Building Your Database

Today I want to show you a simple five-step process to either build or organize your database. Whether you’re brand new looking to start off strong or you’re a seasoned agent who needs to get intentional about your database, these are steps you’ll want to consider. Many agents have their own methods, and what I’m outlining here is not an end-all-be-all process, but I have found this to be very effective. 

Step 1-Define a Met

The first step is to create your definition of a Met. Your Mets are the people you have relationship equity with. You know, like, and trust each other. If you’ve watched the What I Crush episode on Social Media you’ll know that the definition Keely Hillard uses has three criteria;

• If she called them on the phone or saw them on the street they would know who she is…
• She would know who they are..
• And she would WANT TO have a conversation with them

In Keely’s definition, a Met is someone who, if she were to see them at a supermarket, she wouldn’t feel compelled to hide behind the produce to avoid, but rather would smile and ask how things are going. If you want more information on defining a Met, I would encourage you to read pages 133 to 152 in the Millionaire Real Estate Agent.  Figure out what your definition is and then move to Step 2.

Step 2- Put Your Mets in One Place

The next step is to gather all those Mets into one place with the contact information you have for them. There are four areas of contact information minimum, that we want to have: their name, phone number, email address, and physical address. Now, I’m not asking you to hunt down each of those four bits of information for everyone in your database right away. Start by gathering all these people and put the information that you already have in one place. A spreadsheet like the one we linked below will suffice. Make certain where you put them is somewhere safe that can still be accessed even if your computer crashes or is stolen. Later I’ll show you how to gather the information that’s missing.

Here is a list of some of the best places to start finding your Mets.

• Contacts list on your phone.
• Your Facebook friends
• People you follow or who follow you on Instagram or Twitter.
• A holiday card list or wedding invite list
• Business professionals you know or are a client of (see below for more on that)

I also encourage you to go look at another page that we have on this site called Your Net Worth is in Your Network because it digs into the vendor side of the business to help you identify who you know that’s an accountant, a banker, and other professional Mets that might not seem so obvious to you.  Do yourself a favor and check out that page.

Download a Database Template

Step 3-Gather the Missing Data

Now that you have all these people in one place, the next step is to figure out how to get all their contact information that you’re missing. Rather than trying to hunt it all down individually, create an event to use as a reason to reach out to them. If you’ve heard me talk about this before one of my favorite things is the Call In, Opt In, Come In, Zoom In Check out the download for a complete guide for this approach. Scheduling any four of these will give you the catalyst you need to reach out to your Mets list. Read our post on the 10.25.90 for even more information on how to successfully run giveaways like these. 

Step 4-Promote the Event

Now we use the event as a means to fill out your database. What this event does is give you a reason to reach out to people. If you have phone numbers, call your contacts and tell them that you’re running a giveaway, that you’d love to send them an invite, and ask what would be the best email address to send that to. Immediately plug this information into your database. Now, if somebody pushes back and says that they’d rather you not have their information, you should probably ask yourself whether or not that person is truly a Met.

Step 5-Connect on Social Media

Now that we have this list of Mets we want to make certain that we are friends with all of them on Facebook or we’re following them on Instagram or Twitter or whatever platforms you’re using. Keep connected and keep yourself top of mind by engaging with their posts and tagging them on content that they would find to be of genuine value.

It is literally that simple. If you follow these five steps you will have a database, an event to jumpstart your business, and a connected social media presence. Good luck!