Every good agent has a solid SOI (Sphere of Influence). You probably have one. The problem with an SOI is that most agents don't use them. They have an SOI, but they don't make any effort to make their SOI work for their business. The biggest failure when it comes to SOIs is that agents do not maintain contact.

Maintaining contact with your SOI is very important. You should be contacting your SOI in a personal way (meaning not through emails or fliers) at least twice a year minimum. There are many ways you can do this. Here are some great ideas:

- Throw an SOI party. This could be for Halloween, your business anniversary celebration or just a simple gathering.

- Give a seminar. You could get a local professional to give the talk about an important topic, like taxes or legal issues of small businesses.

- Throw an open house at your office. Invite everyone to see how your business has grown and to thank them for helping you get to where you are with your business.

- Host a dinner in their honor. You can break up your SOI into different categories and throw a diner for each group. For example, throw a dinner for people in your SOI who have purchased multiple houses from you or for those who have provided you with referrals.

- Host a charity event. This is a great idea because you are getting face time with your SOI and also raising money for a good cause. Many people who may not attend other SOI events will likely come to this one since it is for a good cause.

No matter what ideas you use, the point is to have personal contact with your SOI. You want to be able to talk with them and let them know how grateful you are to them and how important they are to your business.