Handwritten correspondence was once expected. Today it suggests a personal relationship and Realtor who actually cares, even though machines can now pen letters.
CHICAGO – For several years, Ben Graham with Graham Group Real Estate in Chandler, Arizona, sent printed mailers and marketing materials via snail mail to prospective customers, but he wasn’t getting much feedback.
However after he opted to send a property owner a handwritten letter to ask about selling their property, he got the listing and was later able to close the deal.
Research from email marketing platform Mailchimp indicates that only 20% of all sent emails are opened. But handwritten notes tend to be opened frequently simply because they’ve become a rare commodity. American households only receive an average of 21 pieces of handwritten mail per year, according to a 2020 study by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Graham now uses a note-writing service called Handwrytten for both business and personal correspondence at a cost of about $3.50 per card. He sends about three cards per day to mark occasions such as clients’ birthdays, wedding anniversaries, home anniversaries, thank you notes, welcome-to-the-neighborhood letters and “Nice to meet you” cards.
Handwrytten CEO David Wachs says the cards are actually handwritten – but the “hand” belongs to a robot. The company uses roughly 175 robots that produce the notes, and he regularly seeks to enhance the software to make the cards appear more authentic.
Stacie Staub, co-founder and CEO of West + Maine Homes in Denver, Colorado, encourages the 500 agents she supervises to write two notes per day to their clients and colleagues. Agents can access the brokerage’s stock of cards and envelopes as well as attend training events on the topic. Staub advises agents to scroll through their social media feeds to identify clients’ life events.
“It’s a motivator to keep informed and know what pain and change people are going through, and actively recognize the needs in people,” Staub says.
Source: Realtor Magazine (03/07/23) Nelson, Lee
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