a busy period, in fact, they are usually knee deep in boxes and don’t know whether they are Arthur or Martha. If you now load your small token of appreciation on top of that, they are likely to forget about it.
The best time to hand over the gift is two weeks after the settlement. Book an appointment with the sellers and buyers in their new home and formally hand over the gift. By now the dust has settled and they should be a lot less stressed.
Now that we know WHO and WHEN, let’s have a look at WHAT we give the seller and buyers.
By now you should know the sellers and buyers pretty well, you have spent a lot of time with them and in their homes. So, after multiple conversations, you should know what their interests are and what they enjoy. Let’s say your sellers have a wine wall. This is the perfect opportunity to get them a great bottle of wine a carafe, a wine book, or even a wine tour. Your buyer may have mentioned that they loved the kitchen because they enjoy cooking. A great gift would be a cook book or a cooking class. The point is, the more personal the gift, the more impact it will have!
Let’s say you have a volume-based business and you want to take the thinking out of gift giving. In that case, you can contract this out to a gift-company. They will ask you a little about the buyer and seller and sort there gift out for you. We use this kind of service at Real Estate Brilliance and it works very well.
By giving a gift two weeks after settlement, it not only shows your appreciation, but reinforces how much you like and care about them. This not only puts you in pole position for future business and cements YOU as the trusted advisor, but keeps you top of mind for any referrals for family, friends, and neighbors who may be looking to sell.
At Real Estate Brilliance, we have full systems on how to hand over the gift, receive testimonials, get referrals, and how to create customers for life. Come along to my upcoming FREE half-day Real Estate Brilliance webinar and find out more about this SYSTEM and more.
