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It’s simple when you think about it: People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. The evidence for this is everywhere.
Have you needed a babysitter, a landscaper, or a dog-walker?
Chances are you probably started your search with people you’re connected with and asked for recommendations and referrals. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about trying a new restaurant in town – but when your coworker says the food was terrible, you decide you won’t go. We all do it to avoid risk. The same can be said when buyers and sellers chose an agent to work with. Buyers and sellers lean on pre-existing relationships to find their agent.
Now, compared to each other, dropping some Benjamins and waiting around for cold leads to pop up in your inbox is easier than proactively expanding your sphere and getting to know people. The latter takes time and energy, the former only needs money. However, as we’ve seen our local, national, and global economy roil from pandemic effects this past year, it’s a good time to consider ways to grow your business that doesn’t directly rely on cash expenses. Instead, think about the networks of people you’re already connected to, and how you can leverage them to grow your business. It’s truly more profitable than you may have previously thought.
Sphere-focused real estate isn’t a new theory. The great real estate philosophers like Ninja’s Larry Kendall, Brian Buffini, Matthew Ferrara, and more all remind agents that success comes from relationships. Still, we get distracted by “disruptors” and “innovators ” and think the industry will be turned on its head.
Sphere-focused real estate business fills pipelines and builds longevity that’s exponentially more dependable than begging for top-of-funnel leads. You need to be actively communicating with your sphere of influence (SOI) to stay top of mind. This way, the next time one of your contacts is even toying with the idea of making a move, you’re the first one they’ll call and you’ll be there to help before they even consider working with another agent.
The National Association of REALTORS annually publishes a report on buyer and seller behaviors and trends. If you aren’t reviewing these surveys, we highly recommend you check them out. NAR recently released the 2020 report with some fantastic stats.
3 out of 4 buyers interviewed only one agent during their home search.
So, unless you’re reaching out to them first, it’s unlikely you’ve going to be able to grab new business without an existing relationship. Consistently keeping in touch, staying in flow, is about doing more than a once-annual home value report and a sports calendar in the fall.
When surveyed, most buyers and sellers found their agent because they were recommended by a friend, neighbor, or relative, or they used their agent from a previous transaction (NAR, 2020). This proves that people trust recommendations. If most buyers and sellers only interview one agent and most find their agent through a referral, then being that connected real estate agent is practically guaranteed business.
Despite the hugely powerful concept of repeat and referral business, brokerages and their agents are still often distracted by the next transaction. They know they need to stay in contact with people but have yet to create a system that prioritizes a relationship-first business. Their day gets filled chasing tasks, and soon, the agent has lost contact with the people who know, like, and trust them.
This forces agents into a vicious cycle that many vendors take advantage of. The stressed, over-worked agent is told, “Don’t worry, we’ll find you leads and give them to you at cost.” Agents expect the business to come rolling in while they care for current transactions, but in the end, these cold leads take more energy and convert less frequently than if the agent had focused on their sphere. It stresses agents out and brokerages are left constantly fighting agent churn due to low productivity.
The inventor of the phrase “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush” could never have envisioned it applying to modern real estate. This adage reminds us of all that every agent has a bird in their hand: their sphere of influence (SOI). If you aren’t keeping a clean, organized database (a CRM) for your sphere, step one is to start.
This article originally appeared in MoxiWorks’ agent magazine, Mile62. Enjoy more articles here.
