Old clients, old friends, old leads – you really never know what or who will come back to ask for your professional services. So take the time to try things out, engage in conversations, and regenerate relationships. Here’s how.
Recently, I was speaking with a colleague who told me that he had had topsoil delivered to his house. He wanted to use it to fill planting beds. Within days of mixing it with the existing soil, the seeds that had slept in the soil suddenly started to wake up and beautiful flowers appeared that he had never seen before. He summed it up by saying, “I guess nothing is ever really dead.”
It made me think of the unique industry that we are a part of, where we provide an essential service for one of life’s most basic needs – a place to live. A place to rest at night. Shelter from literal storms – and storms of life.
In our profession too, nothing ever really dies. That track you talked to two years ago? She has finally settled her funding and is ready to move forward. That couple who bought their home forever a few years ago? They decided to move to be closer to the grandchildren.
You really never know what or who will come back to ask a question, seek advice, or request your professional services. Old customers, old friends, old leads – they’re all likely to show up on your radar at some point.
I have tested this truth over and over again over the years when I send something to my sphere of influence. It’s amazing how seeing your name in their inbox will trigger a glowing moment for your friends and family, reminding them of a question they wanted to send you or some help they need.
It reminds them to send your information to a friend they just spoke with about real estate with or ask you to send them mockups for advanced planning of a home sale or purchase.
It’s time to get back to work by nourishing your sphere
Immerse yourself in your sphere of influence as the end of 2021 approaches. With such an active market, you have plenty of reasons to reach out. Send information about their market and end with a strong call to action.
When done right, it can set you up with all the right ingredients to start the New Year off right.
Re-evaluate previous ideas and revisit the best ones
Likewise, it’s a good idea to spend time examining ideas from the past to see if they’ve sprouted up and are ready to bloom.
Remember that marketing plan that you didn’t have the time or money to implement? Maybe it’s time to see him again. This new concept to create a more solid SEO network? Take it out and let the sun in.
Focus on your niche or develop a new one
Did you think about creating a deeper niche and then scrapping your plans when the market got hot? Maybe it’s time to revisit this notion and see if it still makes sense for your business model and local market.
Establish good habits or relaunch previous strategies
Have you put aside some of your old good habits? Have you stopped writing notes to people when they think of you or when you want to thank them? Stop taking time for pop-bys or catch-up phone calls?
One of the ways I’m reaching out to my sphere this holiday season is to offer a pie for their dessert table. It’s a simple, affordable way to show that I think about them and that I thank them, now and throughout the year.
Be social with lost friends and colleagues
Has isolation from COVID changed the way you interact with others? Have you stopped inviting friends and colleagues over for a cup of coffee or a weekly lunch? It’s time to get back to some of the social habits that we gave up over the past year and a half.
Update the previous schedule and find new ways to make it work
Many of us had pre-COVID plans that were deflected or put on hold. Dust them off and see what still works or what changes need to be made to make them viable.
There is so much potential in the ideas of old journals or binders created at a training event. Take them out, browse through them, and find the spark of inspiration that could lead you to your next big event.
Like my friend said, nothing ever really dies. There it is, waiting for you to feed it and turn it into something new. Maybe it won’t look like what you thought it would be. It might be better. But taking the time to try things out, start conversations, generate – or regenerate – something can pay off big in 2022.
