Building Relationships, Trust, and Loyalty: Retention and Referral Strategies for REALTORS®

REALTORS® are in the business of building relationships—that’s their superpower. 

Once you’ve put in the work to earn the trust of a new client, offering them a professional service from start to finish is paramount to maintaining that relationship. In fact, nearly 90% of buyers say the experience a business provides matters as much as the products or services, according to a 2022 Salesforce report. 

We all know relationships don’t stop there, though, nor should they. Acquiring one new client can cost up to five to 10 times more than the cost of retaining an existing client, while increasing client retention by just 5% can increase profits from 25-95%, according to a 2022 report from Real Inbound. Nurturing longstanding, meaningful relationships with your clients is not only the right thing to do, but an important part of building a great business. 

Whether you’re a new REALTOR® or simply looking for some tips you haven’t thought of before, we invite you to check out the Building Relationships, Trust, and Loyalty: Retention and Referral Strategies for REALTORS® course. This 45-minute course is available for free to members of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) on the CREA Learning Hub. 

Keep reading to learn more. 

Who’s this for? 

This course is designed to support REALTORS® as they build strong relationships, trust, and loyalty in their business, to retain clients, ensure smooth transactions, and expand their referral network for sustained business growth. 

What will you learn?

By the end of this 45-minute online course, you'll be able to: 

• understand the importance of relationships and best practices for building trust; 
• apply strategies to enhance the client experience and foster loyalty including tips to exceed your client’s expectations;   
• learn about the importance of collaborating with REALTORS® and service providers to ensure smoother business transactions; 
• identify effective referral strategies to grow your business;  
• realize the impact of client retention on sustainable business growth;  
• discover the importance of technology and tools to maintain client connections post-transaction; and  
• determine key performance indicators (KPIs) to track long-term success.  

Why should I take this course? 

According to the REALTORS® interviewed for the course, they repeatedly return to the same message: in a competitive market, knowledge and marketing matter, but relationships, trust, and reputation are what generate repeat business and referrals.

"It's trust that builds the relationship, not the other way around,” says Laura Leyser, a salesperson and REALTOR® in Stratford, Ontario. “When my clients truly trust me, they are my marketing and primary referral base... I always say I am your REALTOR® for life." 

If you’re ready to build on what you already know about developing lifelong clients, the Building Relationships, Trust, and Loyalty: Retention and Referral Strategies for REALTORS® course is a great place to start.