One of the perks of their being frankly so many Realtors and agents active in the U.S and Canada and abroad is the potential for agent agent referrals. But what's your marketing plan to attract and generate more agent to agent referrals? Today's video is going to be a marketing plan designed to help you position and win more agent to agent referral opportunities because there are a lot of agent agent referrals happening locally, happening, regionally, happening nationally, happening internationally. And the question is, have you got the right marketing plan in place so that you are receiving your unfair share of those opportunities buyers and sellers alike. Today's video is all about how to generate agent to agent referrals.

Well, welcome to this week in marketing. My name is Jason Pantana. I'm your host and if you're new to the Channel please make sure to subscribe and hit that Bell to turn on notifications whenever we publish new videos just like this one, this one being all about how to get more agent agent referrals. And so let's dive in now before we dive into this marketing plan about how to position to win more agent to agent referrals.

This is a disclaimer that you should not pivot your strategy your marketing strategy. Overall, from consumer facing a lot of Agents have made the mistake of thinking I want to get more agent agent referrals on social and so they start making content only relevant for agents and they lose touch with the consumer. This is still a relationship business an agents your peers. Your network is one prong of the relationships.

but this is a disclaimer that we are talking about a supplemental marketing plan designed to generate more agent agent referrals if you consent. Smash the like button. First up, in terms of generating agent agent referral plans is to leverage social media effectively. Now that's a super broad statement.

Let's get granular. I'm talking about platforms like Facebook like Instagram like LinkedIn all the major platforms. but I am not suggesting you should pivot your strategy from a Content standpoint to be anything other than consumer facing again. I Repeat I Repeat again.

You should have a consumer facing strategy. However, it's important to look and see who is actually following you on Instagram who are you connected with on Facebook who's engaging in the comments and the DMS with your content. and I'm willing to bet it's a pretty large cross-section of other agents and other markets. and so what a lot of folks do is they realize this and they think oh well, it's mostly agents who are watching my videos anyways and so I'm gonna just shift my strategy to be much more you know, internal jargon, agent to agent facing and they lose touch with the consumer like I was saying before and this is a mistake.

The fact is, if agents are who are engaging with your content and they're the ones watching your videos and so forth, that doesn't mean you should change your strategy. That means what you're already producing content-wise is correct because it attracted them to that content. they're likely looking to. R D, which stands for in our ecosystem, rip off and duplicate what are you doing in your local Marketplace That they could rip off and duplicate in their own local? Marketplace There's an iron sharpening iron effect going on in terms of when and why they follow you on social media, and so, my encouragement to you is be super consistent, Be the knowledge broker, be the hyper local expert in your area, and pay attention to who's following you because your content is helping to cement their notion of who's the dominant agent in this local.

Marketplace And they're going to look to you because they're following your content on social. However, with social media, it's more than just content. Social media has two sides of the coin. There's the idea of publishing content, but if you flip it around, it's the idea of participating in the conversation.

And there are some prime spots on these. Platforms in terms of where you can get engaged in the dialogue with other agents. And it's comments DMS and groups. Let's break those down.

So as far as comments go, are you actively reaching out to other agents in their comments? Are you engaging with what they're posting? Because there's this law of reciprocity that is undeniable from a human nature standpoint, that when you comment on other agents posts, the reciprocity of the algorithm will show your content to them and their human nature is going to be such that they think oh well, you commented on mine, I'm gonna comment on yours and you're sparking a dialogue. You're setting off a relationship from one comment to the next to the next to the next until that relationship starts to get deeper and ultimately more fruitful in terms of referrals. So leveraging comments in terms of if they comment on your stuff, your posts then reply comment back, but don't just wait for them to come to you, go to them directly. Be willing to engage in comments every day if you look across our ecosystem of coaching clients.

the agents who are doing the most agent agent referral business in terms of social media like Instagram for for example they are in their comments and their DMS every day so leverage the comments and Leverage The DMS too. Being proactive to reach out to other relationships of agents in your local Marketplace in your Regional and your National and your international. Pay attention to who you're connected with and be strategic about going after those relationships to deepening them because referrals are always the product of a relationship. Whether it's a referral from a consumer or a peer referring you agent to agent, it's always a relationship.

So Leverage The DMS and comments to build those relationships and don't disregard groups Facebook Groups are an incredible opportunity to actually use social media in a social like way. Like it's really social media What Facebook groups are you a part of And are you truly a part of them? Are you posting? Are you commenting? Are you engaging? Are you answering? Are you asking? are you in the groups or not? Now for our coaching Clients who are watching right now who are members of the Tom Ferry ecosystem. you know already how viable the Facebook groups are to position yourself to build relationships and to earn and generate referrals. And I'm willing to bet you're a member of not just the Tom Ferry Facebook groups, but also other Facebook groups within the industry.

How are you leveraging Facebook groups at an intentional level to build relationships? The opportunities on social media are prolific, so take advantage of them. The second spot you need to look to leverage your agent to agent referral opportunities is by attending events. Now is this sort of the inverse, because in normal real estate market, you'll hear me. for instance, talk a lot about putting on events, client events, open houses where you're hosting the event.

But in this case I'm encouraging you to attend events now. I Know over the last several years a lot of events move to a virtual and then back to kind of a hybrid, but if my travel schedule has been any indication of how many events there are happening in this industry this year, it's a lot. And my encouragement to you is to decide which ones you'll attend. not just for the obvious reasons.

we attend events because we want to learn. You want to sharpen the ax and you want to get Innovative with ideas to better the services you provide in your local. Marketplace However, you also attend events because of the tremendous opportunity there is to connect with other like-minded individuals agents in different respective markets where the potential exists to give referrals to share referrals. And by the way, here's another perk of going to events when somebody's willing to invest in their own professional development.

It's because they're doing business and so by going to an event with other like-minded people who are also doing business, you're more likely to get a referral from an agent who's actually doing business than from an agent who's hiding from doing business. I'm sorry, was that too harsh? It's the truth. Now, there is a really big event coming up depending upon when you're watching this and it may not be too late, just depending upon when you watch this episode or listen to this episode to get your ticket to be at the Tom Ferry 2023 success Summit Foreign we want you there and if you're interested in going and being with 6 000 ish, like-minded real estate rock stars in Dallas this August 2023 make sure to click the link and get your ticket. It's not too late to immerse yourself in a crowd of agents who are equally committed to giving and receiving referrals as you are.

The point is: leveraging conference events large ones, medium-sized ones, small intimate ones, Leveraging conference events and having relationships now. A couple of quick pointers or tips just for anybody who's more new to the game of attending a conference event, one have plans scheduled in advance. You should have your breakfast, your lunch, your huddles, your dinners. Everything should be on an itinerary so that when you are there, you make the time count especially if it's a multi-day event.

And another recommendation before you come to an event especially one like Summit where there's so many folks and you want to be strategic in terms of who you connect with, do some research in terms of what are the migration patterns of consumers, where are they moving to? where are they moving from relevant your Marketplace So you know that you need to connect with agents here and here and here versus everywhere because those are going to be likely the most strategic conversations to be had. And one of the perks of an event like the success Summit is because so many of the attendees are already coaching clients. You have the ability to network through the Facebook groups to look up in our Illume software where they do business and strategically connect with the right agent in the right Marketplace at the right time at the right event. So you are establishing kind of a Supply Chain management line of communication with the right agents to generate and receive more referrals and your Marketplace from other agents.

Leverage Conference events. Third up on the list in terms of getting more agent agent referrals. and it could be both getting or sending more agent agent referrals is to step into your brand, your brokerage, your board of Realtors. Whatever, it might be that you're the most connected or all the above.

just depending upon who you're affiliated with be it an independent brokerage, or be it a large brand or a regional brand, there likely exists enough opportunity to connect with other agents in your market and beyond your Market to build relationships that lead to fruitful referral. Partnerships So that means getting involved in terms of attending sales trainings, attending more conference events, getting on their various webinars offering to serve, offering to be on a webinar offering to be on a podcast, immersing yourself in your own brand to gain visibility and proximity to other agents with whom there is again that potential to send or receive a referral. It's in your brand, it's in your brokerage, and is also an act of serving at your local Board of Realtors, or your State Association or a National Association. My point to you is where other agents gather.

You should be there too, because within that proximity exists opportunities for more referrals, Leverage your brand, your brokerage, leverage your board of Realtors, just leverage the opportunities of Agents all around you. Hey, speaking of marketing, are you looking to go from Rookie to Rockstar now and into next year with your marketing? And I'm talking about your social media and video marketing your local SEO Through your Google Business Profile Marketing Your email marketing. If that's you, and you recognize the need and the opportunity that exists for you to dial in your marketing to attract more customers, buyers and sellers, then make sure to look at our new series of courses called Marketing Pro Marketing Pro is online courses. They are pre-recorded so you can watch them as slow or fast or as often as you want.

and they are end-end trainings Talking about your Google business profile, your social media and video your email marketing. so you can completely dial in your marketing strategy. Just click the link in the description to learn more about marketing Pro and take your skills from Rookie to Rockstar. Fourth on the list in terms of getting more agent agent referrals is to step into Standalone strategic networks and or Mastermind groups that are strategic for you and your business.

Whether it's a small, intimate Mastermind group or a larger Network There exists numerous opportunities to connect with other agents because real estate, as far as agents are concerned, is a network effect. I mentioned earlier on in the opening remarks that the more agents there are, the more opportunities there are to get more referrals. but there's a network effect at place inside of real estate. I Say it again.

there's a network effect happening inside of the real estate space amongst agents. So what's a network effect? Well, think about this thing here: your phone. For instance. if there was only two other people on planet Earth who had phone numbers that you could dial and call, that would be a very not useful network.

But because there are millions and billions of connected users who have phone numbers and you can call anybody effectively, the more people who are participating in the network, the more valuable the network becomes is called a network effect. And in the same way with real estate, the more agents who are contributing in a part of the industry that there are. Yes, it means increased competition, but it also means there's more opportunity to know and connect with more consumers and generate and receive and make more referrals. And so the question is, are you going to do this like a Wallflower or are you going to put yourself into relationship into Community with other agents through strategic Standalone referral networks? Uh, maybe guilds or Mastermind groups.

My encouragement to you is to be strategic and start looking with intentionality for these opportunities to get yourself connected. Now for everybody who's been watching who's an introvert, you're probably like I Can't take any more of this. Everything he's told me to do is so extroverted and relationship based. And I know you're right.

That is the truth. But the next one is a bit more of a marketing technique that could be done sort of from afar if you will. And that is to be strategic about actually targeting agents through your digital marketing efforts. For example, you might consider putting together an Insider email that goes out perhaps once a month and it's a newsletter of insight and Analysis and perspective from you.

As an agent that can be emailed, instead of having to necessarily go to an event and attend an event or something to that capacity, there is no way around communicating. If you're not communicating, you're not marketing. However, this at least gets us into an email setting where it can be a little bit more introvert friendly. I'm teasing of course, because you know this is a relationship business.

However, sending out a monthly newsletter that's designed for other agents is a great way to offer value to them, but also showcase your knowledge base. Also, showcase that you take your profession seriously, you're a leader amongst your peers, and that positions you at the top of the pecking order to generate more referrals in your local. Marketplace So in Insider email or it could even be utilizing a customer list feature when it comes to targeting content directly at agents in various locations on Facebook on Instagram on LinkedIn You've heard me talk about it many times before on this show that advertising platforms Meta Ads LinkedIn Ads Tick Tock ads even Pinterest ads or different ad platforms enable you as an Advertiser to upload effectively a spreadsheet of your contacts that's called a customer list. and normally you've heard me talk about it through the lens of uploading the homeowner information for a geofarm or expired listings, or your email subscriber list of consumers, your database and retargeting those folks.

But in this setting here I'm suggesting you use the same feature set that is customer lists. but what you upload are the contacts who are your peers, other agents, part of your brand, your brokerage, the ecosystem relationships you've made through networking groups and Mass faster mining groups. You have the ability to upload a customer list directly into Meta that is Facebook and Instagram directly into LinkedIn directly into effectively any advertising portal for any major social media platform that exists. And what will happen is that platform will scan through your list of contact data and it will cross-reference it against its own list of contact data and it will show whatever you want to those users on those platforms so you can stay top of mind and you can continue to add value to them.

Now, what should you target them with? Well, you have options, you could simply use Target them with the content you're already publishing that may indeed be consumer facing, but is still useful for them from an R D standpoint or an awareness standpoint. Or you could create specific offers. Maybe you want to invite them to attend some kind of a book study or a club or something you're hosting. My point to you is: there's an opportunity, an opportunity to go on the offense in terms of building stronger relationships that put you at the top of the order to receive more.

Being intentional with agent targeting is a smart move, and it's more than just an email list. it's more than a customer list targeting them on various social platforms. It could also be uh, you could pick up this your phone, you could call text DM and be intentional in terms of maintaining and growing and improving your relationships with other agents. But it could also be that maybe there are some really like Inner Circle relationships that you want to cultivate, and it could be some kind of a gifting strategy to let them know you were thinking about them, What's your strategy to go on the offense and to be intentional with getting to know other agents? The fact is, real estate is a relationship business, and I mean that in every sense.

In terms of how you attract buyers and how you attract sellers, it's a relationship business and there are a lot of agents who struggle with that because it creates a sense of uncertainty. Wait, I was just supposed to Market I'm supposed to just add value and build relationships and hope that people bring business opportunities my way because Of that And the answer is in a large part. yeah. Now I'm not suggesting there's not a place for proactive outbound prospecting or lead generation.

I'm not saying that at all. However, a lot of Agents choose to only do that. They choose to say I'm going to buy leads because I need hand raisers. It makes me feel like I've got something I've Got A Bird in Hand versus two in the bush.

kind of an idea. And so a lot of Agents get caught on the Trap of always chasing the next deal instead of attracting opportunities. My advice to you is to do both. There should be a balanced agent approach, balanced from a marketing and attraction standpoint and a lead generation sales standpoint.

A prospecting standpoint. It's both always. and so I get it. a lot of Agents think so I'm just supposed to build it and they will come as this.

Field of Dreams and I'm like kind of. If you look at the data, we know that the vast majority of sales, both buyers and sellers, they find an agent by way of repeat or referral business. That referral is kind of an exponent. It's uh, who knows how many based upon the size of your network.

it's that squared. It's that to the power of whatever it is because everybody's connected to multiple people and so the potential for referrals is huge. And because this is a know you like you trust your business and referrals convey a sense of trust. It's natural to recognize the consumer looks to an agent they can trust.

My point to you is, if you are not fostering an environment that attracts referrals through your marketing efforts by building relationships, then you are closing the door to the largest source of business in all of real estate. This is a relationship business and one more for you in terms of generating or positioning yourself to get more agent. Agent referrals is in your calls to action. You have to actually from time to time ask for them.

not ad nauseam, but often enough that folks recognize you know I hadn't thought about that. I Should I should keep them in mind I should look for opportunities to generate referrals Within this ecosystem. We have coaching clients who in fact have landing pages and sophisticated processes. They've built all around referrals, making it as easy and as confidence inspiring as possible for another agent to refer opportunities to them.

We have coaching clients in our ecosystem who are generating anywhere between 250 and 500 000 in GCI a year because of referrals and I say that when I look at my own list of coaching clients with whom I work. the opportunities just within our ecosystem are already enormous. So think about the ecosystem. Beyond Everything else we just talked about today: Agent agent referrals could be a major play for you this year and going into next year.

If you play your cards right, part of playing your cards right is knowing when to ask for the opportunities. So for example, on Instagram if you're super connected, your Lincoln Bio is a strategic placement where you can make and ask for agent agent referrals and perhaps drive them to a specific page on your website where there's reviews from other agents for you to get more referrals as is on your website in the menu navigation in the contact page having a place that's calling out directly for agents to connect with you and if you are for instance, sending out a newsletter type of email an agent Insider email to your peers within that email. Again, there's strategic opportunities to Nest some calls to action that say hey, I'll I'll work with your referrals I'll give you referrals. Let's let's be referral Partners Be intentional about it because you're establishing a Channel of referrals that all parties get benefited by agent to agent referrals and so you have to position and market and show people the possibility of doing business with you from an agent age, referral standpoint and another spot.

It's not really a call to action, but it's another spot to emphasize that is in your Instagram stories. Your content should remain consumer facing. However, in your stories because your stories are seen predominantly by folks who've already chosen to follow you, this is a great space to show behind the scenes of the inner workings and what's happening behind the curtain of your business and perhaps loving on and celebrating some wins with other agents in your network who are doing referrals with you right now. It helps show others.

Oh wow, they're doing referrals with this person and this person. They must do a lot of agent agent referrals and it once again puts you at the top of the order the top of that pecking order to be the one position for more referral opportunities in your local marketplace. Now I Just went through a lot of stuff about how to get more agent agent referrals and my encouragement to you is pick one, pick two of the items discussed here in you don't have to do everything, but you are missing a tremendous opportunity if you do nothing to better your relationships with your peers in your local market, your regional market, your National Market your International Market and position yourself to be both the giver and receiver of more agent agent referrals. Now tell me I Want to know what other activities or marketing or techniques you're deploying that are effective in terms of generating agent agent referrals.

If you be so fine is to share those in the comments everybody else who reads along would also benefit. and again, if this video was useful to you, please make sure to give it a big thumbs up. That helps us in the YouTube algorithm and you know what you, ought to share this video with one, two, or ten of your agent agent friends Because that would be a pretty thinly veiled way of saying. I Want your agent agent referrals? So Share Share Share Share Share.

Until next week This is this week in Marketing Foreign.