Do you have a plan to re-engage past clients you’ve done business with? Unlike cold leads, these are people who already know you. And as long as the transaction went well, they already like and trust you. In fact, you are already over the first few hurdles to getting someone to do business with you.

Plus, since you already know your clients and have done transactions with them before, you likely have some idea of what they need and what their financial situations are like.

All too many loan officers leave money on the table by not taking the time to re-engage past clients. If you aren’t staying in touch with them, even years later, you could be losing out on potential business.

Pick a few strategies to re-engage past clients and use them consistently. You’ll be amazed by how well this works to fill your loan pipeline! This is a big-picture game, but done on a consistent basis, staying in touch with people pays off. And it pays off for a long time.

Here are some things you can do right now to start a system of regular touch points with past clients that helps you stay top of mind, whether they need help or have a family member or friend who needs help.

Offer a Free Mortgage Checkup

Though we often push a mortgage checkup at the end of the year, any time of year is a good time to offer a loan review, especially with current interest rates being so attractive.

Remind people that it’s a good time to see if their mortgage is working in their favor and helping them reach their financial goals as their life changes.

Send Periodic Mortgage Rate Updates

Of course, people can easily find mortgage rate information online, but many people don’t do it on a regular basis because they are busy with so many other things. They may not realize that a refinance is feasible or how much it could help them out.

Send a mortgage rate update periodically (maybe quarterly or every six months). This is something that isn’t sales-y but may prompt people to reach out to you for help with a refinance. It’s also a good way to remind them that you are their go-to for all things mortgage.

Send Home Anniversary Videos

Create a home anniversary video for your clients and email it to them on the anniversary of their home purchase. Even better, cc the real estate agent and give the agent a shoutout. The agent will appreciate you doing some marketing for them and will be more likely to remember you for future business.

While video isn’t a substitute for face-to-face interaction, it’s a really good alternative, especially these days. Getting your face in front of people is key. It’s easy to use your mobile phone camera, or sign up for a service like BombBomb, to create and email simple videos to your clients.

For more ideas on using video marketing effectively to re-engage past clients, check out this blog post.

Send Text Messages

Phone calls to past clients are great, but they can be time-consuming, and let’s face it—it can be a challenge to get someone to answer the phone. But you know what people do on their phones all the time? Read text messages.

Here are some stats:

• SMS messages have a whopping 98% open rate.
• Text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook.
• 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes.

Many CRMs allow you to send texts right from them, but there are also plenty of texting services that do it, as well. Signing up for an automated text service may be the right solution too.

So, don’t be afraid to text past clients, just checking in with them, asking if there’s anything you can do for them, or telling them about something you think they may want to know. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

Do Virtual Workshops

In a time when so many of the things you used to do to connect with past clients aren’t an option due to social distancing and working from home, what can you do? 

It’s time to think about leveraging technology to hold virtual workshops for customers. It’s not as hard as you might think to get started, and it’s a great way to provide an in-person-type experience to a large group of people at once. You might hold workshops on refinancing, estate planning, how to purchase an investment property, leveraging your home equity, or something else that might be of interest to your audience (partnering with real estate or financial planning professionals is a good idea, too).

For a quick guide to getting started on your own virtual event (including registration, creating your presentation, picking the right platform, and more, just click here).

Contact the Referrer Immediately

When you receive a referral, contact the person who gave it immediately and thank them for thinking of you. They’ll be grateful that you acknowledged the referral, but it’s also a chance to touch base with them, as well. If they mention a job change, a renovation, or other life changes, it gives you an opportunity to talk about how you can help them.

Email Marketing

Last but not least, let’s talk about email marketing. Even in 2021, email marketing is STILL one of the most effective ways to consistently reach people. The key is to send valuable information your audience actually wants to pay attention to, not canned content.

So, you shouldn’t always talk about mortgages. Rather, you should focus on providing value around other topics that make sense for you. Perhaps you will talk about financial planning or building wealth, something people are often overwhelmed by. 

You may also reach out with information about a favorite charity that means something to you, something you did recently, or really anything you want, as long as it’s authentic and personal.

Just keeping your name in somebody’s inbox is sometimes all it takes to remind someone that you’re there for them when they need you.

Re-engaging Past Clients Doesn’t Have to be Hard

Creating a system with regular touch points for past clients allows you to stay top of mind. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but you do need to do it consistently.

These touch points reinforce that past clients are not just a number to you but are real people that you care about and want to help. If you stay in contact, the business will come on a regular basis.