How an estate agent grew referrals by rewarding its team
See how Christopher Russell, an independent estate agent in Bexley, uses RQ to track referrals to solicitors and reward the negotiators who make them.
Christopher Russell rewards its negotiators and grows referrals with RQ
Christopher Russell — Estate Agency, Bexley, London
Christopher Russell Property Services is an independent estate agent in Bexley, with one busy office and a team of around 12 sales negotiators. Solicitors and conveyancers are its most important partners, because they keep sales moving through to completion. Referrals to those partners earn the firm income, but for years that income went untracked and the negotiators who earned it rarely saw the credit.
- 10-12 negotiators using RQ
- 100% of referrals tracked in one place
- 2x referral income target
Challenge: Referrals tracked by hand, with no credit for the team
Referrals mattered to Christopher Russell, but the process behind them was manual. Each negotiator kept their own spreadsheet of who they had referred, usually by email, then chased the solicitor by hand to find out if the client had instructed.
Most negotiators are not fans of admin. Many kept nothing at all, so referrals slipped through the cracks.
At completion, the administrator invoiced the solicitor based on whoever appeared on the sales memorandum. The fee was paid on trust, thanks to long-standing relationships, but no one could see who had actually made the referral.
There was no view of who was referring, what was converting, or who was bringing in the most income. Nine times out of ten, the negotiator who made the referral was never rewarded.
For a manager who wanted to grow referral income, that was the real problem. Without credit, the team had little reason to refer more.
Solution: One place to track every referral and reward the right people
Christopher Russell now runs every referral through RQ. Negotiators add their own solicitors, conveyancers, and financial advisers, then send each referral from one place.
Every referral is logged from introduction through to completion. The manager can finally see who referred what, follow each one to the finish, and make sure the right negotiator gets the credit.
Getting started took a little training. A new process is always harder than firing off an email, and a few of the team were wary of it at first.
That soon changed. Tracking referrals each month turned into a friendly competition over who had done the most, and the team got on board.
I wanted to make sure the negotiators are rewarded for the referrals they make. That lifts the number of referrals we do each month. I can see the vision, and I can see how RQ will really benefit us.
Results: Visible referrals, a motivated team, and rising volumes
For the first time, Christopher Russell can see its referrals in one place. Nothing depends on a personal spreadsheet or a note left on someone's desk.
Negotiators now get credit for the referrals they make, so they have a real reason to keep referring. The monthly leaderboard keeps everyone engaged.
Referral volumes are climbing month on month. The team talks about referrals more, and having a shared system to track them keeps the momentum going.
It is early days for conversion and income figures, because there was nothing to measure before. But the direction is clear, and the firm is building towards its goal of doubling referral income.
What's next: Email referrals and a refer a friend channel
Next, Christopher Russell plans to roll out the RQ Outlook add-in, so negotiators can create a referral straight from an email, the way they have always worked.
The firm is also looking at client referrals. A simple refer a friend link would let happy sellers introduce friends and family, turning completed sales into a new source of business.
The aim is to build the full pipeline, prove the income uplift over time, and make referrals a bigger part of how the branch grows.