Make that Call!!

So I got an email from the Texas A&M Real Estate Center...as I was reading the newsletter, I noticed an article titled, " ON THE ROAD AGAIN . . . AND AGAIN . . . AND AGAIN." The article stated that, "Drivers in Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington were stuck in traffic 140.7 million hours in 2007, ranking it fifth in the United States when it comes to time lost because of travel delays." Can you believe that?! 140.7 MILLION HOURS. With so much time spent in gridlock, this is a great time for you to be scrolling through your cell phone & calling past clients. Yup, do your FORD calls & stay in contact with your sphere. This practice is not something that will take up your time...instead, it is a way to make use of the useless time we spend in traffic. So instead of cutting off that car, make that call!

Please visit the link below for the full article.
http://recenter.tamu.edu/

Train Your Sphere Of Influence To Be Your Personal Sales Force

Everyone is attracted to success. Have you ever noticed that powerful people attract other powerful people? People love to be around others that share a passion for excellence, they also love to see others succeed. Your sphere of influence should be viewed as an extension of your own business, your own personal sales force.

Your salespeople actually have a very easy job, all they have to do is keep their ear to the ground, and if they hear of anyone considering buying or selling real estate, they send you a referral. Believe it or not, your sphere of influence is ready, willing and able to send you referrals. So, why aren't they right now?
As any great sales manager (which is what you have become) will tell you, great salespeople are not born, they are created! How? Through training! You have to train, or condition, your sphere of influence to send you referrals. They don't know how to do it, or why they should do it, unless you explain it to them.

This training program is a long term project. It's not just one letter, one postcard, or one phone call, it's ongoing. You should be continually training your sphere to send you referrals over the long haul.

Now believe me when I say this -- There is a right way to do this and a very wrong way. I think you can easily imagine the wrong way, which is calling your sphere of influence every other week and asking them -- "Who do you know that is ready to buy or sell today?" How would you feel about that call after about three phone calls? Not good, right?

Instead, when creating a marketing strategy you must always ask the WIFM question -- What's In It For Me? Because that is exactly what your clients will do when you ask them for anything. The bottom line is that members of your sphere of influence are just like any other client, they want something before they give you something.

For some it may just be a thank you, or the presence of your company, for others it may be to be kept up to date on the progress of the referral, for others it may keeping an eye out for who you may be able to refer to their business. I call this their key. Every person has a different key.
What if you took the time to identify each of your clients unique set of keys. Imagine the size of your key ring! But consider the doors that these figurative keys might unlock. The opportunities are endless!

One way to do this, lead with a clients needs. By asking the client a simple question, for instance -- "Listen, I would love to earn your referrals, is there anything I can do help you with any of your projects?" You may find clients will have a need you can help to fill.
Give and you shall receive. The law of reciprocity is a powerful one that can reap huge rewards. So put that personal sales force to work today and starting asking for more referrals!
Realtytimes.com by Jim Remley