Tips for organizing your sphere of influence
We recommend starting with the videos below. There are six short videos that walk you through organizing.Tips for getting started
Cloze will create a contact profile for every person and company you know from the accounts you connect. When you get started we recommend organizing your sphere of influence using the options provided in the Relationship section.
- Cloze will automatically find thousands of contacts (often more than 5,000)
- You don’t need to organize them all – you don’t even need to see the whole list
- The contacts you do organize become the foundation for the rest of your Cloze account
Do not try to organize all your contacts. Start with your top 100 - 200 contacts…
- The people you know best
- The people that refer you business
- The people you are currently working with
- Your “A” clients
- Your past clients
Who is in your sphere of influence?
Sphere of influence refers to individuals in your network who provide the highest probability of generating business. This sphere includes clients who have some sway. It can also include clients with whom you have transacted, those who have provided referrals, and those who rely on you for your expertise, to name a few.
It is recommended that you keep your sphere of influence to 200 or fewer individuals.
Why is your sphere of influence important?
As an expert in the industry, you should focus on becoming their trusted real estate advisor. The more individuals who rely on your expertise and trust your business model, the more business you will build. As a result, you will waste less time chasing cold leads and allocate less capital for lead services.
In fact, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 64% of home sellers either worked with their previous agent or found an agent through a referral, while 89% of home buyers said they’d work with their real estate agent again or recommend their agent to others. These stats demonstrate how vital relationships are!
Therefore, your first goal should be to identify who is in your sphere of influence. Spot those who bring value to your business, and don’t be afraid to remove contacts who do not fit this criterion.
What is a client journey?
The client journey is a way to think about your contacts and their activities with you. For example:
- Are they a lead -- someone who was just referred to you and is planning on selling their home in the near future?
- Or are they a past buyer -- someone you helped buy a home?
Cloze uses what are called Stages and Segments to help organize everyone in their journey with you.
- The Stage shows where they are on the client journey
- e.g. a lead or a past client
- The Segment shows who that person is to you
- e.g. a buyer or a seller or a renter
- The Next Step is the next task to ensure the person advances to the next Stage
- e.g. show them homes or discuss staging options
Stages
There are five Stages you can use to track a person through their buyer or seller journey with you. Please note the Ninja Selling setup Stage labels are shown in paratheses.
- Lead (Warm) - a person that shows promise to become a buyer or seller (or both).
- Potential (Hot) - a person that has been qualified and is buying or selling soon (next 60- 90 days).
- Active (In Contract) - the person has signed or agreed to work with you to buy or sell a home.
- Past (Closed) - any person that once sold or purchased a property with you in the past.
- Lost - a buyer or seller that has decided to not purchase or sell their home with you.
Segments
The Segment sets who that person is to you. For example:
- Buyers – People looking to purchase
- Sellers – People selling a property
- Buyers & Sellers – People transacting both a purchase and sale at the same time
- Renters – People looking to rent a home
How to organize your first contact
Watch this quick video to learn how to organize your first contact.