The saddest sentence a new agent can hear is “I would have used you as my agent but I didn't know you had a license, so I used someone else.” Don't assume that everyone you know will be seeking you out when they need a real estate agent. Even if you tell people that you have your real estate license, it may not be enough information for them to know they should send you business. You need to let them know you are a real estate agent, ask them to work with you, and ask them for referrals of their friends and family.

Go back to your priority categories, one through four, and decide if there are any people in category four you would like to work with. If so, place them in category three and eliminate all the rest of the names in category four. Remember, those names were only on the list to keep the brainstorm juices flowing. There is no point in spending energy on people with whom you don't want to work.

The way you contact the people within your sphere of influence is as varied as the types of people who are in it. You probably talk with your family members and close friends regularly, so they should already know that you are a new real estate agent. Be sure they also know you want their referrals. There are others on the list whom you see only occasionally. Your relationships with people in that category dictate the best approach to take to tell them about your new career.

Call people you know and follow up each phone call with a short letter that tells them how to contact you. Be sure to include your business card. Make it a priority to write to acquaintances on your list or to hand out business cards to them the next time you see them at club meetings and other events. Knock on your neighbors' doors and give them your card. Talk or write to every person on your list and add names to the list as you meet new people.

Send an announcement to let everyone in your sphere of influence know that you are now a real estate agent. This announcement should include your picture, your name, your office name, and your contact information. It should tell your sphere of influence what you can do for them, ask for their business, and also ask them to send you referrals to their friends and family. Mail the postcard out to everyone on priority lists one, two, and three.

An example may look something like this:

Or this:

One week after mailing the announcement, call everyone on priority list one. Ask them if they got the announcement. Ask them if they know anyone interested in buying or selling real estate at this time. If they say yes, ask them for permission to contact the people they know. Request that they call first to get permission. You don't want to get in trouble with the National Do Not Call Registry.

When you contact the prospect, ask if you can do anything for them, such as a free market analysis. Next, call everyone on priority list two. Ask if they got the announcement and ask if there is anything you can do for them. If you are comfortable asking for business, do so now. If not, you may wait until your second mailing.

If you can call the people on priority list three, perhaps they belong in category two. If not, wait until later.

One month after the first mailing, send out a second mailing. It can be the exact same announcement or it can be a little different. If you have already gotten some business, you may want to toot your own horn, like this:

Or this:

After this mailer goes out, follow up with phone calls, asking if they received the mailer and asking for business. If you are consistent with your mailers and calls, you will see results. Be patient, though; it may take some time.

Once you have developed a system of mailing and calling, you will want to start a newsletter or a neighborhood bulletin. There are companies available that will even write your newsletters and personalize them for you. This is a great option if you feel that writing a newsletter is beyond your comfort level. There are also marketing companies who will create monthly postcards with your name, address, phone number, and photograph, as well as a small bit of interesting information.

Postcards are great when you are on a budget. They are less expensive to mail and they usually get read, because opening an envelope is not required. Recipe cards, schedules for local sports teams, or reminders such as the day to change your clocks for daylight savings time are simple ideas of things to put on postcards or magnets that are often saved by the recipient.