Connecting with business partners and clients is key for vendors looking to grow their business. At this year’s Future of Real Estate Summit, real estate professionals from across the U.S. gathered in Austin, Texas to share ideas and learn more about what’s next for the industry. One of these discussions focused on how vendors can use Qualia Marketplace to find new title & escrow company clients, increase order volume, and grow their business.
Linda Aparo, National Director of Sales & Business Development at reQuire, and Dominic Vallosio, VP of Sales & Marketing at Pippin Title, joined Qualia’s Director of Partnerships & Integrations, Max Lamb, and Senior Manager of Partnerships, Rory Blanton, to provide actionable ways for vendors to market their business and build connections with new and existing clients.
First impressions matter
The first order a vendor completes for a new client is often the most important. This first order sets the standard for future orders and therefore is often a critical factor in whether clients will return to use a vendor’s services. Vallosio explained that Pippin Title implemented an onboarding questionnaire to understand exactly what a new client is expecting and to increase the success of initial orders. Since adding this questionnaire to its onboarding process, Pippin Title has seen a significant decrease in new client churn.
Having a clear onboarding process helps new clients feel like they are in good hands even before placing their first order. Lamb recommended that vendors create clear processes to ensure that the first order meets or exceeds client expectations. These processes may include scheduling time to set expectations, review responsibilities, and discuss desired outcomes as well as gathering feedback through client reviews and quarterly business reviews (QBRs). By taking the time to understand new clients and their needs during the onboarding process, vendors can keep customers happy and coming back.
Encourage clients to leave reviews
All of the panelists agreed that reviews are crucial for growing a vendor’s business because they enable future clients to get a sense of the quality of a vendor’s products and services. Vallosio added that “reviews are a product of excellent service for your clients.” From Qualia Marketplace to Google My Business, online reviews can improve visibility and rankings to make it easier for prospective clients to find vendors and get an impression of their business. Aparo added that even negative reviews can provide valuable insights, as long as businesses take advantage of them. Negative reviews give an honest look at business performance and present an opportunity to improve various processes and procedures.
Aparo recommended that vendors follow up with clients for both positive and negative reviews. For negative reviews, following up can help vendors repair relationships and gain trust and business back, while following up after positive reviews can help deepen relationships. After receiving positive reviews in Qualia Marketplace, Aparo recommended that vendors encourage clients to set up automatic ordering. Automatic ordering enables title & escrow companies to select preferred vendors and prioritize them for future orders. These automations can help title & escrow companies save time during the ordering process and reward top-performing vendors. When discussing automations in Qualia Marketplace, she said that “anytime a title agent has less keying and can automatically order something is just amazing.”
Ensure that business information is up-to-date
A business’s online presence is increasingly important in attracting the attention of new clients. When executing online marketing efforts, panelists urged vendors not to neglect their online profiles. Vallosio encouraged vendors to ensure that information, like pricing, turnaround times, and product samples, is accurate and easy to find. Doing so allows prospective clients to see a snapshot of a vendor’s business and if they would be a good fit.
Responsiveness is also a critical component of building a vendor’s online presence. Both Aparo and Vallosio agreed that quick response times are essential for new and existing customers in a time when people can access information in a snap of a finger. Vallosio explained that Pippin Title’s average response time in Qualia Marketplace is 15 minutes. Marketplace helps vendors improve response times by centralizing ordering and communication into one place. Instead of sorting through emails, vendors are connected to title agents’ workflows and can respond to inquiries directly in Marketplace.
Vendors that take too long to respond to clients and prospects risk losing clients to more responsive vendors. Quickly responding to inquiries and questions helps build new client relationships and shows that your business is active on vendor discovery platforms like Qualia Marketplace. Setting a response time goal and creating a process to respond to customer inquiries can help streamline this process.
Qualia Marketplace allows vendors to sell, fulfill, report, and get paid all in one place while being exposed nationwide for their services. Learn more about opportunities for vendors in Qualia Marketplace by visiting the link below.
