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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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!

Thanks for joining me for this little series on what you can do TODAY to ensure a Happy Next Year! The final installment is my favorite one - The Very BEST Way to Fill Up Your Pipeline.

Any guesses as to what it might be?

Below is a blog I wrote on the subject sometime last year, so in the interest of getting to my vacation (woo hoo!) I'm re-posting it here. However, first, a word from our sponsor.

The Pipeline 2010 series was included in the 2009 Summer of Soul teleseminar program which just finished up at the end of August. The whole program is now offered as an 11-session, 800-minute downloadable set for $49. Next week, that price will go up to $99. More information 'bout it here.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

The BEST Way to Build a Strong Sphere of Influence...  (originally posted May 2008)

I've been writing for a few years now on tips, techniques and strategies to build and maintain a strong sphere of influence business model. 

• Marketing to Your SOI? Don't You Dare!
• The Seduction of Your SOI: How Trying to Get Business is Kinda Like Trying to Get... uh...
• Rely on my SOI? I don't know anyone who wants to buy or sell!

But y'know what the all-time most powerful way to run a successful business based on the personal relationships in your life is?

Do a hell of a job for your clients.

Go above and beyond every chance you get. Don't ask what your client can do for you, ask what you can do for your client. DO that open house, even if you don't want to. Attend your buyer's inspection even if inspections bore you to tears. Call your seller every single week, even if you have nothing much to report. Cheerfully take your buyer back to the house for the 3^rd time so he can measure the windows before writing an offer. Follow up with your buyer a few days after closing to see if any problems arose during move-in that you can help with.

And then, stay in touch with them on a personal basis forever and ever.

Did you notice that there's nothing in the above paragraph about buying them a fabulous closing gift or putting them on a canned drip campaign? Nothing about mailing them recipe cards or pestering them for the names of three friends you could contact with your sales pitch?

Nope. Gifts and drips won't change anyone's opinion of whether or not you are refer-worthy. If you did a lousy job for your client, but buy them a Rolex at closing, you just threw your money away on the watch. Following up with consistent sales pitches will only alienate someone who could otherwise be a huge source of business for you.

Especially if you're in your first year, please take this advice to heart. If you go all out for the clients you have today, they will enthusiastically support your business for years to come. After 3-4 years, if you've done a reasonably good job staying in touch, your phone will start to ring without any effort on your part.

It's a beautiful way to make a living.

You didn't think I'd forget about your Sphere of Influence (SOI) in my Pipeline 2010 series didja'? Of course not...

If you've followed my blog at all, you might have noticed that I'm a big fan of an SOI business model, as long as it doesn't include any begging, bribing or pestering those Very Important People Who Know You. At last count, I've written over 200 blogs & articles on the subject and there are three whole chapters in my upcoming book on it. It's my thang.

So, what can you do with your Sphere of Influence TODAY to fill your pipeline for 2010?

Well, just about anything, really. Except begging, bribing or pestering. If, today, you begin making a concerted effort to reconnect with the people you know, by the end of the year, you'll have made a real impression on a lot of people. And I'll bet you'll have met a lot MORE people to include in your sphere to make a real impression on.

What do I mean by reconnect? Well, it depends on how formal you want to get with it. If you've been hankering to change up your business model away from traditional prospecting and into something a little more fun, then you might want to explore the various programs available to walk you thru doing just that (and yeah, I have one of those).

Or, just set some easy goals to have a couple lunch dates every week, to pick up the phone and call a friend if you have a bona-fide reason to. Accept invitations to parties you might normally decline. Have your own casual dinner party or afternoon BBQ. Organize a girls night or boys night out. Go through your email inbox and look for old conversations you can pick back up. Oh, heavens, there are a gazillion things you can do to get back in touch with the people you know and increase the likelihood of making new friends.

Just promise me you won't beg, bribe or pester anyone for business during your reconnection efforts. Or, ever. If you do, your friends and acquaintances won't appreciate being reconnected with and not only will your Sphere of Influence business model fail, you'll likely lose some friendships over it.

And that's bad.

Next up: The Very BEST Way to Fill Up Your Pipeline

I love SOI*. It's my thing... it's my passion. I think every self-employed salesperson oughta include a little SOI in their arsenal. Or a lot. During my real estate days, my business was nearly 100% SOI with a few random floor calls, walk-ins and web leads tossed in as gravy.

But if you're gonna SOI, you better do it right! Not everyone does. In fact, most don't. Not because they're stupid or incompetent or insensitive, not at all! Rather, because most salespeople have never been shown the right way to do it. When done right, an SOI business model actually changes the way the salesperson views his business ... and his world.

Most experienced real estate salespeople claim to embrace an SOI philosophy. They support the idea of generating business and referrals from the people they know. But the reality is that the vast majority of real estate agents fail miserably in their SOI efforts. Even worse, they manage to alienate many of their friends and family members along the way!

And then they proclaim that "SOI is a lousy way to run a business!"

Well, they're wrong. And, they're right. They're wrong that an SOI strategy is a poor business model, but they're right that it was a lousy business model for them. Because they didn't understand how to do it right.

If you're gonna SOI, you better do it right. If you're gonna do it wrong, don't do it at all. The personal relationships in your life are far too important to risk!

21 Ways to Blow it with Your SOI

1. Ask a friend to lunch and give her your sales pitch (every time)
2. Call your friends on the first Monday of every month and ask if they have any referrals for you.
3. If they don't, ask them why not.
4. Angrily (or tearfully) confront your friends and family if they use another real estate agent
5. Take on business you aren't qualified to handle
6. Send your friends weekly emailed newsletters of your listings
7. Blow off your friend's housewarming party, but expect her to be loyal to you
8. Attend your friend's housewarming party and sales-pitch everyone to death
9. Tell everyone you know how lousy the real estate market is
10. Tell everyone you know how overwhelmed you are
11. Tell everyone you know how depressed you are about your real estate business
12. Send out an announcement letter with typo's and misspellings
13. Send your friends frequent "forward this on for good luck or else" mass emails
14. Pepper your language with four-letter words
15. Borrow money or books or tools or whatever and don't return them in a timely manner
16. Don't return social phone calls or RSVP's
17. Try to hijack referral fees from your family's pre-existing real estate relationships
18. Ignore your SOI in favor of mass-advertising projects (then get your feelings hurt when they use someone else)
19. Contact your friends only when you're looking for business
20. Offer bribes to your friends for referrals
21. Sell real estate "on the side"

*An "SOI" (sphere of influence) business strategy means to generate business and referrals from the people who know you.

To Read About "Doing SOI Right", check out these blogs:
The Jake Series
Are You Tired of Pestering Strangers for Business?
What's the Best Way to Ask for Referrals? Don't.
SOI and the Single Gal

www.sellwithsoul.com