Tell the truth: are there clients you’ve worked with, who you consider valuable, that you haven’t spoken to in the last 6 months? Do ever finalize a closing, hand over the keys, and then not call or visit for months or years at a time? Are there sellers who reach your voicemail more than you? We get busy, caught up in the next listing, and quickly abandon the most important contributor to growing our business, satisfied clients who know we are genuinely thankful for their business.

Gary Vaynerchuk writes that “no relationships should be taken for granted. They are what life is all about, the whole point. How we cultivate our relationships is often the greatest determinant of the type of life we get to live. Business is no different. Real business isn’t done in board meetings; it’s done over a half-eaten plate of buffalo wings at the sports bar, or during the intermission of a Broadway show.

“It’s done through an enthusiastic greeting, with an unexpected recommendation, or by offering up your cab when it’s raining. It happens in the small personal interactions that allow us to prove to each other who we are and what we believe in.”

Vayernchuk’s take is that business opportunity grows exponentially with the arrival of social media, but I think it resonates at a more fundamental level in our industry. The spirit of Gary’s book is essentially this: relationships are the foundation of success in business. People work with those they know, like and trust, and what’s more, they refer those people too.

The NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers confirms something we all know: “The real estate market is largely based on word of mouth from successful clients passing information to friends and family, building referrals for real estate professionals.” For many of us, as much as 50% of our business comes from referrals.

Not to oversimplify, but I think those foundations are built on 2 things:

• You need to understand your client and their needs very well
• You must provide a memorable service for your client – both during the home buying or selling process, and after it.

How often have you had the experience of having a sales representative giving you the ‘hard sell’, ignoring any comments you want to make, or failing to take your comments into account? It never feels good. In real estate, we’re the pros in the transaction, and our input makes the whole thing go smoothly, but our clients live with the results of our work for years. That’s why our clients must feel we are genuinely interested and want to provide a service that will meet their specific, unique needs.

The second element in building stable relationships is obviously the service that we provide. Apart from the technical (and important) side of our work, it really is the human relationships that we establish that ensure stable and lasting relationships.

The third element is recognition: showing our clients we value them. In today’s world of fast communication this often relies on using emails, text or some variant of social media. However, I really believe that if a client is worth something to our business then nothing is as impactful as a personal visit or call. This small effort, done over time, grows a personal relationship. It’s much easier to understand the concerns of a valuable client when you speak to them face-to-face. Often it is not what is said that is important but how it is said or even what is not said. An in-person visit show you value their business. It’s a way of saying thank you.

Saying “thank you” is more than words. It’s how we carry ourselves everyday, how we communicate with clients, or with anyone for that matter.

Does this fit with how do you look at your client base today? Is there a small change you can make in your daily, weekly or monthly workflow that would put you in front of the most important people in your business life more regularly, so they feel valued?