The other day, I read a post about a Realtor who was hanging up their license and getting out of the business. After spending the last few years closing hundreds of transactions (and I literally do mean a few hundred), this Realtor could no longer afford to continue doing business and had to find some other kind of work.
What did this Realtor do so wrong that would cause such a dire move? Well, there were a few things that immediately came to mind but there was only one really glaring thing that stood out for me. What was this Realtor's biggest mistake? Not establishing a meaningful relationship with the clients. 
After learning more about how this Realtor worked, it became so evident that while running their business like a drive through Jiffy Lube more than sustained them through the boom times, it eventually ended up being the death of their business when the market went bust.
In order to survive a tough market like the one we're in now, you must have at some time in your career established a sphere of influence (SOI) and you must have a relationship with those in your SOI, preferably one deeper than the service tech that changes the oil for your car at the Jiffy Lube.
Recently, I received an email from a fellow Mortgage Girlfriend, Victoria Del Frate, a Business Planning Coach and creator of ICanPlan.Biz, an online business planning tool.
Victoria had emailed me a video about one of the most important aspects of a successful business as well as a habit that all of us would benefit from. What is this phenomenal practice? Making calls to your SOI on a regular basis and establishing a meaningful relationship with them.
C'mon folks, we're professionals or at least that's what we keep telling people we are. I assure you, it's not that difficult to pick up the phone and call someone in your SOI and actually talk to them; at least it shouldn't be. These are people we know who, hopefully, trust and respect us and if we've been lucky, people who have referred people they know, trust and respect to us over the years. 
As a Business Coach, Victoria discusses this point with her clients and regardless of how sick and tired they are of hearing it, the proof is in its success rate. It doesn't matter if you're a mortgage professional or a real estate professional, or how many years you've been in the biz, talking to the people in your SOI will be the easiest, most cost-effective and fastest way to generate new business.
Another tip that Victoria likes to share with clients is that it is our behavior that matters the most to our SOI and not all latest tools and gadgets. You can have all the latest marketing materials, gadgets and a dozen fields in your database tracking specifics about your SOI, but these things won't increase your probability of making the sale or capturing the repeat business and referrals as much as your behaviors will.
You should be spending the majority of your time on the phone and/or in person with your clients and referral partners (people in your SOI who are sending your business). This behavior will create a habit of cultivating the relationship, strengthening the bond and building an SOI of friends, rather than customers. The fact is friends will ALWAYS be more loyal than customers.
The better the friendship, the higher the probability of getting their future business and referrals and the more direct and personal the contact points should be with them. If you want to move certain relationships from one level to another then think about what moves YOUin a relationship. What does it take for someone to get your trust and respect? Rest assured, your SOI probably isn't that different than you.
I'm often told by friends and clients that I'm always on the phone, which is true. I spend several hours a day on the phone. My hubby even laughs at me because on the weekends, I can spend hours talking on the phone with good friends or relatives. That's just me, that's the way I roll, I'm not afraid of talking to people or having an actual conversation with someone.
You can call me pretty much anytime between dawn and dusk and you will probably get my vmail because I am on the other line talking to someone (I also don't put people on hold when I hear my call waiting beeping). But guess what? If you leave me a message, I WILL CALL YOU BACK!
JUST DO IT! The people in your SOI deserve it. Pick up the phone and make a call! Don't email them first or send some stupid text. Call them! Don't go on facebook and leave them a cute message or twitter them some silly tweet. Pick up the phone, dial their number and talk to them!
Granted, doing all that other stuff is not a bad idea but don't let it replace the practice of actually talking to a real live person and having a real live conversation with someone that is longer than 140 characters. I assure you, it will be one of the best things you could do for your business today.
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