Ok, so maybe it’s two words, but it’s hyphened, so technically it’s still one word, right? Let’s go with it.

Drum roll please…

FOLLOW-UP!

Yep. Follow-up. In years past I have used words like “growth”, “balance” and “brave”, but this year I wanted a word reminding me that human connection is my top priority in 2024. And not only in my professional life as a Realtor, but my personal life as a mid-30’s gal living in Denver, Colorado.

Robert Reffkin, the Compass Founder and CEO, implemented a 2024 Q1 challenge for all Compass agents. The “Back to Basics” challenge encourages us to make at least 100 in-person connections within the first 100 days of the year. And honestly, I think it’s a brilliant idea. The prizes aren’t too shabby either!

The pandemic resulted in many people learning to do business through a screen and not in-person, and for a while it was great, but then it just got boring TBH. Part of what makes real estate so fun for me is meeting people from all over the world, learning from other agents and forming a bond with my teammates outside of the office. You can only have so many Zoom meet and greets before you want to pull your hair out. Meeting through a screen does not provide the human connection most of need, even when we think we don’t. This also goes for friends and family… talking on the phone or texting just sometimes isn’t enough.

So, I got to thinking. I want to take this challenge and not only succeed, but carry it through my entire year.

When I host open houses, I want a solid follow-up strategy. And not just a one-time email telling the buyer thanks for attending. I want to follow-up multiple times after meeting in order to show the value I can provide if they are still in need of an agent. Think about it. How many times of seeing the same advertisement does it take before you actually research the product? Often times, its a lot more than once or twice. If I continue following-up with potential buyers, my hope is that I will start to stand out as the agent providing valuable information and not just an agent blowing up their email and phone with telemarketing type verbiage. Because EW. All of this to hopefully lead to more in-person meetings with potential buyers and sellers.

Following-up not only falls in the realm of buyers and sellers, but also with other agents, vendors, lenders and everyone else involved in making my real estate world go ’round. There is nothing worse IMO than someone who does not respond in a timely manner. I get it, we are all busy, but I never want a colleague or client to feel like they can’t reach out because I won’t respond. My biggest pet peeve is when I call an agent to ask a question about their listing and the response comes days later or sometimes, never! How do you run a reputable business like that? And to take it one step further, after answering the question or helping with what is being called about, I am going to follow-up again, not only to show I care about being a resource, but I also care about them period. In my mind, this will turn into more heartfelt connections with the people I work with as well as wanting to spend more in-person time together.

As far as my personal life, I am making it a point to reach out more. If I see a life event on social media, I am going to reach out to congratulate them or share my condolences and then continue following-up in order to maintain a close relationship. It sounds so simple, but how often do we miss out on taking the time to reach out to loved ones or ask them to spend time in-person together because of our busy day to day lives? For me, it happens way too much and this year I want to change that.

So, all this to say… if you work with me professionally or we have a personal connection, be ready to hear from me more. You can also be ready for a coffee date, lunch outing or a simple drop-by just so I can get face to face with you more often… and win this Q1 challenge of course 😉

katie.bates@compass.com // www.sellingcolorfulcolorado.com