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The Question That Messed Up My Old Marketing Strategy!

The room was pregnant with anticipation. The animation amongst this group of successful real estate agents was palpable. A question had been tossed on the docket by the speaker.

It hung suspended in the air... provoking a response. "So, how many names do each of you have in your database?" For a group of over-achievers, this was like throwing bloody red meat to a hound dog.

One gentleman raised up his hand and confessed to 2,500 entries. There was an audible gasp. The bar was raised high...a challenge to conquer. Another individual threw out an even larger number. I was out of my league and knew it. My list of 300 was certainly not going to be newsworthy in this crowd.

What happened next took me by surprise. The speaker proceeded to place Mr. 2,500 Leads on center stage. The spontaneous interview began with a question about WHO those 2,000+ individuals were? Were they people who received bulk mailings? How did they come to be a part of the database? Had they ever been asked IF they wanted to be a part of the database? As the questioning continued, it exposed the underlying fallacy which had infected virtually all of us. We were simply collecting names...not building strong underlying relationships.

His next statement rocked my world...which admittedly in this crowd was already pretty small. He said, "You probably only need about 75-100 people on your database list to have an effective marketing sphere of influence! If you take the time to truly get to know those people and learn how to serve them, you will benefit far more than sending tons of useless mailings to people who don't know you and don't care about you. In light of what had just transpired...this was a WOW moment for me.

We were urged to scrutinize our databases of names that we had collected over the years. The barren reality was that many of us had people we were mailing letters to whom we didn't know. The challenge required a type of radical surgery; paring down the number of names to just 100 by asking ourselves some simple questions.

Could we put a face with a name? Did we know what our clients goals were...their hopes & dreams? How about simple stuff like the number of kids they had or their birthday? Many of us couldn't recollect their Anniversary with us...the Closing date of the home.

That day, I understood an important thing. You see, it's not so much about WHO you know as it is WHAT you SHARE in common with WHO YOU KNOW that brings vibrant prosperity into relationships. A truly satisfying business is the by-product, not the end result of connecting with people. Unfortunately, the mistake that the agents at the seminar had made in striving to create a burgeoning portfolio list of names for a database rather than striving to really know their clients is still being repeated today.

In the next segment, we will continue to explore this important issue for the online marketing community. Many of us are left wondering WHERE the leads are going from all the hits/clicks our STAT counters tell us we are getting on our websites. The nagging question haunts many participants within the blogosphere...if I'm talking to people, why aren't they talking back? Have we inadvertently traded our mass mailings for websites in a vacuum?

to be continued...

Picture provided courtesy of AMAgills photostream on flickr.com

Lola Audu, CRS, GRI e-Pro ~ Audu Real Estate

Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. We've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients succeed in their goals of purchasing and selling property including demonstrated success in the negotiation of Short Sale Transactions. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511.

Posted by Lola Audu~Real Estate Broker/Owner Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Estate on 04/20/2008 03:51 PM

Comments (77)

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77 Comments on The Question That Messed Up My Old Marketing Strategy!

APR

2008

Lola, thanks for the information, we have been led to believe that more is always better, but as in most things it is quality not quantity. Thanks for the info!

I am sure you will get people that disagree with this but I think it is well done. Some agents like to have 50 million people see their mug all over the place. I prefer to spend most of my efforts on people that know and trust me. Makes for much smoother transactions. :-)

I have always been of the opinion that less is more when it comes to this. I know how much I hate to receive "junk mail" from people that I do not know. When I first started in the business, I was told to take out the phonebook and just start mailing. I never could bring myself to do that. I started out with a list of family and friends, people I had gone to school with, and teachers. From there, I began to add people that I listed for and sold homes to. Now, my rule of thumb is "If I won't handwrite a Christmas card to them, they don't go in my database".

Thanks for sharing and I look forward to reading your upcoming segments. Like Kristal, I cannot bring my self to start mass mailings. I'm sure that other agents do well with this strategy, but its just not who I am. I like to actually know the people that I am working with. I need to do a better job following up with them on a personal basis instead of simply sending them info.

I agree with your speaker.

I try to maintain an active list of 100 to 120 names. Every month some drop off for any number of reasons. This month one couple decided to move to another Florida town. Another guy did not get the promotion that he wanted, and wont be relocating to Florida at all. There were a few contracts written and for several others I realized that they would probably never decide to buy at all. But I replaced all the ones that dropped off my list with new leads from our website, referrals, sign calls etc. Actually my list of active contacts has grown a little larger than I like, so I wll be taking a close look at each contact next week and referring out a few and just cutting several more. Ive got two foks on the list that I know will buy a home sooner or later, but quite honestly, I gotten to know them (and they me) and I dont think we like each other very well. Since I dont think anyone should do business with someone they dont like, These will be the first folks I try to refer out.

APR

2008

Oh my goodness you just took me back to my rookie year. The broker, other agents, even mortgage lenders stressed "Build your database" and get as many names as you can in it.

I was a rebel. I added to my list of "contacts" those that I wanted to keep in touch with, and those I felt wanted to keep in touch with me.

Just checked..my "keep in touch with" database has 82 people in it. And yes, I talk to and pop by and receive calls from those 82 people. It's small enough that I can remember the childrens names, the places they work, their interests, etc.

I have about 3500 in mine. I don't email them all, some only get NEW listings which they have asked for. I have 100 in my SOI that get mailings. He's right. Joe Sumpf says all you need is 40 advocates who will give you one referral a year to be successful. They don't have to be past clients, only advocates for you.

WOW!!! That's the best spam comment I have ever seen!!! Good job. :)

Lola, I have always lived by "quality over quantity". Many years ago I used to keep a pretty good size data base of names. It had all the expired listings I mailed to, all my sellers(who had moved out of state) etc...What I found was that I was wasting money and time keeping in touch with these folks. So I stopped. My data base is now in my phone. I have about 50 people that I call on a regular basis. Some have done multiple transactions with me(in excess of 5). Others refer folks to me all the time. They are my friends. They are my best cheerleaders. Most are business people. They give me business and I give them business.

So I agree with your post:)

Great tips and good advice. I have to update my list. I have been thinking of it for some time.

Lola - Marie's comment looks strangely familiar:-) I'm still, and will always, working to strengthen my sphere...yet I've learned relationships get you the referral. I have a small army of Referral Footsoldiers on the Streets because of the relationship that we have. As always Lola, stellar advice and insight!

Well Lola, all I can say is, don't believe everything everyone says in seminars. They are not always correct. I disagree completely.

IMO, he's about 10 years behind the state of the art of Internet marketing.

I have 13,657 folks (they're not just names) in my database. I have 167 folks receiving daily updates of listings based on their search criteria.

I practice "pull" advertising. I don't believe that today's consumer wants to be hammered with information very often. "Pushing" a small database will just work an agent to pieces. How often does the average consumer use real estate brokerage services? About every 5 years or so? That means you've got to continually "push" your database for referrals.

For me, with the Internet, successful advertising is reaching as many people as possible and letting them come to you (pull) when they're in need of your services. This way, you never have to sell yourself.

I suppose this isn't the first time I've disagreed with an "expert" about real estate marketing and probably won't be the last.

I must say, though, that I strongly recommend that gentleman's theory to Maryland and Northern Virginia agents and brokers.

Wow,

Clementina Marie is really out there to let everyone know that she is accepting $200 from 6,250 people. Fascinating marketing angle, and fascinating machine behind it, the determination to make a sale.

And I see this comment on every blog I visit, including on my own. That's a spam machine in action, but because of what and how she does it, people put up with it, or so it seems.

Back to business. I was asked once the same question, and though my number was not anywhere close to the big league, it was OK. Then they asked me how many of those would be only with you for their real estate needs, and with nobody else.

Ouch, I still do not have the courage to go through my database and look at it this way. But I will loose 0 at the end for sure. Just how many is the question.

This blog hits home with me simply because when I got into real estate over 6 years ago. I did not know many people, but down through the years the little people I did know I have built a successful business with several repeat clients.

LOL At BB's comment about the spam. Strange.

You are soooo correct! It's about the quality of relationships we form with our clients, friends, family etc. that make a lasting impression. ThAT is a good data base.

Hi Lola, An impressive post and one that certainly would benefit all us to take to heart. The message is clear and so well written. Thank you for sharing this most wonderful eye opening piece. it will certainly clarify how I go about building my data base of perspective clients in the future.

I see our darling Clementine hit you, too. I thought it was only my blog. P.I.T.A. Pain in the Arse. I emailed her. You might want to do it too. She has a contact button on her site. Your return email isn't necessary, either. Just an FYI it will submit without it.

Your blog is great! We recently had a session on this and how you need to work your data base and it clean up from time to time. Thanks for sharing, I always like to learn something new.

Renae Fulton www.renaefulton.net

Hi Lola
I am so happy to read your post. I am in my third year of real estate and have a friends and family list of about 100 people. I, too, have heard that you need lots and lots of names, but I just don't have them. And if I did, I couldn't send them monthly mailings as they are too expensive. So I am focusing in on my group and getting busy with them.
Thanks for the information.

Gini Moran, Realtor/Partner
Keller Williams Realty
http://www.ginimoran.com/
ginimoran.realtor@yahoo.com
360-798-8570

I enjoyed this post, the comments and the observations. The "spam" was interesting too. Minimum entrants multiplied by $200 entry fee = all cash payment of $1.25 million for home. Hmm...

What the heck is up with the comment spam? Is it contagious. Attention: your links are not welcome in comments and you're violating member guidelines.

I halfway agree with the speaker.

I have about 100 people in my "Raving Fan" list that I like to work very closely. These are people that I can pick up the phone and call but not bother. However, I NEVER call to talk to them about real estate. I just call to talk and listen for change. Change is what drives the real estate market. Not inventory. Not prices. Not interest rates. Change. So, change is what I listen for. These are the people that I concentrate mostly on.

However, I have a very large database of probably over 30,000 people in it. My database is broken down into Companies and Groups. I have over 12,000 builders and developers in it for land projects that I dabble in from time to time. I also have the "gatekeepers" for the contact person plugged in as well. I send out group and company e-mails. I send out holiday e-cards to them. I stay in contact with them but it is a lot less personal in nature. However, it gets business for my team back in Georgia.

In addition, I have a very LARGE number or real estate agents in it. Local and across the country that I market to for refferals and to share information. I don't bug them to death but I do stay in contact. They do think of me when they send business my way. And I make it rain for my team.

Last but not least...I have home searches set up for hundreds of buyers. They get daily listing updates and I am seeking agents outside of my service area to work with them.

I want to stay in contact with as many people as possible. However, some of it is a lot more personal in nature.

Lola - This is an interesting lesson for all of us. I don't think it takes a huge number when you have loyal friends and past clients. On a side note, I see the spammer hit your comments - Katerina posted about this today.

Lola

that speaker was right and wrong. Sure it is great to have 75 people that you really know, but still even your most loyal customer can jump ship. Numbers are the key.

Who you know is definately the key!

That makes a lot of sense. I could claim the entire White Pages as my database, but it is only the ones I communicate with, the ones I know and who know me, that count.

I see the Ocala spamming lady found you.

I've heard similar numbers before. I thought it was around 200-400 though. I heard it was however many you personally were capable of maintaining contact with.

Great advice. It's quality not quantity! Maybe Miss Clementine can learn the same lesson.

Tina in Virginia

Lola, I have 162 core people in my database. I have very personal transactions, quality vs quantity. I work that database, not just by asking for real estate matters, but keeping in touch and knowing each and everyone of them personally. They are the lifeblood of my business. Good post Lola to remind us that bigger is not always better.

good point. I have A LOT of contacts and keep getting told to narrow them down to those I know best. It is a hard decision to make, getting rid of all of those potential leads but most likely a beneficial one.

Lola - thank you for the post. I have been encouraging my clients to focus on their core group of loyal clients for years. Building those relationships is key to your referral business. However, there is a time and place to market to a larger segment of contacts too. Getting your name out there consitently for more people to see will also lead to more business.

The bottom line is, you really need a multi-level marketing strategy to cover all bases. Heavily focus on those "key clients" and a second effort (possibly in a differnt format) to all other contacts (don't forget business associates too !)

Looks like you have some spam comments. RE what you wrote about however, quality is better than quantity any day.

Lola before you even stated the comment about a database only needed to be about 75 - 100 names my mind was also thinking along the same lines. For me it is about quality of the names and not quantity. 2,500 is just a bunch of names that Realtor probably does not even know who most of them are.

Good to know. I have around 250 people right now. I do have to give them better care. So i don't have to go out and have 1000's of names? What a relief..Most of the people never respeond to your information anyway.

I agree in the sense that you need to have "raving fans" as Jessica calls them. I am not a mass emailer, postcarding kind of gal, but I am also not trying to build an empire. I hate being bothered, so I don't do it. My clients and I have regular contact as they see me as a resource for many different things.

Lola -- I was not surprised that the person with the huge database may not be the one who would have the best marketing plan. I may place to much on relationships -- but I would agree -- if you have about 75-100 people marketing for you -- that is very significant.

Lola, I have about 1,000 names in my database and they all receive my monthly newsletter, which is a custom blend of creative writing and local real estate. I know most of these folks from family, friends or neighbors but not at the level of intimacy you describe. Your post is certainly enlightening but scarey -- what do I do now?

Better stay tuned for Part II...

Quality beats quantity any day. A small legion of loyal clients can produce a lot of business.

i think you brought up a very acute point, it's really about establishing that rapport through your marketing. which brings up an interesting point of social marketing. because of expanding my network, i started to accept many facebook requests from people i don't know. frankly, it's an experiment -- well i establish relationships with people i hardly know via social networking? time will tell. but so far, it has been great ;)

cheers,

cindy

Lola - I have whittled mine over the last 2 years to top 100 and then 33 advocates as key in SOI - the rest is more like the comments above we have 1000+ that have requested daily emails and have others in databases but not bombarding them either.

I believe that quality is more important now that quanity. Always enjoy your writings :)

APR

2008

Lola, I think this is very interesting and personally a great point! Wonderful message that it is the personal touch.

Lola, You have it right, I focused my marketing plan this year to gear more towards the people I know and those most likely to actually refer me business. Sometime great numbers are useless if its useless people.

So smart. At the end of last year I eliminated all of the people on my list that I did not personally know or had done business with...for the precise reason that they were just names on a list. Those are my SOI. The exceptions are my internet leads...those who have signed up on my website...and my farm (which is everyone who lives in my neighborhood). Obviously I don't know each of them personally (yet) but it is a different marketing tactic for them, because there is no previous relationship. Good article!

Lola-I keep all of my past clients in my database and never remove them, unless they would ask me to. You are an amazing writer! I loved all of your descriptive wording.....great job!

We focus our marketing and calls to previous clients. However - we have had clients out of the blue from other internet sources (newsletters, websites etc...) who call us because after a period - they feel they know us by reading our articles, blogs etc....and after we close a deal they get moved to the primary list :) where most brepeat business and referral come from.

Great post - quality usually always beats quantity.

Sincerely Grace

Makes sense to me! If they haven't given you a referral in the last year, DROP THEM.

This is a very interesting topic. I think that it is important to have a "core" of 75-100 or so names that you have worked with, know personally, etc. In addition to that, I feel that having a farming area or a database for email marketing is a good idea. Yes, most likely 99% of people that get the emails may not be interested, but if even three or four people call you and you make that into a few sales, it has worked for you. It is very low-cost and can help you get a few new clients here and there which can go into your "core" group and may bring you more business in the future. Good luck,

Hi Lola, I can see important reasons for having a large database but the premise to your post is so important. In most cases the smaller but higher quality database yields more income.

Thank you for the spirited debate on this topic. I'm back onlineand look forward to responding to your thoughts. It's always interesting to read what others are doing with their marketing efforts and why they have made the choices that they did.

The old addage, quality is beeter than quantity is definitely true especially when it comes to referral based business

Tony & Darcy, Thanks for being the first to share your thoughts...quantity vs. quality...a debate that I'm sure will continue.

Nick...working with people who know and trust you is usually easier. Thanks for your comment.

Kristal...that's a good rule. It was common and maybe still is to have agents making cold calls from a phone book. With the Do Not Call Legislation, that form of radom contact has become more risky. I don't think it was ever really effective as a long term strategy.

Erik...my personal experience has been that mass mailings are not nearly as effective as a more focused approach. The key is follow-up. That's been my biggest challenge as well.

Ron, It was interesting to read your approach. It sounds like you examine your list regularly. This was advocated by the speaker too. I do think that any "list" should always include your core group of supporters who know you, like you and are cheering you on...

Kris...your approach was definitely revolutionary several years ago. Nobody was advocating a small database. That's why the concept was so intriguing to me. What I came to realise was that a small number of people can have a huge impact if they are truly advocates of something or someone.

Missy...Very interesting, thanks for sharing your approach. It looks like you have a large database, but you only actively communicate with a very select number of individuals on a regular basis. And...you are definitely very successful. I like Joe Stumpf...his by Referral Only Program is one of the best in the nation. I hadn't heard the 40 number...but it makes sense to me!

Bryant...That was the MOTHER OF ALL SPAM COMMENTS! WOW! Since I was not online on Sunday, she got some real exposure. I think Chris suggested a way to contact her to express my displeasure. When I saw the comment earlier today...I just hit the Delete Button. Thanks for leaving a REAL COMMENT. :) I find it interesting that 50 individuals is about the same number that Missy referred to.

Gita, Thanks for your comment.

Jason...was her name Marie? Best example of how Not to get Referrals. :) I like the term Referral Foot Soldiers. I think you underestimate the size of your "army." There are many of us who would gladly refer anyone going to Pennsylvania your way. :)

Oh Lenn, Thanks for weighing in. I find myself chucking about your recommending his advise to your competitors. But, wouldn't you be proving his theory in this sense...you're only actively communicating with about 1% of your database. These are the folks who are actually supporting your business and advocating for you?

Jon...My dear Clementine was dropping in on a lot of folks it seems. Looking at your database this way brings a lot of clarity. It also saves money, time and energy. It's not easy to do...

I'm off to an evening meeting. Will continue later...By the way, is anyone else having issues with the spell check function??

Serena, I echo the sentiment. I didn't know that many people when I started, but I was a part of a church community. Developing relationships through shared interests and beliefs provided a lot of personal and professional support.

Thanks for stopping by Sally. That Spam comment was something else...

William, Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I'm glad you found the insights helpful.

Chris, I'll have to check out Katerina's blog post on this...see what happens when you miss a day or two on Active Rain...:)

Jessica, Thanks for sharing your insights. What you are doing requires diligent organization and it can be very effective. In a sense, your database is large but you have it divided into several smaller pieces which you use to send targeted messages. I can see how and why it could work very well particularly in generating leads for a number of agents.

Renae, thanks for your comment.

You're Welcome Gina. I'm thankful that this was helpful.

Jason, you're right...even 10 people referring 5-10 a year can be very effective. The key is not about getting from other people, it's about being a giver who contributes and is involved in other peoples' lives.

Russ, that's true...all of us have had folks that we thought were loyal make a different decision when looking for professional service. If the intention is to manipulate people into using our services, this will not work. However, I think that a focus on learning how best to serve others is a good thing...it's a little easier in smaller numbers.

Robert, Thanks for your comment.

Rosario...that's the point that was being made. When there are people on a database who you don't know...even if it's only 50 people, that's a mass mailing. This is about choosing the type of business one wants. A referral based practise is always based on relationships.

Lola. No. Not at all.

When any of the over 13,000 prospective buyers or sellers go to the Internet to search for properties for sale, they will be on my IDX system. If they decide to actively look, they can be activated in a second and resume regular daily updates. Folks go in and out of my database all the time.

However, they do it themselves. I don't work my database at all. That way, when I get a contact, it's they who are contacting me, not I contacting them. Pull advertising requires a larger database than push, but it's much more friendly and helpful.

I do have the 13,000 to whom I can send general announcements about special financing, like when FHA limits changed, when we offer special incentives, etc. When a new home community opens, I can send announcements. However, I never solicit business directly from any consumer on an individual basis.

On the other hand, the gentleman may have been describing an agent generating business for themselves alone. I'm generating business for about 15 different agents. So, I necessarily need a larger database.

Lisa...yes she did!

Tina...LOL...very true! My guess is she didn't read the post. :)

Audrey, Thanks for sharing your insights.

Susan, It's an incredibly hard thing to do...it forces you to look at WHY you are hanging on to all those names!

Earlene, Thank you for your comment. You echo what Lenn, Missy and Jessica said earlier. While a smaller base has worked for many, there are ways to use a larger database in a similar fashion by creating a focused strategy of communicating the information that people want or need.

Bob & Caroline...yes, she was obviously making the rounds.

George, I guess it would be possible for some people to know that many people on a personal basis, but, I think most of us would find maintaining personal relationships with that magnitude of names impossible and certainly exhausting. Thanks for your comment.

Robert...I am just thankful that someone brought this to my attention early in my career. I would probably have spent a lot of time trying to get 2,500 names...not to talk about money. Working with a smaller pool of individuals has been good for me.

Melina, by being a resource for things other than real estate information, you're not only providing value, you're building a network of relationships. That's significant.

Joan, thanks for your comment. I think most of us were a little surprised by the turn of events in the room that day. I had always assumed that bigger was better until then...

Andrew...I'm not sure this is about changing something if it's working for you. For me, it was a challenge to gain a better understanding about who my clients are to enable me to be of better service. It's hard to do that when someone is just a name...

Very true Wayne.

Cindy...I appreciate your comment about social networking. I daresay that most people who accept invitations from people who they don't know will check to see WHO they know in common with the requestor. The fact is that most of us on Active Rain or any social network know each other primarily from online interractions...

Cyndee...thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate your stopping to read and comment.

Karen, Thanks. I appreciate your taking the time to stop by and comment.

Annonymous...Thanks for your thoughts. I don't think there is such a thing as a useless person...on the other hand, I could not say the same for a database.

Hi Kelly, This seminar was attended about a decade ago. You make a good point about how a strategy may change depending on the source of the data. Thanks for sharing your comment.

Thank you for your comment Elizabeth.

Grace...blogging is a different type of marketing. It is marketing that pulls a visitor in because they perceive they are obtaining something of value. There are ways in which a blogger can increase the effectiveness of this type of marketing by understanding who their audience is. We'll explore this in a future post. Thanks for your comment.

Ann...Would you really drop anyone...even people you really like and who continue to be your advocates, simply because you didn't get one referral in any given year?

Sarah, sounds like you're advocating a more hybrid approach. I can see benefits to incorporating some elements of both. However, mass mailing is expensive...if not simply for our time and expense, but also for our contribution to the loss of trees through sending stuff that people don't want or read.

I can't fathom having 2,500 contacts that I could tell you anything about! It's amazing the number of people you can remember though.

I only have a couple hundred people in mine, but they are people that I have known or that have asked to be on my mailing list. I only send out a couple dozen dailys...

APR

2008

Hey Lola

I completely agree. I normally do check if there are people who I know in common with the requestor, but I find there are just people who have like 1000 friends because they just send out friend requests aggressively to "build" the network. I don't know then how effective does the "networking" then become. I do add people if I see them around Active Rain. I also have been accepting requests from random people I don't know but have a lot of friends in common with me, BUT like I said, I am skeptical about those contacts...

My other concern is online security. But then again, somehow I let anyone on twitter follow me... but twitter doesn't reveal as much info as facebook does. Anyway...

Time will tell I suppose!

Cheers,

Cindy

Lola, interesting. Glad you didn't throw out the 84,000+ members on Active Rain as your built in Data base. Grin.

I have always been a person who believes quality over quantity. Although in real estate you often hear the old ages -- its a numbers game the more numbers you play the better the odds.

APR

2008

Lola, Wow, I really enjoyed this post! I've always believed it was more important to have quality relationships however have also felt my contacts list was lacking in size....now I know I'm doing just fine.

All the Best,

Excellent post. The guy with the 2,500 peep database sounds like he would be set for life as long as he continually rotates live prospects and dead ones...thanks for the info!

I do agree with you, the database should be filled with quality folks. It is a far more personal relationship that will hopefully pay off later.

APR

2008

Lola, I'm so glad Marti featured this as I had missed it. As always your insight and willingness to share with us is most appreciated!

A number of years ago we went to a Brian Buffini training seminar and learned a very important thing about database management. DELETE PEOPLE. We don't need names, we need people.

Hi Lola - I had this same epiphany some time ago. I took the "100 Days to Greatness" course that Brian Buffini teaches, and he's a huge advocate of paring down those databases to about 100 or so, constantly tweeking it over time, but making that 100 your SOI. People you really do know, past clients and customers, people you do business with, etc. That 100 or so should be people who would do business with you and who would refer others to you - I've been working on just this for a little bit now, as I'm one of those that has thousands in my database. Not an easy thing to do, to go through a list that big, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing I'll end up with a great new database that will really work for me.

Ann

Lola - great thoughts! While I think the small number is great for those you "work" - we have a large database (want to remember all we've had contacts with, good and bad) but we classify clients, vendors, etc by letters. So, in effect, our A list of clients is that 75-100 clients that you're describing as the core.

APR

2008

Lola,

Great point your presenter brought up. I go through my list occasionally and send an email asking the client if they would like me to continue emailing them information on our market. If I don't hear back, I remove them from my list because more than likely they have blocked my email anyway. Many times I get an email back where the client or prospect tells me how much they enjoy my market reports or other emails and to keep the info coming. I cherish those responses. They stay on my list!

APR

2008

Lola, I'm just going to say now, that I really appreciate your blogs - this one is excellent as well. Simply having a name is nothing. Having a name and a rapport/relationship - that's what counts.

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