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Database & Sphere of Influence #101

What is your Database?  

This is also known as your sphere of influence?  These are the people you know, EVERYONE you know.  

  • Friends
  • Family
  • Neighbors
  • Bunco Group Friends
  • People From Church 
  • Etc. Etc. Etc.  

These are the people you want to work with, when and if they every make a move.  These are the people that will grow to refer you when they know someone is about to make a move.  When I say, you need a CSV file of your database - I mean an excel or numbers breakdown of names, numbers, email, and physical address of these people.  Please consider taking THIS CLASS to help you format your database plan.  

Why is your database - sphere of influence important?

Without a database of people you know - you have no clients to assist in buying or selling homes.  Without a database of people you know - you have not clients to send you referrals to people you can asssit in buying and selling homes.  

This also means you must increase the number of people you know.  Check out my tips below.  

You don't have to just trust me, CLICK HERE for a Youtube Playlist of videos from top producing agents and coaches talking about why your sphere of influence is important.  

Consider reading The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller.  This book explains how things break down for your business.  

Where do you start?

You could go to your email client - such as google and do an "export" of your database.  

You would open up your Mac/Icloud Contacts and use -->THIS VIDEO to assist you in exporting.  

Maybe you have your database in a prior CRM - If so, just do a basic contacts export.  

What's Next ?

Now that you have your database exported into a CSV, Excel, or Numbers format - it is time to clean it up.  

  • Eliminate rows/columns you do not need.  
  • Make sure all the information is correct.
  • Add missing information:  REMEMBER - Names, Numbers, Emails & Addresses.  Reach out to ask for email address.  Use tax records to find addresses.  
  • DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOURSELF IN THE LAST TWO COLUMNS AS ASSIGNED BUYERS AGENT AND ASSIGNED LISTING AGENT SO IT ASSIGNS YOU TO BOTH IN THE CRM.

Now What?

Once you have your database downloaded, updated, and prefected - it is time to upload it to your CRM and any other programs you work with regarding staying in touch with the people you know.  For us, it would be Homebeat as well.   

  • Sierra Interactive:  Click on the gear icon and then lead import wizard.  Follow the prompts from there.  This will facilitate getting your database into sierra.  
  • Once you have it uploaded to Sierra - Go through and tag all of the homeowners that you know in the Houston area with the tag "homebeat".  
  • You can do a BULK tag of these people, it will take 5 minutes - ask for help if you don't understand what I mean.  
  • After your database is tagged, reach out to Katie C. and she will export just those contacts for you to upload them to Homebeat.  
  • Import that database to Homebeat to set up auto neighborhood analysis for everyone you know.  The people you know will love getting a neighborhood analysis each month, who doesn't want to know what their neighbors house sold for and if any rumors about home sales are true.  haha

Growing Your Database...

Like any business owner - you have to GROW your database of customers.  Here are some ways you can do this.  

  • Open Houses: QR Code Signs, QR Code Postcards, and Meeting Guests
  • Knock - Knock
  • Referrals
  • Social Media (please find your entire database on FB)
  • Farming Your Neighborhood and/or Another Neighborhood You Want To Work In
  • Signs: Listing Signs & QR Code Signs
  • Referrals from other agents - make those connections.  

Additionally, you should consider...

  • Volunteering
  • PTO 
  • School Calendars
  • Being In Local Community Groups (bunco)
  • Local Community Event Sponsorships
  • Home Buying Seminars
  • Your Local Community FB Pages
  • & Have a Growth Plan.  This growth plan could be taking goodie baskets to local school, businesses, public services, etc.  Please discuss this option with us in more detail so we can help you fine tune the details.  

Bottom Line

When it comes to selling homes, people work with people they know and like in most cases.  YOU MUST be that person in their sphere who they like and trust to assist them, for some people this is their biggest financial transaction, especially first time homebuyers.  

  • Stay top of mind with your database
  • Come from contribution - share things of value 
  • Be consistent
  • Be professional
  • Be resourceful
  • BE THE PERSON THEY THINK OF WHEN THEY THINK OF REAL ESTATE

Your database needs to be uploaded into your broker provided CRM within 60 days of onboarding.  If you use that system properly, as well as setting up all of your homeowners up on a Homebeat, you will be touching most of your database 36 times a year.  Additionally, we recommend that your database has been invited to your HAR app for searching homes AND that you send your contact card at minimum 1 time a year.  Also, social media is FREE marketing to your database.....please post 4+ times per week.  If you implement good and consistent plans, you should start to see results within a few months.  You will see prime results at about two years.  Keep it up, we are here to help you.