Acquiring New Movers

If you begin tracking the number of homeowners who buy and sell in your market over a year, it will probably blow your mind how many people actually transition in and out of your trade area. About 13% of Americans move each year, and 24% of adults have moved in the past five years.

Whenever someone moves, they are usually developing new habits, new routines, and it is a perfect opportunity to explain how you can help these new members of your community. I have found that most dry cleaners do not have a system to acquire New Movers, so you will likely be the only dry cleaner going after their business.

There are several ways you can attract new movers. Let’s talk about some of the more effective methods. You can get a list from a local mail house and have them send a postcard or letter explaining your services, or perhaps a Consumer Awareness Guide. You will want to ask about where the list comes from and how current the data is. It is critical to catch prospective clients in the first thirty days.

Another option is to go on Zillow.com and pull up your city. You can change some of the prompts, so you look at SOLD homes over the past 14 or 30 days. And you can even define a minimum amount for the homes you look at. And then, you can drop off a small gift, ideally in a bright-colored bag with your logo on it so that the homeowner sees it when they pull in their garage. I would not suggest mailing off this information because the data does not include a name, and putting “Current Resident” or “New Homeowner” is too impersonal.

And finally, you can develop a relationship with a real estate agent who has access to MLS listings. They can create an automated email that notifies you when a home is sold within certain criteria. You can define zip codes, home value, and other criteria to filter it down. You could even take care of that real estate agent’s clothing bill for setting this all up for you and giving you access to the data. That is what we do. And then, you can mail or drop off a welcome gift or mailer to introduce yourself.

Any of these options can work very well for you. The key is to be consistent each month with whatever you choose to do. You can really build your business on New Movers, and you will quickly benefit from reaching out to these prospects in a meaningful way.