'The estate agent gave us your number'
A customer rings and says the agent recommended you. Which agent? They cannot remember, one of the ones on the high street. The office writes 'estate agent' on the enquiry, if it writes anything at all.
At the end of the quarter you want to take the good referrers out for lunch, and perhaps pay the referral fee you agreed with one branch. You have no reliable way to say which branch sent what, so the fee is either guessed or quietly forgotten, and the branch manager notices.
Why referral sources vanish
Referrals arrive through many doors: a phone call, a website enquiry, an email from the agent, a leaflet on the counter. The source is captured once, loosely, and not carried through.
- Customers do not remember or do not say which branch referred them.
- Website enquiries have no way to show the referral.
- The source is on the enquiry but not on the booked job.
- Referral fee arrangements are in a folder, not tied to jobs.
- Nobody reports back to partners on what they sent.
What untracked referrals cost
You cannot invest in the partners who send the most work, or quietly drop those who do not. Agreed fees are paid late or wrongly, which damages the relationship. And the best partners, who send you steady customers, get no thanks at all.
How we carry the referral source through to the move
- Each partner branch gets its own link, QR code and short code to put on leaflets, emails and their customer packs.
- Enquiries through a partner's link or with their code are tagged automatically. Phone enquiries get a pick list of partners for the office to choose from.
- Partners can also refer customers directly through a short form, with the customer's permission, so the lead arrives already tagged.
- The source stays on the record through survey, quote and completed move.
- Referral fees, where you have agreed them, are calculated from completed moves according to each partner's arrangement.
- A monthly statement per partner shows enquiries, surveys, booked moves and any fees due, and can be emailed to them.
| Partner | Tracked by |
|---|---|
| Estate agency branch | Own link, QR code and code |
| Lettings agent | Referral form with customer permission |
| Conveyancer | Own link in their completion pack |
| Relocation company | Account reference on each move |
Referral fee arrangements, including any disclosure to customers, are for you and your advisers to set. We record and calculate them as agreed.
What partner relationships look like after
You can see which branches send enquiries and which of those become moves. Fees are paid correctly with a statement behind them. Partners get a regular note showing what they sent, which is often the best encouragement for sending more.
It also changes how you spend your marketing time. If one conveyancer sends steady moves and three estate agency branches send almost none, you know where a visit, a box of leaflets or a thank-you is worth the effort, and where it is not.
Do you know who sends you work?
- Referral sources are recorded as 'estate agent' or not at all.
- Referral fees are calculated from memory.
- You cannot tell which branches send the most moves.
- Partners never hear back about customers they sent.
- Website enquiries show no referral source.