Last month a friend from your old gym mentioned she'd been thinking about selling. She'd gone with another agent two weeks earlier. 'I didn't know you did that,' she said. You've known her for six years. You just never reminded her what you do.
That's the problem with a sphere of influence. These are the people most likely to hire you or send you a referral, and they're the easiest to neglect. They aren't leads in a system. They're friends, neighbors, former clients, your kid's teacher, the person you met at a wedding. Reaching out to them feels awkward, so it gets postponed until a good reason shows up, and the good reason never does. Meanwhile your name slowly slips down the list of agents they'd think of.
A sphere works best on a slow, steady rhythm that feels like a friend checking in, not marketing. A text on a birthday. A card after a closing anniversary. A quick email with something that matters locally. A phone call a few times a year just to see how things are going. None of it is hard. It's just easy to forget, because nothing is urgent. That's what a Keystone sequence is for. It keeps the schedule so your people hear from you all year, and you stay in the conversation when someone decides to move. A few good touches spread across the year beat a flurry in January and silence after.
Nothing about a sphere contact demands action this week. The check-in call or note slides down the list below every hot lead, month after month.
Mass newsletters and cold-sounding blasts make people tune out. The touches that work read like a note from a friend, and writing those takes time most agents don't have for hundreds of names.
Without a record, you don't know if you last reached out to someone in March or last year. Some people get hit twice and others never.
Referrals usually come from people who remember you at the right moment. If the last time they heard from you was the closing, they won't think of you when a coworker mentions moving.
Import your contacts from a spreadsheet and the columns match themselves. Pick a stay-in-touch sequence, and every person gets steps already drafted with their name filled in: a personal email, a short text, a handwritten card, a call prompt with a few things to ask, and a printed letter now and then. The schedule is spread out so nobody feels sold to.
Each morning, your Today list shows who to reach and how, with the message ready. Edit it so it sounds like you, or send it as is. Text from your own cell or use a Keystone Number that logs both sides of the conversation. Quiet hours keep a late text waiting until morning, and email goes out as you once you connect Gmail or Outlook.
Letters and handwritten cards wait for your approval. You see the exact piece and its cost before it ships, and nothing goes out until you approve it. If someone writes back, even just to say thanks, their sequence pauses and the reply moves to the top of your list so you can answer as a person, not a schedule. Keystone isn't a full CRM or a lead source. It keeps your people from going quiet.
Suggested sequence: Sphere of Influence Stay-in-Touch
7 steps over 180 days. Each one lands on your Today list as a draft you can edit or send.
Hi Sam, it's been a while and I wanted to say hello. How's the new job going? I'd love to catch up soon....
Hi Sam, was just thinking about you and wondered how the family is doing. Hope all's well. Scott...
Sam, just a note to say I'm thankful to know you. If anyone you know is thinking about a move, I'd love to help. Scott...
Hi Sam, a quick look at what's sold on your street and nearby, plus a note about what might affect your home's value....
Ask how things are going at home and work. Mention you help with moves if anyone comes to mind. Keep it to a few minutes....
Sam, a few simple things to check around the house this season, plus my number if you need a trusted name for anything....
Hi Sam, I wanted to say thanks for being part of my year. If there's anything I can help with, you know where I am....
+ more steps in the full sequence
Start on the Free plan. Every message comes drafted for you.