Jennifer Allan's Selling to Your Sphere of Influence - No Sales Pitch Required!

Earlier this week, I spoke on the subject of Selling to Your Sphere of Influence - No Sales Pitch Required! at the Colorado REALTOR Convention.

As I usually do, I did my best to debunk many of the sacred cows of the SOI- business model training industry, such as how important it is to ask for referrals, why it's a great idea to categorize your friends based on their history of referring to you - stuff like that.

The crowd seemed to accept my protestations that this behavior is not only obnoxious, but that it's not terribly effective. Cool.

I closed my presentation by encouraging the audience to evaluate every prospecting strategy that crosses their path from their gut... to ask themselves if the strategy they're considering is one they're excited about and proud of; to be honest with themselves as to how they would respond to the strategy if used on them and whether or not it would annoy them, if used on them. And to trust what their guts have to say on the matter.

A woman in the back of the room raised her hand and asked if I "approved" of Client Appreciation parties. I asked her if she would enjoy holding such an event and she said she would. I responded with "then absolutely - have that party" with the explanation that if you enjoy doing something, it's probably a good prospecting activity for you. Me? Nah, I'd be too afraid no one would show up and it wouldn't be worth the pre-party stress!

But later I gave this some more thought and wish I had just another 45 seconds in that room to share the rest of the story...

Which is... I just can't get excited about the phrase "client appreciation party." Oh, it's not the worst thing in the world, but to me, it sounds like an event specifically held to make me feel obligated to the host with my future real estate business, as opposed to a party where I'll have a great time. I dunno - there's just something about that title that gives the introvert in me the heebie-jeebies - even more so than a run-of-the-mill party invitation might evoke.

Am I saying not to have the party? Heavens no! Party on, my friend! But call it something else! Have your party in conjunction with an event of general appeal - Oktoberfest, Halloween, your or your spouse's birthday, the World Series or Super Bowl, your housewarming celebration (even if you moved over a year ago!), or just your "first annual wine and cheese tasting" party.

Don't approach your precious Sphere of Influence as a real estate agent first and foremost, as if that's all you are to them. Be a friend or pleasant acquaintance, who throws a good party, and oh, yeah, also happens to sell real estate.

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Now that the listing agreement is signed and your FOR SALE sign is in the yard, you're done, right? Onto the next victim prospect to WOW with your fancy listing presentation and 132-point marketing plan! Of course, most of those 132 points are pretty much fluff & nonsense, but by the time you've overwhelmed the seller with your promises of Exceptional Service and Total Commitment, he probably won't notice.

No, he probably WON'T notice at the time, but he'll certainly notice later. The good news is that by then it's too late! He's committed to stuck with you! And you'll be damned if you'll let him out of your listing agreement after you've spent ALL THAT MONEY and ALL THAT TIME on his listing! Besides, he probably won't have the guts to even ask (whew!).

Want to Show Your Seller How Much You (Don't) Care?

It's easy! Just follow these simple steps...

1.  Don't send your seller a copy of the MLS listing entry to get his feedback.

2.  Don't let him know when his house officially goes "on the market."

3.  Don't offer to do an open house, and be sure to argue with him if he asks you to.

4.  Don't call the seller after your open house with feedback.

5.  Don't call the seller after you show his house with feedback.

6.  Don't call after the first few showings just to check in.

7.  Don't monitor showings, but the next time you talk, ask "Have you had any showings lately?"

8.  Put up a brochure box, but never fill it (or let it stay empty after the first batch is gone).

9.  Don't send the seller copies of your advertising.

10.  Don't contact the seller at all until it's time to ask for price reduction or to extend the listing.

If you follow these simple instructions for each and every one of your listings, you will be assured a long, glorious career of prospecting, prospecting, prospecting to keep that pipeline filled! You'll never have to worry about repeat or referral business distracting you from your all-important prospecting schedule...

RELATED BLOGS
Sixteen Ways to Keep Your Seller Happy with You
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And now a word from our sponsor...

The Winter of Soul Teleseminar Series kicks off on November 18th with a show about...ho hum...Creating Your 2010 Business Plan. Nah, it won't actually BE ho-hum, but I'll admit - it might not be the MOST exciting program in the series. But definitely worth tuning in for as our hearts and minds and bank accounts look toward the future...

The 2009-2010 Winter of Soul program is a 10-session series of teleseminars on topics of interest to the soulfully-inclined real estate community. They're scheduled throughout the winter season - from November to March - typically on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings. All are recorded, so if you can't make them live, you'll be able to listen in later at your leisure. The tentative schedule is below.

How much? $59. For over 800 minutes of soul!  

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Questions? Just ask!

The 2009-2010 Winter of Soul Tentative Schedule

Creating Your 2010 Business Plan - Everyone knows you're supposed to have a written plan. Have you done yours? No? Let's do it together in this kick-off to the 2009-2010 Winter of Soul. Wednesday afternoon/evening, November 18th

Alternatives to Referral-Begging - It's really not necessary to beg, bribe or even "remind" your friends to send you referrals. In fact, this behavior might actually be counterproductive to your goal of GETTING referrals from the people you know. I'll show you what to do instead. Saturday morning; January 16th

Open House Strategies - A panel discussion with four master open-housers on effective techniques to attract visitors, build rapport, get valid contact information (and permission to use it), and much more. Saturday morning, January 23rd

Why Isn't My Listing Selling? - ARGHGH! Why isn't my listing selling? I priced it right, made up a pretty brochure and I hold open houses every weekend! What else can I do? (And no, the answer isn't always "reduce the price."). Saturday morning, February 13th

Selling with Her Soul - For Ladies Only (and the men who love them) - A potentially politically INcorrect discussion on how there's nothing wrong with being feminine in today's gender-neutral world. No, you DON'T have to become a man to succeed; quite the opposite in fact! Mary Beth Bonacci joins me for what I promise will be a fascinating show. Date TBD

Social Media and Your Sphere of Influence - Don't spam your sphere! ...and other tips for effectively using social media in your sphere of influence business model. Saturday morning, February 20th

Rethinking the List(en)ing Presentation - Do you really need a formal listing presentation? Maybe... but maybe not. A panel discussion on various approaches to seller interviews. Saturday morning, January 9th

Don't Be Dorky, Be YOU! - Why is it that real estate agents, many of whom are otherwise fascinating creatures, insist on being dull as dirt in their written communications? You don't have to be a professional writer to create interesting letters, newsletters or online profiles that will make the reader smile... instead of yawn. Date TBD

B.R.A.N.D.'ing with Tom Gosche - Back by popular demand from the Summer of Soul, Tom Gosche, branding expert, joins us to share his unique perspective on personal branding that actually reflects who you are... and inspires you to become the best YOU you can be. It's good stuff. Wednesday afternoon/evening, December 2nd

Beyond Virtual Tours - Virtual Tours aren't just for listings anymore! So far, my friends at CPG Tours and I have come up with nearly 20 promotional uses for virtual tours outside of marketing your listings. Easy-as-pie to put together and a lot of fun to distribute. Saturday morning, March 6th  

Register for the Winter of Soul for $59

Deep breath. "Good morning, thank you for coming today...!"

Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, I'm doing my very first REALTOR Convention speaking gig. In Colorado. At the Broadmoor Hotel & Resort, in case you'll be in the neighborhood. My topic? Oh, you can probably guess - "Selling to Your Sphere of Influence, No Sales Pitch Required!"

2.25 hours of scintillating discussion as to how to generate business and referrals from your Sphere of Influence without spending a fortune, jeopardizing your friendships or pestering a soul. If you follow my blog, you've no doubt read a thing or two about my feelings on the matter (NEVER beg, bribe or even remind for referrals, the best way to GET referrals is to EARN them, obligation is a dirty word when you SOI, etc., etc., etc.), but I'm pleased to say that almost all of the material I'm presenting is new. That is - I wrote it specifically for the convention, so while the philosophy hasn't changed, I'm presenting it in a fresh way.

My presentation was not marketed using my "subtitle" of "No Sales Pitch Required" so I'm mildly concerned my audience will be expecting a program espousing the use of formal systems, aggressive stay-in-touch campaigns or some other sort of agent-centric prospecting philosophy that completely disregards the feelings of the prospectee. Hopefully not too many will walk out in protest when they realize that I'm adamantly opposed to such nonsense and instead, propose a softer approach that attracts business rather than pursues it.

Ah well. We shall see.

I'm really excited about the opportunity, actually. And... I'm READY!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes... and thanks in advance for your good wishes!