Staying connected with past and prospective clients is an essential aspect of a successful real estate agent’s marketing efforts. While there are many methods that you can use to keep in touch, a smart idea is to pop by their house from time to time.
By simply knocking on their front door, you can reinforce that personal connection that you worked so hard to establish. Of course, you do not want to arrive empty-handed. A small, meaningful pop by gift can make a big impact on both future and past clients.
Bringing a pop by gift with you is both thoughtful and effective. It shows the client that you value the relationship and that you want to maintain that relationship. More than that, it expresses the level of service that you provide to your clients.
It also leaves the client with a token of appreciation that will remind them of you long after the front door closes.
When you attach a short, impactful message with the gift, you can also use the gift to ask for referrals and to display gratitude. What are some great pop by gift ideas for REALTORS?
Spring Pop By Ideas for REALTORS
Blooming flowers, warmer temperatures, and the beginning of baseball season are a just a few of the things we think of when we think of Spring. Here are some of our favorite pop-by ideas for Realtors specifically for Spring.
Gardening Seeds or Tools
Spring is a season of renewal and growth, so flower seeds are thoughtful pop by gift ideas for REALTORS. They require very little effort to enjoy on the part of the homeowner. In fact, seeds can be sowed within a few minutes. Once they bloom, they will be a beautiful reminder of your relationship throughout the season. Consider adding a special message thanking the client for helping you grow your business.
If seeds do not seem like a substantial enough gift to deliver to an established client, tie the seeds neatly with a gardening tool. Because a gardening tool will undoubtedly be used for many years, this is a thoughtful reminder that continues to pay dividends. Your gift tag message could mention that you are thankful that the client is helping you grow your business.
A Potted Plant
While seeds are relatively easy for most people to grow, you may want to offer a turnkey gift. A potted houseplant captures the vitality of the season, and it will undoubtedly beautify the client’s home or office for years.
With this in mind, the gift can reinforce your relationship on a daily basis by being a part of the décor. Even if the plant eventually dies, the pot can continue to be used. More than that, you can add a growth-related message to this pop by gift to reinforce its meaning.
A Jar of Jam
Jam can be enjoyed year-round, but it may be especially fitting during the spring months. This is because spring is the time when many types of fruits and berries are harvested. Rather than buying jam in a store, consider picking up a few jars at a local spring festival or farmers’ market. If you have the skills, you can even make homemade jam using locally-sourced, seasonal fruit. A great marketing message that you can deliver with the jar may remind the client that helping buyers and sellers is your jam.
Koozies
Spring is also a special time when people shake off the winter blues and start enjoying fresh air, sunshine and warmer temperatures outdoors. Refreshing beverages are undoubtedly an important part of enjoying time outdoors, so offering the gift of koozies is a smart idea. You can conveniently invest in branded koozies through any number of online marketing product shops. Buying in bulk can save you a tremendous amount of money. Because koozies are always appreciated, you never have to worry about them losing their appeal.
Pop By Gifts for Summer Months
In many real estate markets throughout the United States, Summer is the busiest time for real estate agents. This is where your geographic farming efforts can really shine with a well-timed pop-by gifts. Here are a few of our favorites.
Grill Tools
Summer months and backyard barbecues go hand in hand, so barbecue-inspired gifts are a smart idea. Consider tying a ribbon around a grill spatula with a message about how you are flipping for referrals. Tongs are another option to consider with a message saying “franks” for referring friends and neighbors to you.
These are gifts that will be pulled out many times throughout the season for years to come, and the client will inevitably think of your kind gift each time the grill tools are used. Alternative gift ideas may include gourmet-level barbecue sauce, a grill mitt or even a grill thermometer.
S’Mores Ingredients
From summer camping trips to time spent around the backyard fire pit, s’mores are a traditional part of the summer experience. Consider delivering a pop by gift basket or bag with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars.
You can customize your message of appreciation using terms like melting for referrals, heating up with appreciation or something similar. For good measure, consider adding an extra component that can be used for several years, such as a marshmallow roasting stick or even a firefly catcher.
An Ice Cream Scooper
Nothing beats a bowl of your favorite ice cream on the patio during a warm summer evening. In fact, this is an experience that many of your past clients may enjoy at least a few times each season.
An ice cream scooper will be well-used this season and for years to come, and this makes it the perfect pop by gift for summer months. Attach your greeting to the scooper with a cute message about getting the scoop on the real estate marketing or treating themselves to the latest market data.
Peanuts
When you think about summertime, enjoying a package of warm peanuts at a baseball game may easily come to mind. If you are concerned about the possibility of a peanut allergy, a box of Cracker Jacks is a great alternative. There are numerous baseball-related puns that you can get clever with on the gift tag.
For example, your attached message could say that the client is a home run for your business or that you are thankful for the client pitching referrals to you. If you opt to give peanuts over Cracker Jacks, your pop by gift message may say that you are nutty for the client or nutty for referrals.
Fall Pop By Gifts
As the leaves change and the weather cools, your marketing efforts should be heating up. Everyone loves a cute gift for the Fall, and here are some of our best options.
Pumpkin Carving Tools
A pumpkin makes a great pop by gift for October. While pumpkins are closely associated with Halloween, they are also used as décor for Thanksgiving. In addition to tying a greeting card around the stem of the pumpkin, you can include a set of pumpkin carving tools.
Carving a pumpkin may be a tradition in some families, so the tools may be closely associated with a warm feeling. Plus, carving tools are useful for years to come. With so many great holiday puns associated with pumpkins, fall, ghouls, candy and more, you could easily craft a creative message on the gift tag that meets your needs.
A Pie Server
Between apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and others, fall is the season for enjoying your favorite pies with friends and family. You can dress up your gift by attaching the recipe for your favorite pie or even the pie itself. While the pie may be gone in a few days or less, the recipe and the pie server could remain in the past client’s possession for years. Consider creating a fun message for your pop by gift, such as about slicing off a big piece of thanks or cutting right to it.
Sports-Themed Snacks
Fall is a busy time in the sports world. While the season may be most well-known for college and pro football, it is also a time when professional hockey and basketball start their seasons. Plus, soccer is in full swing, and the baseball season is wrapping up.
With this in mind, your clients may be watching at least a few sports games or matches in the fall. Consider creating a delicious gift basket or tray with a variety of sports-themed snacks. Think about items like pretzels, popcorn, chips, trail mix, wing sauce and more.
From working with the client in the past, you may know which sports he or she follows. This makes it easier for you to customize your greeting to suit the client’s interests.
Candy Apples
Throughout the fall months, you may be able to find candy apples for sale at your local grocery store or at your favorite candy shop. This is a simple yet unique gift that will undoubtedly be well-received as both a wholesome and sweet treat.
To personalize your special gift, consider thanking the client “to the core” for their business or saying that you will “hAPPLily” give them details on current market conditions.
Winter Pop By Ideas for Real Estate Agents
Lastly, to round off our seasonal list of pop-by gift ideas for REALTORS, are our best options for the Winter season. Even though the holiday season is slow for most real estate agents, savvy real estate teams and agents alike use this time to build relationship with potential clients.
A Hot Cocoa Kit
Winter months can seem long and dreary, so brightening up a past client’s day with a cup of cheer is a great idea. Throughout winter, you may be able to conveniently find a number of hot cocoa kits at local stores. This makes it easy for you to extend warm greetings to a past client with a thoughtful pop by gift.
As an alternative, you can make a hot cocoa kit yourself by drawing from online instructions. Add a special coffee mug to the mix for an ongoing reminder of your professional services. A simple greeting extending warm wishes is an excellent idea.
Keep in mind that pop by gifts during December make thoughtful holiday gifts, so a hot cocoa kit or other ideas mentioned here can be gifted to all past clients.
Advent Calendar
It may take a little research, but if you have prospects who celebrate Christmas, an Advent calendar could be a very special pop-by gift. Although most people think of Advent calendars for kids, there are calendar options for adults as well.
Adult Advent calendars can feature small gifts like soap and lotion, or even small jars of jellies and pickles.
An Ornament
If you are searching for an excellent pop by gift for extending holiday greetings, consider offering the gift of a Christmas ornament. Simply choose a cute ornament from a local store, and wrap it in a holiday gift bag. If you are uncertain about whether a specific client celebrates Christmas or another December holiday, consider winter season décor.
For example, a winter-themed door knocker or tabletop decoration could work well. This will be a gift that the previous client may continue to pull out and treasure year after year, so it is a great reminder of your professional relationship. For gift tag ideas, consider getting inspiration from any of the seasonal greeting cards available throughout the season.
Candles
While candles make a great pop by gift throughout the year, they may be especially thoughtful during the winter months. After all, the days are much shorter, and the weather is often dreary. Candles can brighten up a space beautifully with their warm glow and their pleasant smell.
Consider offering candles with seasonal scents, such as apple cinnamon or toasted nuts. Most people love candles, so the pop by gift will be well-received. However, once the candle has been completely used, it will undoubtedly be discarded. With this in mind, a candle is a great gift idea if you intend to pop by the client’s house again several months in the future with another gift.
Gift tag greetings mention how referrals light up your day or how special clients like them brighten up the season.
Pop By Gifts for All Seasons
You don’t need a season to stop by a prospective or past clients house. When combined with a direct mail postcard campaign, providing a random pop-by gift might be the perfect building block to generating real estate leads. Here are a few options for pop-by gifts regardless of the season.
A Soap Dispenser
High-end soaps are fragrant gifts that your past clients will appreciate. You can pair bar soap with a beautiful soap dish or liquid soap with a pump-style soap dispenser. This will ensure that your gift makes a lasting impact. Because soap is a thoughtful pop by gift that can be offered throughout the year, you have the flexibility of choosing soap with either a universal scent or a seasonal scent.
You understandably want to create the right impression when you give soap as a gift, so your gift tag message is crucial. Rather than focus on concepts like dirty and clean, use phrasing like lending a hand for future real estate needs or extending a hand of thanks for referrals.
Banana Bread
If you enjoy baking, banana bread is a great gift idea. It shows that you took the extra time to create something special specifically for the client. You can offer the bread with a decorative plate that is suitable for the season or a fancy pastry knife for an added and long-lasting touch.
If you are not a baker, you can find a gourmet banana bread mix. Combine this with a lovely mixing bowl, a set of mixing spoons or even a decorative oven mitt to get the most mileage out of your gift. Messaging can describe how you are going bananas over their referrals or over great clients like them.
Angel Food Cake
Angel food cake may most commonly be associated with the spring and summer months because it is frequently paired with fresh fruit toppings. However, there are some innovative message ideas that can be used to make angel food cake suitable throughout the year.
Angel food cake may quickly be enjoyed and forgotten about, so it is important to pair the cake with a lasting gift. A cake plate or serving knife would work well. A year-round greeting can tie in ideas like how sweet the client is for referrals. A seasonal winter greeting may describe how the client is an angel for the referrals.
Cookies
Cookies can be enjoyed throughout the year, and there are many seasonal varieties that you could gift to tailor the pop by gift for the time of year. Chocolate chip cookies are always a great idea. However, spring and summer are good months for lemon bars and other fruit-based cookies.
For winter, think about cut-out cookies or peppermint cookies. In the fall, spiced cookies and snickerdoodles are wonderful ideas. Place the cookies in a seasonal tin or on a nice plate that can be re-used in the future. Greetings related to how sweet the client is for the referrals or how you want to treat them to the latest market data may be thoughtful.
A Honey Jar
Honey is a wonderful gift idea because it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, including with tea, on bread and even in homemade baked goods. You can easily find locally-sourced honey at farmers’ markets, local festivals and even gourmet food stores. Unlike honey bought in a grocery store, these locally-sourced products often come in beautiful jars that make lovely gifts.
More than that, locally-sourced items generally can seem more thoughtful and meaningful than name-brand products that you can buy in any grocery store. Simply tie an upscale ribbon on the jar with an attached greeting card to complete the gift. There are a few possible angles that you choose for the gift tag, including those that play on words like bee and sweet.
A Bag of Popcorn
Popcorn can be an affordable yet meaningful gift that can be enjoyed any time of year. Simply tying a ribbon around a microwave popcorn bag is ideal if you are looking for a budget-minded pop by gift. If you are working with a larger budget, you can purchase flavored popcorn from a gourmet popcorn store in the local area.
Another idea is to add a popcorn bucket to the mix or to create a popcorn-themed gift basket with a variety of popcorn salts and other movie-themed snacks, such as a box of chocolate-covered peanuts. With popcorn as a pop by gift, your gift tag may say that you are popping by to say thanks for the referral or that you are popping with excitement to serve their real estate needs again soon.
Coffee or Tea
After you work closely with a client for several months through the buying or selling process, you may know if he or she prefers coffee or tea. Many people start their mornings off with one of these two options, so a gift of gourmet coffee or tea may be well-received.
Honey stir sticks can be added to sweeten the tea gift, and breakfast pastries can be included with both coffee and tea gifts. To optimize the longevity of your pop by gift, the coffee or tea can be accompanied by a cute mug. You can choose a personalized mug based on what you know about the client’s interests, profession or other unique factors.
Greeting card ideas can play on phrases like how you are perking up for great clients like them or how your cup is brimming with gratitude for referrals.
Mints
If you are looking for a small and affordable token of appreciation as a pop by gift, mints are a great idea. You can easily create a custom label for a box of Tic Tac mints, or you can place high-quality mint candies in a special candy tin or dish. You understandably want to maximize the power of your pop by gift, so choosing a quality tin or dish that can be re-used makes sense and may not add a significant amount of money to the cost of the gift.
When you choose mints as your pop by gift, you can play on the homonym for mint and meant for your gift tag message. For example, you can write that their referral meant a lot to you or that you meant to say thanks for being such a great client.
Dog Treats
If you know that a client has a dog, dog treats make a wonderful pop by gift. After all, for many dog parents, the pet is a part of the family. Choose a treat that is appropriately sized for the animal. For example, avoid getting a giant bone for a Chihuahua.
In some towns, you may be able to buy gourmet treats from a pet shop. Dog treats may be gone in a matter of hours in some cases, so consider including a longer-lasting gift. A new dog bowl, a custom tag with the dog’s name or even a ball or another toy could work well.
The accompanying gift card could mention that you are “fur real” excited to have such a great client or that you are barking with joy for the recent referral.
A Birthday Mug
Have you taken the time to gather a few personal details about your clients for your database? Birthdays are a great time to pop by and offer a special gift to a past client. Doing so shows that you have remembered the client’s special day and that you were thoughtful enough to get a gift.
There are a seemingly endless number of cute or funny birthday mugs available for you to purchase. If you order directly from the source, such as through Etsy or another similar website, you may be able to structure a bulk discount. This way, you have mugs on hand to use for all of your clients’ birthdays throughout the year. Just be sure not to give the same gift the following year.
Pop By Ideas for REALTORS to Show Appreciation
Many real estate agents specifically give pop by gifts after a referral. These gifts are a great way to show gratitude. However, you can and should also use pop by gifts as a way of staying in touch and maintaining a positive relationship.
When you incorporate pop by gifts with other marketing efforts, such as postcards or automated text messages, you can conveniently and effectively keep the lines of communication open throughout the year.
