As an agent I often say, "You never know who might lead you to your next $10,000 paycheck."

What I mean is that we get big paychecks when we perform. And who do we perform for? Most people you meet either own or know someone who wants to own real property. And that means a lot of potential clients.

I've always been pretty transparent as to my "mercenariness" about my social life. Before I went into real estate, I was a natural introvert. Truthfully, I've never been all that socially-inclined and am usually happy to stay home at night and watch Survivor. But when I hung my shiny new real estate license on the wall of my new office, and was made aware that I was going to have to drum up business for myself, it suddenly occurred to me that having more friends might help me do that.

And I was right. As soon as I had a "reason" to have a social life, I went out and got myself one. And don't me too harshly. In the process, I discovered the joys of having friends.

But yes, there was also joy in having those friends hire me and refer business to me.

Is it mercenary to intentionally expand your social network so that you can make more money?

Well, sure. But so what?

Assuming you're selling real estate in hopes of making money, you have to go get yourself some buyers and sellers. And "use" them to make money from. Whether your clients come from traditional prospecting methods like cold-calling, door-knocking, open-housing or mass-mailing, or from throwing a party, going to lunch or just being pleasant to people, your prospecting efforts are done with the intention of getting business from those efforts.

But here's the kicker.

If you run your business with integrity and truly want to be the best thing to ever happen to your clients, you're providing more in value to your clients than they are providing to you in paychecks. You are a fantastic real estate agent and you are horrified by the thought that anyone you know would hire or refer anyone but you. This is not because you need that paycheck, but because you know you'll do the best job.

Furthermore, if you're prospecting with integrity, your promotional efforts with the people you know won't annoy them one little bit. Whatever you do, remind your sphere of influence that you will be of value and interest to them. Let them know it isn't all about you.

Published: January 20, 2011

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Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn was a top producing real estate broker in Denver, Colorado before writing her first book in 2007. Since then, she has written several more books about the business of selling real estate including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect, the sequel, If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right and her latest, to be released in Spring 2011, Prospect with Soul for Real Estate Agents. Jennifer believes that the secret of success for real estate agents is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft. Competence begets Confidence. And in today's world of increasingly suspicious and ad-weary consumers, having an air of self-assurance and enthusiasm will be far more effective than a slick sales campaign. Jennifer writes and speaks with this philosophy in mind. She preaches that salespeople should follow the Golden Rule in their day-to-day practice of business - treating clients and prospects respectfully, as the salesperson him or herself would like to be treated. Being competent, reliable and fair, and motivated by a true desire to earn a paycheck, not just show up at closing with hand outstretched. She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at www.SellWithSoul.com. Subscribe Below to Enroll in the Daily Seduction Newsletter Mini-Clinic - Tips and Strategies to Generate Business and Referrals From Your Sphere of Influence! Your Full Name Your Email Address