If you’ve been in real estate for longer than a day, you have probably heard about marketing to your sphere of influence. However, you may not know exactly who they are, how to reach out to them appropriately, or why you even want to. Today, we’ll do a deep dive on how to market to your sphere of influence and address all of those questions so you can generate real estate leads consistently.
What is Your Sphere of Influence?
First things first, what is your sphere of influence? Well, it’s basically the people you know and who know you well–your family, your friends, your acquaintances, your past co-workers, etc. However, it’s not necessary for both parties to know each other that well…that’s not the requirement.
The definition I use is very simple: “if you can recommend a movie to this person and they would actually consider your opinion, they’re in your sphere of influence.” In other words, this isn’t someone who would wonder who the heck you are; this is someone who knows who you are and trusts you to at least some extent.
Why Leverage Your Sphere of Influence?
You can use your sphere of influence to help you in your real estate career by reaching out to them for business and referrals, especially when you’re first getting started. These are the people in your life who will at least take your feelings into consideration. They may not use you as their real estate agent, but at least they won’t be jerks about it by slamming the door in your face, hanging up on you, blocking you on social media, and so on.
However, to get the most bang for your buck (the best return on your investment of time and money), you’ll need to work your sphere of influence the right way.
Step 1: Identify Your Sphere
To start with, write down everyone you know who is of an age to be considering real estate (no need to write down kids, for example, as they won’t be buying or selling for years yet). Don’t worry yet about where these people live, just get them all down on paper.
You can use your contacts list from your phone, your Facebook friends, your LinkedIn network…basically anyone who has connected with you already. Most new agents can pull 80 to 100 people from these spaces–I know that seems like a lot, but it really isn’t when you think about how many people you’ve met in your lifetime.
Remember, your phone contacts and social media are just your starting point to get you going. Now, add to that list people that you remember but that you haven’t added on social media (or maybe aren’t even on social media). These are important people to remember because chances are they are older, and older typically (not always) means more wealth and a higher likelihood of using your real estate services.
Step 2: Sort and Document Your Sphere
Once you’ve got a list of names, sort them out and plug them into your CRM. At this point, it doesn’t matter what CRM you use as long as you can get the names documented so you’re ready to use them and add notes in one central location. You can use Excel, Notion (it’s free!), Spiral, or anything else you prefer.
Just get your sphere down on some sort of database, organized alphabetically by last name. Add as much contact information as you can, but don’t worry if you have their emails, phone numbers, etc. We will work on that later.
Step 3: Contact Your Sphere
Now, before we jump into this one, let’s set the stage. How many different ways are there to contact people? You can:
- Call
- Text
- DM
- Send a letter
- Knock on the door
Out of all those options, though, there are some that are easier than others to use for that initial method of contact. What’s the easiest way to contact your sphere? At this point, it’s probably going to be a DM on social media, right?
Just think about it. That old friend from college ten years back–do you think they really still have the same cell number? If you’ve changed yours ten times since graduating, they probably have too. The same goes for email, address, etc., if you even knew that information in the first place.
So, your best bet is to go on social media and begin your initial contact from there. Moving on to step three, here’s the order I want you to use as you begin contacting your sphere:
- DM
- Call
- Text
Now, to implement that, assign each method a month: DM them in January, call them in February, text them in March, and send them direct mail in April. That way, you’re reaching your sphere every which way. They’ll see you on the socials, hear from you verbally, see your mail, and notice you in other ways which we will talk about later..
Step 4: Tying It Together
This final step is all about implementation. Why did I ask you to sort your sphere alphabetically by last name into your CRM? And why did I tell you to segment your contact methods into months? Some of you probably know where I’m going with this.
On January 1, you DM everyone with the last name that starts with “A.” On January 2, you DM everyone with “B” last names. On January 3, you DM everyone in the “C” category, and so on. You get the picture.
So, by the end of January, you’ve reached out to just about everyone in your sphere of influence. In fact, you’ll only need 26 days every month because we’re talking about the 26 letters in the alphabet.
Then, in February, you do the exact same thing, except this month, you’re CALLING everyone in each category.
Do you see where I’m going with this? By implementing a month-to-month strategy, you can build off each step. You’re probably not going to have an address or even a phone number at the beginning, but with a DM you can get that information so that you can move on to the next step when the next month rolls around.
Your first cycle through this sphere of marketing program will take a while because you’re mostly going to be securing contact information. Let’s say on January 5th (this is the
“E” day) you need to DM the Edwards family but you’re not friends with the Edwards’s. So, first things first, you need to find their social media and connect there.
Pro Tip:
As soon as you get their email, start sending them an email every single month. From the very first email, provide them value so they don’t unsubscribe.
Plus, if you live near enough to your sphere and have a fairly large circle of influence, you can start “popping by” (in person) before big holidays with a little gift to really stand out. However, know that this is a one-day affair (you will not drag this out 26 days), and I want you to execute this only if you have the budget, your sphere is close enough, and you’ve already gone through at least 2 cycles of the sphere of marketing we just talked about.
Implement Marketing to Your Sphere
Real estate is all about implementation. You have to start somewhere or you’ll never get anywhere! How you execute your strategy matters–and in real estate, we’re running a marathon, not 100-yard sprints.
There will be days that you won’t have anyone to contact (like maybe you don’t have any last names that start with Q, for example), and that’s okay. Take a break that day; it’s part of the strategy. Execute when it’s time to execute; run on the day of the race and not before.
To learn more about winning strategies for marketing to your sphere of influence and others throughout your real estate career, don’t hesitate to give me a call so we can talk about your strategy and how you can get more real estate leads in no time.