Networking is at the heart of every successful real estate business. After all, if you can’t develop connections with your clients and prospects, show them why you’re the perfect person to help them with a huge financial transaction, and convince them to refer you to their contacts, you probably won’t last long in real estate.
That being said, it’s not uncommon for real estate professionals to start to get bored by their own networking routines. Telling the same stories, meeting the same people – it’s a sure way to lose interest in any group. If you’ve been struggling with your networking lately, you may just need a change. Time to stock up on your real estate business cards, and get out there again.
Shake things up
It’s very easy to get into a networking rut. After all, developing long-term relationships is one of the key strategies for building a strong network. But when you find yourself getting too comfortable – knowing exactly what people in your meetings will say before they say it, hearing the same presentations over and over, waiting on the same lukewarm referrals from the same people each month – it may be time to branch out.
Branching out can be just the cure you’re looking for when it comes to revitalizing your networking. Whether you’re changing locations, changing groups, or changing your networking strategy, sometimes you need a new perspective to make things interesting again. If you’re someone who gets nervous in new networking situations, something as simple as dressing the part with professional Century 21 apparel and a sturdy name badge can help you regain your confidence.
Expand your horizons
Networking groups are a great source of referrals and business connections. But they are far from the be-all and end-all when it comes to expanding your network. Networking is about building relationships, and you can do that in a lot of different places: book clubs, church groups, Elks Lodges, hiking groups. Keep a supply of Century 21 business cards at hand, and hand them out (but only when people ask for your contact information!).
What matters is developing a genuine interest in the people around you, and not turning into one of those people who is always trying to make a sale or talk about themselves. Remember – the goal of networking isn’t to make a sale, it’s to make a connection.