Your database isn’t valuable because it’s large. It’s valuable because you actually communicate with it.
Written by Devone Richard
5
YOU DON’T NEED MORE LEADS. YOU NEED TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY KNOW.
I hear Realtors say it all the time:
“I need more leads.”
Do you?
Let me see your phone.
You’ve got 2,000 contacts sitting in there.
Friends.
Family.
Old coworkers.
Former clients.
Neighbors.
People from school.
Parents you met through your kids.
Contractors.
Lenders.
Attorneys.
Accountants.
Business owners.
People you met at parties.
People you haven’t spoken to in five years.
People whose names you barely remember putting in your phone.
You’ve spent years collecting people.
And somehow…
HALF OF THEM DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU SELL REAL ESTATE.
But you need more leads?
😂 Come on.
Maybe you don’t have a lead problem.
MAYBE YOU HAVE A COMMUNICATION PROBLEM.
HAVING 2,000 CONTACTS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE A DATABASE
5
There’s a difference between having contacts and having a database.
Your phone is full of contacts.
A database is something you actually work.
If someone has been sitting in your phone for four years and hasn’t heard from you, they’re not really part of your business.
They’re just a name in your phone.
A real database requires communication.
Calls.
Texts.
Emails.
Market updates.
Home-value conversations.
Birthday messages.
Checking in.
Congratulations.
Invitations.
Useful information.
Actual relationships.
You don’t have to constantly sell people.
In fact, you probably shouldn’t.
But they should know three things:
Who you are.
What you do.
How to reach you when real estate comes up.
That’s not complicated.
THEN SOMEBODY YOU KNOW LISTS THEIR HOUSE WITH ANOTHER REALTOR
And now you’re pissed.
😂
You see the listing online and immediately say:
“I know them!”
Okay.
When was the last time you talked to them?
“Well…it’s been a while.”
Did they know you were actively selling real estate?
“I think so.”
Think so?
Did you stay in contact?
Did you send them anything useful?
Did you ever talk to them about their house?
Did you ever ask whether they had real estate plans?
Did you stay top of mind?
Silence.
Then why are you surprised?
PEOPLE CAN’T HIRE THE REALTOR THEY FORGOT WAS A REALTOR.
That’s not their fault.
That’s your marketing problem.
YOUR COMPETITION DIDN’T STEAL YOUR CLIENT—THEY STAYED IN TOUCH
5
Here’s what really hurts.
The Realtor who got the listing may not have known that person nearly as long as you did.
But they communicated.
They followed up.
They sent useful information.
They called.
They stayed visible.
They asked for the business.
And when your friend finally decided:
“Maybe we should sell the house.”
Guess whose name came to mind?
Not necessarily the Realtor they knew the longest.
THE REALTOR THEY REMEMBERED.
Relationships matter.
But relationships without communication fade.
That’s business.
STOP WAITING UNTIL SOMEBODY NEEDS A REALTOR TO REMIND THEM YOU’RE A REALTOR
This is another mistake.
You haven’t talked to someone for three years.
Then you suddenly send:
“Hey! If you know anybody looking to buy or sell, I’d love the referral!”
😂
Really?
You disappeared for three years and came back asking for money.
That’s not relationship marketing.
That’s begging.
Communicate before you need something.
Call just to check in.
Send useful market information.
Congratulate them when something good happens.
Talk about what’s happening in their neighborhood.
Send homeowners something about their property value.
Be a resource.
STAY PRESENT WITHOUT ALWAYS SELLING.
Then when the real estate conversation happens naturally, you’re already there.
YOUR PHONE MAY BE THE MOST VALUABLE LEAD SOURCE YOU OWN
7
Agents will spend thousands of dollars buying internet leads from complete strangers.
Think about that.
You’ll pay $50, $100, $200—or considerably more depending on the source and market—to get somebody’s contact information.
Then you’ll complain because the lead doesn’t answer.
Meanwhile, your phone contains hundreds or thousands of people who already know you.
They may know your personality.
They may know your family.
They may know your reputation.
They may have worked with you.
They may trust you.
And you’re ignoring them while paying money to meet strangers.
MAKE THAT MAKE SENSE.
I’m not saying don’t buy leads.
I’m saying don’t neglect the relationships you already have while complaining that nobody is giving you enough new opportunities.
“BUT I DON’T WANT TO BOTHER PEOPLE.”
Then don’t bother them.
Be useful.
There’s a difference.
Don’t call 2,000 people saying:
“Are you ready to sell your house?”
That’s annoying.
Instead:
“Hey, haven’t talked to you in a while. How are you?”
That’s called being human.
Send a homeowner an update about their neighborhood.
Tell someone when a property sells near them.
Send information about interest rates when it’s relevant.
Invite people to an event.
Share something helpful.
Check in.
YOU CAN BUILD A REAL ESTATE BUSINESS WITHOUT TURNING EVERY CONVERSATION INTO A SALES PITCH.
But you do have to communicate.
YOUR DATABASE SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU DO WITHOUT YOU HAVING TO ANNOUNCE IT
6
The goal isn’t to constantly tell everybody:
“I’M A REALTOR!”
The goal is consistency.
Your email signature says it.
Your social media shows it.
Your market updates reinforce it.
Your conversations naturally include it.
Your follow-up demonstrates it.
Eventually, when somebody thinks real estate, your name becomes one of the names they remember.
That’s branding.
That’s relationship marketing.
That’s database management.
And it doesn’t happen because somebody’s phone number has been sitting in your iPhone since 2017.
START WITH 20 PEOPLE
Don’t make this complicated.
You don’t have to call 2,000 people tomorrow.
Start with 20.
Twenty people today.
Twenty more tomorrow.
Call.
Text.
Reconnect.
Don’t ask everyone for business.
Have conversations.
Then move the people who matter into your CRM.
Add notes.
Create follow-up dates.
Remember what you talked about.
Stay in contact.
If you consistently communicate with even a portion of those 2,000 people, imagine what could happen over the next year.
Listings.
Buyers.
Referrals.
Investors.
Introductions.
Repeat clients.
Opportunities you didn’t even know existed.
THE MONEY MAY ALREADY BE IN YOUR PHONE.
You just haven’t called it.
FINAL THOUGHT
Realtors spend too much time looking for strangers and not enough time talking to people who already know them.
You don’t necessarily need another 500 leads.
You may need to work the 2,000 contacts you’ve already collected.
Because having someone’s phone number isn’t a relationship.
Having someone’s email isn’t a relationship.
Having them in your CRM isn’t a relationship.
COMMUNICATION CREATES THE RELATIONSHIP.
And if somebody you’ve known for 15 years sells a million-dollar house with another Realtor, don’t immediately get mad at them.
Ask yourself a harder question:
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I GAVE THEM A REASON TO REMEMBER I SELL REAL ESTATE?
Your database isn’t valuable because it’s large.
IT’S VALUABLE BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING COMMUNICATE WITH IT.
— Devone Richard
Written by Devone Richard
Broker/Owner | OYT Real Estate
California Broker #01857383
Nevada Broker #1002115
📞 626-500-1212 | 702-941-0202
🌐 OYTRealEstate.com