Does your sphere of influence database include all the names it should, or is it missing dozens of folks?
I’m assuming you do have a database and you do get in touch with those people at least quarterly, if not monthly. You do, don’t you?
If not, you need to get started today. Those are people who not only might do business with you some time in the future – they’re people who can send their friends and family members to you. They can be extremely valuable to your career!
You probably should start with postal mail, just to get in touch and begin gathering email addresses. Phone calls would also be useful in obtaining permission to begin emailing. Then get an autoresponder that allows you to enter your own data, and begin mailing to them regularly.
Who are the people who make up your sphere of influence? It’s NOT just people you feel you might have some influence over. It’s everyone who might have some reason to like you – or to at least not feel unkindly toward you.
The article I read on Realty Times this morning included a list of 30 different categories of people who should be in your database. It caused me to stop and think about how many people were missing from my own list back when I was an agent.
For instance, it never occurred to me to add the mechanic who worked on my car occasionally. I also didn’t include my kids’ teachers, the dentist, or my Mom’s friends. In fact, if I want to be honest with myself, I’ll have to admit that most of the people on that list were absent from my database.
Read the list – see if you’re as remiss as I was. And if so… start adding names!
What should you send?
Start with market reports and area news they might not know. For instance, you might have unpublished information about a new housing development going in or the fact that a local restaurant has just changed hands.
You could send a newsletter – if you have time to write one or like one of the ones that’s available for purchase.
You could send news about your own activities – success in real estate, seminars you’ve attended, a wonderful vacation, or even news about a birth in the family or a new puppy.
Or, you could use my event themed keeping in touch letters. If you mail monthly, that set will keep you “top of mind” with both your sphere of influence and your past clients for the next two years.
