One of the mainstays of being a successful real estate agent is making connections with new people and showing them what you do. Of course, every agent has their personal sphere of influence, but if you aren’t consistently adding contacts and expanding that sphere, your referral business could take a serious hit. According to a NAR report from November 2020, 41% of sellers found their agent through a friend or were referred. This statistic shows how important referral business is. Over time your friends, family, and past clients may refer you less, which makes it necessary to always be adding people to your sphere.

Meet New People

Although it may seem daunting, real estate agents can easily avoid this situation by finding new ways to meet people. The goal is to make a personal connection with someone and effectively explain your services to the point that they think of your name the next time someone mentions needing real estate help. The two facets of this goal are equally important because you can lose a lot of potential clients by regurgitating a scripted sales pitch. However, if you can first create a relationship that’s not based on real estate, they may be more welcoming to the idea of referring you to their friends.

Initiate Conversations & Making Connections

The first step to expanding your sphere of influence is getting out of your comfort zone and putting yourself in front of more people. You can do this by joining a group or a team, attending networking events, volunteering, or making it a goal to interact with a few new people a day.

After you’ve put yourself in a position to meet more people, you can then focus on creating relationships, finding common interests, and engaging with them. The key to these types of conversations is learning about their life and what they do while also explaining what you do. There are many ways to initiate these sorts of conversations, like inviting someone to coffee, adding them on Facebook or Instagram, or inviting them to a social event.

Once you have established a relationship and made a connection, don’t be afraid to ask if there is anything that you can do for their business. This would also be a good time to ask for their email address to add to your mailing list. You can also ask if they know anyone who is looking for real estate help. Prepare yourself to get a variety of responses, but most people will be accepting and will ask for your contact information. Keep those business cards handy!

Breakthrough Broker Toolbox

Check out these helpful resources to connect with your sphere and keep moving the needle!

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