How to work your real estate SOI to build the ultimate referral machine

At the core of every successful real estate business, you’ll find a foundation of strong relationships. People who know you, like you, and trust you with one of the biggest and most important milestones in their lives.

But building those relationships is just the beginning. To organically grow your connections and business over time, you need a clear and workable strategy for nurturing your sphere of influence (SOI) on an ongoing basis.

Whether you’re just getting started or already have a system in place, this guide will walk you through the exact steps to take to help you elevate your SOI marketing strategy and win more repeat business and referrals.

What is a real estate sphere of influence?

In real estate, a sphere of influence is the network of contacts and individuals that a real estate agent has cultivated and maintained over time. It can include an agent’s family, friends, neighbors, past colleagues, previous clients, and more. 

Here are some examples of contacts who may belong in your SOI:

• Immediate friends and family
• Extended family members
• Spouse or partner’s friends and coworkers
• Parents and acquaintances from your children’s school
• Connections from social groups, such as neighborhood associations, rotary clubs, PTA boards, etc.
  

Of course, the list doesn’t end there. Anyone you interact with on a regular basis is, by nature, a member of your sphere. Don’t be afraid to let them know about who you are and what you do.

🎥 WATCH: Spring on Your Annual SOI Touch Plans

Why the best real estate business use an annual SOI touch plan

You may be a veteran agent, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a plan.

Connecting with your SOI is often the very first piece of advice given to new agents. But as your business grows and the real estate landscape changes, it can be easy to lose touch.

“In this market right now, a lot of us are feeling like, ‘Okay what can I be doing more of?’” says Katie Isaak, former agent and current Customer Success Manager at Follow Up Boss. “Your past clients in your sphere of influence are low-hanging fruit. They like you, they know you. So you want to get in front of them. You want to be communicating with them.”

Katie knows the cost of neglecting your sphere all too well. She left $150K or more in GCI sitting right there in her database, simply because she didn’t have a good system for staying in touch with her SOI.

It’s no secret lead costs are on the rise, which is why now is a perfect time to go back to basics. 

And there’s no better place to start than with a value-led annual SOI strategy that can help consistently delivers referrals and repeat business.

The right SOI touch plan will help you:

• Build professional credibility
• Stay top-of-mind with past clients
• Maximize referrals
  

But in order for it to work, it’s time to go beyond the annual Housiversary mailer.

“Make it personalized, make it genuine and pre-schedule your time/budget to pull those off. Once those touches are running like clockwork you can continue to add more,” says Emily Smith, COO of Wemert Realty Group. “Before you know it you have a sustainably built plan that funds itself as your clients begin to send more referrals.”

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10 ways to work your SOI and ramp up your referrals

If you’ve never created an SOI touch plan before, don’t be intimidated. 

Remember, natural and organic always wins. A strong plan will be multilayered, providing multiple ways your clients can “bump into you” in their day-to-day.

Start small by adding a quarterly action item that you can commit to. Then slowly work more connections into your touch plan schedule.

Here are some of the best tactics to start (or re-start) with.

1. Pick up the phone

In the world of real estate, the good old-fashioned phone call is still one of the best tools for nurturing your leads, including any hot prospects in your SOI just waiting to hear from you. 

Here are some tips to help you and your agents get back on the horn with your SOI:

• Start with the contacts you’re most familiar with
• Read your existing phone scripts out loud
• Update your scripts to make sure they feel natural
• Anticipate questions and have the answers before you call
• Use mock calls to role play with your real estate coach or another agent on the team

Here’s an example of a quick script for re-connecting with past clients:

➡️You: Hi, [client name]. It’s [your name and brokerage]. How’s everything been with you and the new home? [Await response] That’s fantastic. Hey, I was wondering if you know of anyone who’s looking to buy soon in the area?

If they do know somebody in the market, respond with:

➡️You: Well, listen, I’d definitely appreciate it if you can provide me with their contact info. I’d love to connect with them to see if I can help out. Would that be okay?

If they don’t know somebody in the market, respond with:

➡️You: Not a problem! I’m glad to reconnect with you, obviously. Let’s keep in touch. Chat with you again soon!

Still not sure what to say? Experts like Lauren McLane of The McLane Team recommend the FROG method to help keep the conversation client-centered (and never salesy).

This method uses Family, Recreation, Occupation and Goals as a core structure to help Lauren ensure that her agents are asking the right leading questions in each category when making quarterly calls to their spheres.

🎥 WATCH: Beyond the Sale: Nurturing Past Client Relationships With Smart Technology & Personal Touches

2. Send the right text at the right time

In the modern real estate toolkit, text messaging is a power drill. When wielded carefully, it can become a key component of your SOI strategy. 

Use your text message drips to:

• Check in regularly with a friendly hello
• Share real estate market updates and alerts about new listings or recent sales
• Send event invitations (open houses, webinars, customer events, etc.)

With texts, it’s all about timing. Be sure to audit and update your existing templates to make sure you’re sending the right message at the right moment.

And remember, regardless of whether it’s a call, text, email marketing, or carrier pigeon, the key with every touch is to make sure it’s not your standard hard-sell: “Can I show you a house? Do you want to see houses? House, house, house!”

Here are a few quick example text message templates:

➡️Checking in to say hello

Hi first_name, just wanted to say hello and see how you're doing. If you need any real estate assistance or have any questions, I'm here for you. Stay well and hope to hear from you soon!

➡️Share your new number

Hi first_name, How are you? It's been a while! I want to make sure you have my new number. Do you have time for a quick call this week? I'd love to reconnect.[agent_name

➡️Recent life event

Hi first_name,

I was thinking about you the other day, and then I saw on Instagram/Facebook that your husband just opened a new bakery. Congratulations! (Personalize with something)

Do you have time for a quick call this week? I'd love to reconnect and hear more about what you're up to.

agent_first_name

➡️Seller's market

Hi first_name,

How are you? How's the family?

I was thinking you might want to know what the true value of your place is these days, if even just out of curiosity. I think you’ll be surprised. Want to grab a coffee and walk through it?

agent_first_name

➡️Real-estate advice

Hi first_name,

How are you? 

It's been a while but just a quick reminder that I'm always here to chat about all things real estate - what's happening in the market, even what I think might happen. You always have an expert to lean on for advice and information.

Have you all thought about a move/investing/selling?

agent_first_name

➡️Share your news / say thank you

Hi first_name,

I wanted to share some exciting news with you! (Insert recent event in your business)

I wouldn't be where I am without clients like you!

Is there anything I can help you with?

agent_first_name

Last but not least, if you’re planning to make text messaging an active element of your SOI touch plan, remember to never leave someone hanging after sending out a text. 

It’s a good idea to respond to every text as quickly as possible — even if it’s just to say you’ll get back to them at a later time.

3. Send better emails

Email is an essential part of every successful SOI strategy. And it’s never one-and-done

With a dynamic plan in place, you're not blasting out the same database-wide newsletter every month — you’re actively adapting your email outreach to align with your contacts’ preferences, behaviors, and personal milestones.

Here are just some of the emails you can use to engage your SOI:

• Local market updates
• Personalized 1:1 email messages
• Long-term nurture campaigns

Whether it’s keeping your network in the loop about your business, alerting past clients to an important market update, or sending a personal one-to-one note, the right email should be brief, engaging and authentic.

Remember, one of the best ways to keep your SOI strategy authentic is to keep it multilayered.

By combining phone, email, text messaging and more, you can create a system that consistently keeps you in front of your sphere across multiple channels. 

For example, CEO and Co-Founder of Lab Coat Agents, Tristan Ahumada, developed a 3-year nurture plan that includes 34 types of touches to enhance top-of-mind awareness with his sphere. By automating his touch plan from directly within his real estate CRM, he can send a mix of calls, email and texts, even when he’s not physically at his desk.

🎥 WATCH: Building Out A Masterful Drip Campaign

4. Show up as yourself on social media

For meaningful engagement with your SOI on social media, being “mutuals” on friends lists isn’t enough.

To consistently and organically connect with your SOI on social, consider:

• Reaching out by text or email to invite contacts to follow and friend you
• Commenting, sharing, and liking their content
• Positioning yourself as an expert by regularly posting real estate tips and updates
• Going live to speak about market updates and other trending topics in real estate

In the roaring 2020s, there isn’t an agent among us who doesn’t stand to benefit from an active social media presence. 

Aim to spend an hour each day engaging with your SOI on social. From there, take your SOI strategy the extra step by using social insights to inform your follow up strategy.

“We have a VA whose job is to scale social media and find those life events. If one of our clients has a baby and she sees that, she will take the picture of the baby from Facebook, and put it on a congratulatory card from the team,” says Lauren of The McLane Team.

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5. Go the extra step with handwritten notes

Lauren isn’t the only fan of handwritten notes. From the earliest days of real estate, this form of outreach is still the surest way to get someone to open and engage.

And you don’t have to stop at the annual holiday card.

With the right automations, you can send thoughtful notes to your SOI all year round, including:

• After a successful closing
• Anniversary of home purchase or “housiversary”
• Thank you notes for referrals
• Birthdays
• Holidays and festive occasions
• And more

Eric Bramlett, owner of top-producing Austin, TX brokerage Bramlett Residential, is another big believer in the power of the handwritten note. “I probably know of 1,000 closings where I just left money on the table,” he laments. 

Not anymore. With a highly streamlined approach to SOI marketing, the agents on Eric’s team systematically leverage handwritten notes to go above and beyond the basic monthly newsletter. But handwritten notes are just one piece of the puzzle.

“We're sending them market reports every month, newsletters every month, we have it systemized in such a way that whenever the agents close, they're automatically plugged into that sphere of influence marketing campaign. Our agents don’t have to worry about figuring out what needs to get done,” explains Eric.

6. Send automated postcards and mailers

Similar to the handwritten note, physical postcards and mailers can help you stand out in a sea of texts and emails.

“We think of AMcards as a follow up to my call, touch point, magical moment, and/or a follow up to our meeting, showing, closing, if we saw that you just had a special moment on social media, or some other item,” explains Renee Funk, Team Leader of The Funk Collection in Orlando, FL. “Even just, ‘Hey, I loved sharing time with you on our phone call yesterday. Here’s a special I’m-thinking-of-you.’” 

Using the Follow Up Boss and AMcards integration, Renee can immediately send a handwritten note and a fresh box of brownies to contacts. And the engagement has been huge.

“As a team, we have received over 90% response rate to every AMcards campaign we have sent out,” she says.

Here are some mailer ideas that can help show your sphere that they mean more to you than just transactions.

• Birthday, anniversary, and graduation cards
• Congratulatory gifts and gift baskets
• Seasonal gift kits, like hot chocolate at Christmas or pumpkin carving for Halloween

While you can never go wrong with freshly baked brownies, the sky’s the limit in terms of the types of gifts and mailers you can send.

Take Barry Jenkins, for example. The Chief Marketing Officer & Owner Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Native American Group has an entire library of dedicated dad humor cards set up and ready to fire anytime the opportunity arises.

But of course, none of this can happen without a current mailing address. If you don’t have enough yet, pick up the phone and start there.

“Over the years, one of the biggest things I've noticed is every agent is so darn afraid to ask for a mailing address. If we just say, ‘Hey, I have a little something I want to mail to you, can I get your mailing address? They never ever say no. They always go, ‘yeah sure,” says Renee.

7. Host regular customer events

Nothing says ‘we appreciate you’ like a fancy customer gala or highly anticipated event. 

For teams, annual or quarterly customer events can empower every agent on your roster to make meaningful connections with their SOI in one one time and place. 

After your first few events, your sphere will develop an expectation of attending, leading to increased opportunities for referrals through invitations to their network of friends and family.

Here are just a few types of customer events you can offer:

• Themed customer appreciation events 
• End of summer BBQ cookout
• VIP wine tasting experience
• Live webinars covering trending real estate topics

For leaders like Will Featherstone, Managing Broker and Founder of Featherstone & Co., nurturing your SOI is all about bringing the community together. 

No matter which event format you choose, make sure you unite your event attendees under a common vision or theme. This will make it even easier for the people in your sphere to recommend your event to the people in theirs.

“You build this ecosystem of community where they're involved in your client parties, or the givebacks or what have you. Then it's about tapping into their circle because you're a community,” explains Will.

8. Host community and charity events

Speaking of community, the right volunteer activities can be a huge benefit to your business and your SOI.

Depending on your team’s unique mission and ethos, community events can include a range of get-togethers, such as:

• Sponsoring events at local schools or (e.g., providing a prize for their raffle, etc.)
• Asking your SOI to join you at volunteer or charity events
• Forming partnerships with local community leaders and advocates

Laurie Finklestein Reader, CEO of Laurie Reader Real Estate, is all about the power of human connection. For a decade, she and her team have held an annual backpack drive to support children in her local South Florida community.

“We just celebrated the 10th year of our backpack drive where we sponsor about a thousand to 1,200 precious little adorable kids who maybe wouldn't otherwise have that opportunity to return to school with a backpack,” says Laurie.

More than just a great opportunity to connect with contacts and past clients, Laurie and the agents on her team are making a real difference to their local community.

🎥 WATCH: Operationalizing People Over Profits

9. Plan pop-bys and reverse pop-bys

While you definitely want to leverage emails and texts to their full potential, don’t underestimate the power of the pop-by.

By breaking through the noise to meet with contacts face-to-face, you can create a moment of organic connection, while boosting your reputation as the agent they know best.

Here are a couple fun ways to approach your next in-person check-in:

• The classic pop-by - stopping by your contact’s home or office with a gift
• Reverse pop-bys - invite them to your office or event
• Scheduled dinners - with a colleague or top referrer

After any kind of in-person visit, always follow up by email or text.

Reiterate key moments of the interaction, even if it’s just a small comment or shared laugh. Then end with a light reminder that you’re there if they ever need anything. 

10. Offer annual equity presentations

Looking for more listings for your lead generation strategy? Show clients you’re the expert in their corner with an annual equity presentation at the end of every year.

Lauren and her agents at The McLane Team use Highnote to send out yearly equity presentations to all clients, without having to manually recreate each one. 

“If you’re not doing this already, for our top clients, at the end of the year, we give them an equity presentation where we give them the current equity in their home; which then stimulates further conversation that may evolve to be a good selling opportunity,” she says.

By planting the right seeds today, you can open a conversation that could become an opportunity tomorrow.

Put it all together in an automated touch plan

Once you’ve reviewed your existing process and templates and selected your new channels and strategies, you’re ready to put it all together in one clear, repeatable plan.

Here’s an example of how your SOI touch plan could look:

Daily

• Ask at least 3 contacts if they know anyone with a genuine interest in buying or selling a home
• Engage with your SOI on social media for 1 hour
• Reach out to contacts created less than 10 days ago that you haven't had a conversation with or attempted contact with in 12+ hours

Weekly

• Ask a past client if they would be willing to write you a review
• Have lunch or dinner with a member of your SOI
• Call a top referrer
• Contact a newer prospect that you haven't attempted contact in 3 days or more

Monthly

• Send out pre-scheduled birthday, “housiversary,” anniversary, or other celebratory cards
• Send monthly newsletter with neighborhood news, recently sold homes, and more
• Send branded real estate postcards to FSBO sellers, after a listing meeting, or after an open house
• Contact a lead in the nurture stage that you haven't had a conversation with in 30 days or more

Quarterly 

• Schedule a customer appreciation event, giveaway, or outing
• Reach out to referred leads that you haven't had a conversation or attempted contact with in 90+ days

Stale leads

Before removing low- or no-engagement leads from your touch plan, try these tips:

• Recategorize them based on buying timeline so that your communications resonate more
• Send a personalized “checking on you” text or email

If this all sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is.

But the truth is, there’s no getting around it. To win in a saturated and spam-filled consumer landscape, your SOI trusts one thing above all else: consistency.

Fortunately, the right real estate automations can make it possible to execute a multilayered SOI strategy in a fraction of the time by scheduling the right touch at the the right time.

“I built a very healthy referral business as a solo agent doing just these personal touches, but I got to the point where I was burnt out and I could not take on anymore. Leaning into smart tech tools can benefit your referral business because of the consistency you can create in your client experience. It makes it so you don't have to guess how that client is going to be affected,” explains Lauren.

And we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Be the support your SOI needs

As your business evolves, so will your SOI strategy. 

Whether it’s handwritten notes and personalized emails, or phone calls and social media engagement, the key to more repeat business and referrals is ensuring an engaging and consistent experience with the real human people in your database.

And for that, Follow Up Boss can help. Learn more with a free 14-day trial and start putting your plans into action.

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