They Will Buy, Sell and Refer
By Julie Escobar
You remember the line from the movie Field of Dreams, I’m sure – “If you build it, they will come.” Well, as with baseball diamonds in corn fields – the same is true of a solid sphere of influence. If you build it – they will come, and buy real estate and sell real estate and send new referrals your way. Just like old Kevin Costner’s character though – you’ve got to commit to the work, take a leap of faith and believe enough in the ‘what could be’ to get past the ‘but what about right now’ thinking.
Tip: (Brokers & Managers – this might be a good exercise for your new agents or your ‘starting over’ agents!)
Build it. This is the toughest thing for agents. Committing to the database creation. Many think they have to take it all on at once – or have EVERYTHING in place before they can start marketing themselves as the neighborhood specialist. Not so. Remember the old adage – “how do you eat an elephant? ONE bite at a time!” Same thing applies here. Don’t worry about having a bazillion people in your sphere to start. Ask yourself this, “what’s DOABLE?” Then answer yourself by taking ACTION!
Where to start? Start with the name, address, phone, email, relationship type, and social media information if you can of:
- Current clients
- Friends/Relatives
- Colleagues
- Doctors
- Veterinarian
- Dentist
- Attorney
- Accountant
- Insurance agent
- Financial advisor
- Social circle contacts
- civic groups
- networking group
- PTA
- golf/tennis/racquetball club members
- little league/soccer/basketball/football contacts
- church
- Neighbors
- Car dealer
- Teachers
- Mortgage professionals
- Landscaper
- Handyman
- Roofer
- Electrician
- Pool service owner
- Restaurant/Business owners around you
- Grocer or grocery store managers
- All those business cards that you’ve been stacking in that desk drawer somewhere from everyone you ever met anywhere!
- Open house contacts
- Past mailings lists from Just Listed/Just Sold postcards, geographic farm areas
Don’t Assume: This is a great start for building your base and if you build it…they will bring you business. If you don’t – they’ll call someone else! (As any agent who has had a friend or family member use someone else for their real estate needs because they ‘forgot’ or weren’t ever aware that someone they already KNEW was an agent!) Never assume or take for granted that everyone YOU know KNOWS that you’re in real estate. Top of mind awareness takes consistency, commitment and a system to ‘touch’ your sphere month after month.
Don’t Panic: Now – if you don’t have the information for EVERYONE on this list – don’t PANIC. Start with who you do know. Even if it’s 20-30 people – it’s better to START marketing now than to wait until everything is ready. (We can help you grab lists from your neighborhood or farm area as well – call our team at 866.405.3638.)
Next week we’ll talk about GROWING your list. Until then, get busy BUILDING and count your blessings! At least you’re not having to create baseball diamonds in cornfields-right? Good luck and let us know how we can help you! You can search data lists at http://www.prospectsplus.com/data/ or call our inside account management team for help getting started at 866.405.3638 today!
Oh — and while you’re online…please be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter & now look for ProspectsPLUS Marketing on Google+!
