Reposted with permission from Matt Bonelli.

Your contact database is the central nervous system of your business. Keeping it organized is essential for managing how you attract opportunities.

You are in a people-based business, and if you don’t know about your people, how can you expect to provide them with the best possible service?

Watch the video above for full details — but essentially, this is how it breaks down:

First, make sure all of your contacts are maintained in one central location. This could be Google, iCloud or a CRM (customer relationship management) tool.

Once centralized, you will want to maintain three basic categories:

  1. Broad database: People you know and who know you.
  2. Sphere of influence (SOI): People you are comfortable speaking with on a monthly basis.
  3. Raving fans: People who think of you whenever they think of real estate and are always trying to send you referrals.

Next, create two lists; a hot list and a warm list.

  • Hot list – People who have told you they are looking to buy and/or sell real estate. No matter what their time frame, they need your services, and you should be keeping them top-of-mind.
  • Warm list – People who you think will have a need to buy and/or sell real estate within the near future. Go through your database, and ask yourself, “who is experiencing a life change?” Put those people on the list.

Print these lists out to carry with you, or have it easily accessible on your mobile device. Look at them and think about these people daily, and update the lists once a week. Remember, most people move to a new home based on life changes.

You can certainly add more groups and filters from here. Good examples would be clients whom you have done business with and location filters. Location-based lists will help make localized marketing campaigns much easier to implement and ultimately less expensive.

So as you crank up your business in 2017 remember to keep your central nervous system healthy with good and simple organization!

Matt Bonelli is a manager and broker associate for Turpin Realtors’ Chatham office in Chatham, New Jersey. You can follow him on Twitter or learn more about him on LinkedIn.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×