Analyzing Your Sphere of Influence 

What is your sphere of influence? It is your own personal database that you’ve created from past or current relationships in your life. It is your responsibility as a salesperson to stay in front of these people so that you can remain top of mind when they are thinking about any real estate related decision making. Your sphere of influence is crucial to your business success. Your goal should be to inspire your sphere of influence to support your business and spread the word to others interested in buying and selling real estate.

Who should make up your sphere of influence?

Family.

When I started my first listing was my mom’s family home that she grew up in. Your family usually has the most vested interest in your future success.

Friends. Friends are an amazing resource for you to connect with and will often be more than willing to provide support. I personally love working with friends because business meetings are often a great way to spend time with them and catch up.

Past Clients.

Make sure when you complete a transaction that you continue to correspond with your previous clients. This will ensure that they remember to use you in the future or recommend you to their sphere of influence.

Past Prospects.

Even though someone may have listed or purchased a home with someone, they could still be a lead for your down the line. Don’t give up. As you continue to gain more experience more doors will open for you.

Current Prospects.

You will work with people who attempted to purchase or sell, but it didn’t work out. Stay in contact with these prospects so that you are an available resource for them when their perfect opportunity does come to fruition.

Social/Casual Acquaintances.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people that are not in your direct circle of friends. Friends of friends or friends of family members can often be great leads for you to connect with. You don’t loose anything by trying and you might gain an unexpected new connection. 

Business acquaintances.

Don’t be afraid to talk about your business with people who are outside the real estate bubble. You’d be surprised how there are so many ways you can gain a new client. Your dentist, hair stylist, banker, or anyone else you do business with regularly could be a source for potential referrals.

Now, let’s talk about ways that you can stay in contact with your database.

A great way to start is by calling each person on this list on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. This can be as simple as a friendly call to catch up and see how they are. They are likely to ask about you and your business and then you can use this opportunity to ask if they know anyone that is looking to buy or sell. Another way to reach out to these contacts is to mail them post cards on a regular basis. You utilize this marketing tactic by taking advantage of holidays as you send greeting cards, or sending out updates when you have a recently sold home in their area, or you can get creative and send recipes you enjoy or a list of new bars in their area that they should try out. The key here is to be consistent and try to add value.

Another way to engage with these people is to reach out to them on social media. Comment on their posts or start a conversation through direct message. The goal is to stay in touch with these people in a natural way. You don’t have to come off as a salesperson, you know these people so try to keep the interaction as natural as possible. Another great strategic plan is to be social, go to your kid’s soccer game and try to strike up a conversation with people you know. Go to charity events and birthday parties with the goal of having meaningful conversations with people. This may be out of your comfort zone, but it will generate more business for you in future.

If people feel a natural connection with you then they are going to be willing to work with you. If this is something that makes you super uncomfortable, try taking classes that are focused on teaching you how to connect with people. I know when I first started, I took the Ninja Sales Training course that my broker suggested, and it really opened my mindset on how being social can positively impact your business. I will link the website of this training course here if you are interested in exploring that resource. You must push yourself to be successful and if you are uncomfortable, you are probably doing the right thing by trying something new!

Even though people directly in your sphere of influence might not be a current candidate for your services, remember that they could be down the line, or they could have someone in mind that is ready. Remember, each contact in your database also has a sphere of influence of their own. By contacting these people regularly, you are expanding your potential to receive a referral exponentially and improving your potential to create new connections.