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

Last week we did a show-n-tell webinar in the SWS Virtual Studio about contact management - specifically what to DO with your contacts once they're loaded. Because, as nice as it is to have a place to safely store your precious sphere of influence contact details, having them in storage certainly isn't enough to justify either the effort it took to get them there, or the cost you'll incur to keep them there.

If you'd like to watch the video from the show, you can do that here: www.sellwithsoul.com/cms-contacts. It's a long one - nearly 90 minutes, but there's some good stuff there if I do say so me-self!

If you don't have the patience to sit through a 90-minute tutorial (I know I don't), here's the Cliff's Notes version...

Step One: Print out a report of all your contacts, including their spouse's name, home address, email address, phone number and birthday.

Step Two: Go through the list with a highlighter and identify any missing bits of information. Don't DO anything with the missing bits just yet - just identify them.

Step Three: Go through the list again and identify your Group Ones (the people you'd feel comfortable asking out for coffee; i.e. your social network). Put a "1" next to your Group Ones.

Step Four: If you imported your contacts from an old database, identify anyone on that list that you don't know with an "IDK" (I Don't Know). These might be old web leads or people you met at open houses five years ago, for example.

Step Five: Everyone else on the list, who isn't a Group One or an IDK should be a Group Two (people you know, but who aren't in your social network).

Step Six: Go BACK through the list (yet again) and identify members any sub-groups that you see - for example - family, service providers, dog-lovers, fellow bikers or hikers, little-league parents, members of your church, high school or college friends, etc.

INTERLUDE

All this printing and highlighting and scribbling may sound a little low-tech for today's world, eh? Surely there's a faster, more efficient way to do these things without expending all this manual effort?

Yes, of course there is and most contact management systems will allow you to do most of these steps directly online, without printing and highlighting and scribbling.

BUT

I believe there is something magical about "touching" the names in your database on a regular basis. When you print out the list and go through it, name by name and really think about each person and who they "are" to you, good things happen. First, you'll likely be inspired to reconnect with many of the people on that list, and second (as airy-fairy as this may sound), when you think about someone, I believe you send out a vibe to them, and if you're thinking good thoughts (!), I believe they'll feel it... and might be inspired to reconnect with YOU! I think every real estate agent should go through their database, name by name, at least every six months.

Okay - I'll continue this later this week with what to do NEXT after you've printed out and scribbled up your list... Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Just a quick announcement of an SWS webinar next week... we're doing it specifically for IXACT Contact users, but even if you use a different contact management system or are considering signing up for one, it might be worth an hour or so of your time to attend.

 

We're going to do a show-n-tell webinar about what to DO with your contacts once you've loaded them up. Sure, it's nice having contact information for your sphere of influence all in one place, but if that's all you do with it - that is - store it, you SO won't get your money's worth from whatever program you're using.

 

And I want you to GET your money's worth from any program, system or tool you spend your hard-earned dollars on, especially if it's a program, system or tool I advised you to get in the first place!

 

So, if you'd like to join us, we're meeting on Tuesday, August 9th at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern. You'll need to be sitting at a computer with speakers so you can follow along. Again, you don't have to be an IXACT Contact subscriber to attend and benefit from the material.

 

To register for the webinar, just go here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/744266937.

 

Last Thursday, I did my first-ever contact management teleseminar show in the SWS Virtual Studio. The goal of the program was to do a general overview of what *I* think a contact manager ought to do for you, and provide some solid ideas of how to use your contact manager to do those things. (if you missed the show, you can purchase a recording of it for $3.99 HERE).

Had great attendance and terrific feedback. And lots and lots of questions, some of which I answered yesterday here. However, many of the questions asked during and after the show have inspired me to do a little series on contact management! Isn't that the most exciting thing??

So, let's get started, shall we?!

<By the way, every single word that follows is based on MY opinion of and experience with the subject at hand. While I may sound as if I'm some big smarty-pantz know-it-all, well, I really don't know it all. I'm just telling you how I see things and you can take or leave my words as you see fit!>

I believe a contact management system should do two things well. Very well. If it doesn't do these two things Very Well, I don't care what else it does, Very Well or otherwise.

These two things are:

•  Managing Your ConTACTS, and

•  Managing Your ConTRACTS.

Your "conTACTS" are the people who make up your database, aka, your sphere of influence or SOI. Your "conTRACTS" are your active listings and pending sales.

Managing Your Contacts
A good contact management system (let's use CMS from here on) will allow you to easily and intuitively enter contact information for everyone you know, including data for their spouse, partner, children and other relatives, including different last names and individual contact information. It should allow you to track the birthdays of all members and notify you of an upcoming birthday (and other special dates you want to acknowledge). It should allow you to categorize your contacts into various groups, and the names of such groups should be fully customizable. It should allow you to include a person in more than one group and sort accordingly. It should allow you to link conTACTS with conTRACTS.

Managing Your Contracts
Speaking of contracts, a good CMS should allow you to create checklist  templates (also known as action plans or activity plans) that are fully customizable, to apply to your real estate transactions.

For example, the CMS should make it easy for you to create a "New Listing Checklist" with all of the to-do's associated with a new listing from Day One to the date it expires or goes under contract. When you get a New Listing, you simply apply the New Listing Checklist template to that contact profile and BAM! You have an auto-populated to-do list for the listing that reminds you to do all those things you need to for the seller, on the day you need to do them.

Those are the two things a good CMS must do. The rest - all fluff. I don't care if it creates fancy splashy newsletters, I don't care if it has a gazillion drip campaign emails or marketing letters, I don't care if it creates CMA's or listing presentations, I don't care if it blows your nose for you. If it doesn't do the two things I just described Very Well, it's not a good contact management system.

Okay, that's today's show. Tune in next time for more opinions, ramblings and advice on the scintillating topic of Contact Management!

THE CONTACT MANAGEMENT WITH SOUL SERIES
Part I - The Unanswered Questions
Part II - The Two Things a Contact Manager Should Do Very Well
Part III - Creating Reasonable Expectations for Your Contact Manager
Part IV - "But I Can't Afford a Contact Management System!"
Part V - Contact Management Pays for Itself - if you use it!
Part VI - Which System do I Recommend?

Over 350 people signed up and about 75% showed up for last Thursday morning's show about Using Your Contact Management System to Sell with Soul. Wow - I guess it was a Hotter Topic than I expected it to be - I figured it would just me and a handful of other technologically-curious agents who had nothing much better to do on a Thursday morning. (If you missed the show, you can purchase a recording of it HERE for $3.99)

Anyway, lots of folks showed up and asked lots of good questions - 30 pages worth to be exact. Couldn't get to all of them during the show, so, as promised, here are some of the Q's (with A's) that went unanswered during the show.

(Oh, before I proceed, several listeners asked questions about the specific contact management system I recommended at the end of the show. I didn't have all the answers, so I've referred those Q's to my contact at Ixact Contact to answer for me... so... if you attended the show and don't see your unanswered question below, that's probably why! Stay tuned.)

Q from Loreena
Why wouldn't you use a contact manager as your sole contact management tool? That is - why do you use a separate email system? (I mentioned during the show that I use Windows Live Mail for my general email, not the email program in my contact management system.)

A from JA
I believe that you should use the best tool or system for the job, so I use a lot of different task-specific systems in my business. Windows Live Mail does email - very well, and doing email very well is probably more important to me than anything else. It's not worth it to me to sacrifice function for the simplicity of only having one "all-in-one" system. In my experience, contact managers are not fully-functioning email programs.

 

Q from Sabrina 
What program do you recommend for CMA's? I use Top Producer, but that is all I use it for. I would like to switch to Ixact, and cancel with TP, but I do like their CMA's.

A from JA
I'm not familiar with TP's CMA's, but in my experience and opinion, the best CMA's are done through your own local MLS. I prepared my CMA's using reports from my MLS, not the actual CMA program because I was never quite satisfied with the information the CMA-specific program came up with. Just my opinion. But if the only reason you're using TP is to do CMA's, I'm sure there's a better solution locally!

Marie in Canada comments - Prospects is a relatively simple CMS with a great support system and it's FREE....covered by our fees with our Board

Q from Connie
Can you recommend a contact management system to install on your computer? (she's referring to a contact manager that is housed on the computer as opposed to accessed online.

A from JA
I've heard good things about Advantage xi and REST. I've never tried any of them, though. Any other feedback is welcome! 

 

Q from Dee
If my Group 1 and Group 2 are very small should I start using a contact manager? (for the uninitiated, Group 1 is my social network; Group 2 is everyone else)

A from JA
Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps if you're using and paying for a contact manager, you'll be inspired to increase the number of contacts in it! But regardless of whether you use a CMS or not, the size of your contact database is directly related to the size (or rather, number of) your paychecks. The more people who know you, like you, and know that you sell real estate, the more real estate you'll sell. So, perhaps the first step is to meet more people, with a plan to keep them organized and stayed-in-touch with... which may very well include a contact management system.

 

Q from Sarah
What do you think about gifts for past clients around the holidays or new year to stay in touch? I make homemade chocolate sauce each year and I am not sure if is something to continue. It's personal..they like it....but is something like this tacky? I dont want to be the tacky realtor who gives gifts that people don't really want. Should a realtor ask a client if they are enjoying it?

A from JA
I think that's a perfect holiday gift and I don't see anything tacky about it at all. But if you're wondering if it's appropriate...ask yourself... would you enjoy receiving homemade chocolate sauce and/or would you think it's tacky? And give (or don't give) accordingly! (You might want to read my related blog: "Doo-Dad unto others..."). But no, don't ask people if they like it. It'll either sound like you're fishing for compliments or feeling insecure.

Q from Sarah 
I'm in a book club. We never talk real estate..everyone knows that I am a realtor...I want them in my SOI.....I would love to meet them for coffee...it feels a bit "awkward" to meet them for coffee when the only reason I would meet them at the time is because I am in real estate, but I will do it and be good at it.....what is the end result of this? Is it keeping my name in their minds? or just keeping in touch?

A from JA
Great question! I advise that you go out for coffee with people you'd enjoy having coffee with. Period. If you stick to this strategy, you'll find plenty to talk about without begging for business (ugh). Don't try to be friends with everyone in the club unless you truly feel friendly with everyone! Just take it slow, one relationship at a time... and, as I'm sure you know, leave your sales pitch in the car and just be YOU.

Q from Maureen
How often do you suggest contacting people in our SOI? And, do you suggest contacting them with the same means in a row?? i.e. postcards each time, letters.

A from JA
First, you might want to read my series on this topic which begins here: "How often does your SOI need to hear from you?" Personally, I send a mass-email every month (of interest to them, not about real estate) and 3 postal mailings a year to everyone in my SOI. I also try to touch base with everyone in my Group 1 at least once a quarter with a coffee date, phone call or personal email exchange. But as you'll see in the comments of the series, everyone has a different opinion on the matter!

Q from Jennifer (not JA)
Should you house/store prospects you meet from Open Houses? Would these be Social Network/Group 1?

A from JA
I would enter contacts from open houses into my database if we made a connection and there seemed to be some mutual interest in pursuing a professional relationship. I would not add people who simply signed in (if I required sign-in which I don't) and left without a good conversation. In all likelihood, the folks I do add to my database would not be in my social network (Group 1) at this point, although that could happen later of course! Here's a short series I did on the topic of getting contact information from open house visitors.

Q from Brian
Do people in Group 2 move into Group 1?

A from JA Absolutely! Not all the time, but sure, if someone isn't a "friend" today but becomes a friend later for whatever reason... that's great!

Karen from Canada comments: I tried Agent Office and Top Producer...and recently changed to a system in Canada called Prospects that is so intuitive I don't even know where the help button is!

Q from Anonymous
What do you do if your contact doesn't have an email address?

A from JA
Are you asking if they don't HAVE one or if you don't know it? If they don't have an email address then you'll just have to stay in touch the best you can via other methods they are comfortable with. Don't fret about it or make any big effort; just include them in your regular mailings, whatever those may be and if you're comfortable doing so, call 'em up every once in awhile or go out for coffee.

Q from Loreena
I'm on the hunt to find a system that is trackable (opens, clicks, etc.). What are your views on the importance of knowing the trackable information?

A from JA
I used to find it fascinating to see who opened my emails and clicked on what, but I rarely look anymore. I'm sure there's some value to that information, but aside from curiosity, I'm not sure what. I suppose if you have a big enough sampling, you'll get a feel for which topics are "click-worthy" or which subject lines inspire the most opens. I do look to see how many people open my newsletters and the subject line does make a huge impact, but I don't look to see who, specifically, opened them. I'm also not convinced that the data is all that accurate.

Q from Antoinette
How often do you need to do email campaigns?

A from JA
See my response to Maureen, above, and do take a look at the blog series referenced there!

Q from Heather 
I was wondering,,,I am having problems keeping track of who I have "touched" and how I "touched" them, Is there an easier way to do that?

A from JA
A contact management system will do that for you... if you let it! That is, if you add notes to your contacts' profiles after each "touch." You can also get a little fancier and set up action plans in a contact manager to remind you to do your touches, so you'll know that they're getting done. Curious - what sorts of "touches" are you forgetting about? Mailings? or more personal encounters?

Q from Kate
Will you talk about what is covered in the follow up class? Thanks!

A from Jennifer
Thanks for the nudge! I'm doing a follow-up show on January 27th (stay tuned for registration details) where I'll demonstrate on a live webinar the various ways I use my contact management system to generate business and referrals from my SOI. It's fairly simple stuff, by design, 'cause I believe simpler is usually better. Specifically, I plan to talk about acknowledging birthdays, setting up action plans to stay in touch, grouping your contacts without getting carried away; stuff like that.

If you'd like to comment on any of the questions and share your experience and knowledge, please do! And watch this space for an upcoming series on Contact Management - the topic has inspired me to write write write, it appears!

 

Contact Management! Woo Hoooooo! Now THIS is a topic you've been waiting all year (well, six days anyway) for, huh?!

Actually, I get more requests for recommendations on contact management than almost any other topic. Since I'm a big fan of running a Sphere of Influence (SOI) business, which naturally involves getting and staying in touch with one's Sphere of Influence, it seems obvious that I might be the perfect person to point you toward the perfect system for you.

Well, unfortunately, there is no perfect system and which one you choose will be a decision you'll need to make for yourself - which may involve some trial and error. However, part of the challenge agents have with choosing the right system for them is figuring out exactly what they want and need that system to do! They look at all the features and benefits and costs and platforms the various systems offer and get overwhelmed into inaction. I've been there... I get it.

But... good news! While I can't tell you with authority which system is best for you, I can help get you started sorting thru all the noise.

On January 6th, we're doing a little show about using your contact management system to run a Sell with Soul-style business. Managing your Sphere of Influence. Remembering to stay in touch without making your friends feel like a number. Not relying on a fancy system to do your staying in touch for you, but rather using it as a tool to help you do it yourself. Identifying who within your SOI is due for a coffee date or catch-up email. Grouping your SOI without complicating your life unnecessarily. Stuff like that.

We'll also touch on using your contact management system to organize your business, which, in my opinion, is one of the primary reasons to even have a contact management system!

This show will be an audio-only program - that is - I won't be demonstrating any of the contact management strategies I'll discuss during the show. BUT... later in January I'll be holding the first ever live SWS webinar where I will show you how to do the stuff I'm gonna talk about on January 6th! So, do try to tune in for both...

Join us? 

THE DETAILS Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Time: 8:00am Pacific / 9:00am Mountain / 10:00am Central / 11:00am Eastern
Duration: 60 - 90 minutes
Equipment Needed: Nothing fancy - just a phone and/or computer
Cost: Free, but you must register below! 

REGISTER FOR THE SHOW HERE
See you Thursday!