Keeping Your Sphere of Influence Warm When the Real Estate Market Cools

As certain as geese flying south for the winter, you can depend on the real estate market slowing down after a busy spring and summer. Kids go back to school, the weather cools, and before you know it, the holidays arrive; buying or selling isn't on the forefront of most people's minds.

So what can you do as a real estate professional during the slow season to make sure you stay top of mind to your leads and prospects for when things really pick up again in the spring? Here are a few tips to ensure that your sphere of influence does not freeze this winter.

Personal Contracting Opportunities

The fall and winter months offer a great window to meet people face to face. Something simple as stopping by with baked goods for someone in your sphere or volunteering in your community may reap rewards once the snow melts and the market heats up again.

Feel a little nervous talking one-on-one? Send a personalized video message to a past client who you think might consider buying or selling next year. Thank them for their business and offer to help with whatever they need.

Useful and Relevant Information

Provide your contacts with relevant, timely and useful information. (We're talking more than a Daylight Savings reminder or a cookie recipe, but those don't hurt either.) Post articles on your social media profiles about the things your sphere may be interested in. Offer free home valuations. If your contacts trust you as a viable source of solid information, they'll be more likely to come to you when they're ready to sell. The key is to provide information that is both relevant and personalized.

Purposeful Emails

Keeping your SOI engaged during the slow months can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. Sending emails to clients that require them to engage in two-way communication helps keep you top-of-mind. ("I'd love to meet for coffee sometime next week. Are you available on Tuesday?" is a much stronger call to action than "I'd love to meet for coffee whenever you're free.") Some lead gen/CRM tools incorporate behavioral intelligence, which can help you decipher who to reach out to and when.

Keeping your SOI warm during the slow season shows your clients and prospects that you're a year-round real estate professional, and that they can turn to you anytime for your expertise. So when the geese return and the new buying/selling season starts, you won't have to wait for your contacts to warm up.

To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog.