Sign InHow to Grow Your Sphere of Influence (SOI) in Real Estate
Social capital is more important than ever. The connections you build can open doors, help you achieve big goals, foster collaboration, and drive growth.
For real estate agents, success often comes down to how well you build and nurture relationships. Using real estate technology and marketing can help you stand out, but your sphere of influence is your most valuable asset. Unfortunately, it’s an asset that is often overlooked or underused.
The numbers speak for themselves: Around 80% of real estate teams—both small and large—say most of their deals come from their sphere of influence (SOI). But here’s the catch: over half describe their systems for tapping into SOI as “basic,” 39% consider them “advanced,” and 5% admit they don’t have any systems in place.
In this article, we’ll break down what your sphere of influence really means and how you can use it to drive your career exactly where you want it: toward success.
What is the sphere of influence (SOI) in real estate?
A sphere of influence (SOI) is the network of people who already know, like, and trust you. These people can be powerful advocates for your business, sending referrals and opportunities your way that can turn into clients. Common SOI members include:
Friends: Friends may not always be immediate clients, but they are often your first advocates. Personal recommendations are considered highly valuable, and even casual conversations can extend your visibility far beyond your own reach.
Family members: Relatives can be loyal supporters and may serve as enthusiastic champions, offering credibility and word-of-mouth support, especially when you’re establishing yourself in the industry. They may also be the first to give you business directly.
Colleagues: Referrals from current and former coworkers carry added authority because they come from a professional context, making them ideal to help build credibility.
Acquaintances: Neighbors, casual connections, or community members may not know you as closely, but their looser ties can actually help you expand your influence into new circles you wouldn’t otherwise access.
Past clients: Perhaps the most valuable group, past clients can offer repeat business and highly credible referrals. Because they’ve already experienced your service, their recommendations act as powerful social proof and often carry more weight than any marketing message.
Every industry also has an internal sphere of influence that can advance or hold back professionals. In real estate, your network isn’t limited to personal contacts. It extends to market-specific groups such as local business owners, mortgage brokers, developers, and community organizations. These connections can accelerate your success by opening doors to exclusive listings, investor relationships, or cross-promotional opportunities. Conversely, neglecting key industry or market connections can slow growth, limit referrals, or even create blind spots in your local market awareness.
To make the most of your sphere, you need to be intentional and put in strategic effort.
Why should real estate agents invest in building a sphere of influence?
Developing and nurturing a strong SOI is fundamental to positioning yourself as a leader in your market. The strength of your influence often determines how easily new opportunities come your way.
If you’re unsure how much your SOI can impact your career, let’s break it down.
Get a steady stream of clients
“Last year about four million homes sold and there's about 1.5 million realtors out there — there's just less pie to go around.” – Ben Goldberg, Matterport
In a competitive market, having a strong sphere of influence is a major strategic advantage. A strong SOI gives you a reliable stream of real estate leads and referrals, making it easier to stabilize your income without always chasing unpredictable leads.
A 2024 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) revealed that the average realtor generates 20% of their business (median) from repeat clients and 21% from referrals by past clients and customers.
In other words, investing in your sphere of influence takes much of the stress out of the job, leaving you with a steady pipeline of clients.
Spend less dollars on marketing
Effective marketing means reaching the right person with the right message at the right time.
Building and nurturing relationships within your SOI is usually more cost-effective than traditional advertising or buying leads. With a strong network, business often comes directly to you rather than you having to constantly chase clients.
Your main investment is the time you spend building relationships, not upfront costs. By focusing on your sphere of influence, you can get more out of your real estate marketing efforts and budget—spending less overall while making a bigger impact where it counts.
Build your reputation (and network)
Some real estate agents make success look effortless. They land top listings, attract high-value clients, and become the go-to expert in their market. Referrals and opportunities flow their way. It’s not luck; it’s strategy, the author of Build Your Reputation, Rob Brown, suggests.
These agents succeed by building relationships, earning trust, and growing their SOI. They’ve leveraged their reputation and social capital to open doors most can only dream of, and so can you.
When your sphere of influence knows and trusts you, you gain a head start in establishing credibility. And when you consistently deliver value and communicate authentically, that trust extends to their friends and family, too.
Over time, this strengthens your reputation, expands your network, and gives you a reliable list of contacts to grow your business.
Keep your ears on the market
Each connection in your sphere helps you stay plugged into the market, protecting your business now and positioning you for future opportunities—even during market shifts.
Put simply, your real estate sphere of influence isn’t just about lead generation; it keeps your ears on the ground. By staying connected, you gain valuable insights into trends, market updates, changes, and opportunities that give you the edge to adapt and make smarter decisions.
How to make your SOI work for you, now and in the future
By now, it’s clear that your SOI can make or break your real estate career. But growing it isn’t always easy. Here are six tips to help you unlock the power of your SOI.
1. Invest in your relationships
Your SOI starts with the relationships you’ve built over time. Nurture these connections by staying in touch, catching up in person, or simply being thoughtful. Show genuine interest in their lives and be someone they can count on—both professionally and personally.
The same principles apply if you’re building your network from scratch. Always look for ways to connect with people. Find places where you can regularly share the unique value you bring as an agent, and maintain consistent follow-ups. Remaining top-of-mind doesn’t have to feel pushy; small, thoughtful touches can make a big difference over time.
One best practice for maintaining engagement is sharing valuable content that highlights your expertise. For example, sending a link to a new 3D virtual tour of a listing is a simple, value-driven way to follow up with both new contacts and long-standing relationships. It gives them something visually interesting to explore while reinforcing your reputation as a tech-savvy, knowledgeable agent—keeping you top of mind without ever feeling intrusive.
2. Communicate what you bring to the table
Your sphere of influence might not always know you’re a real estate professional or fully understand the services you offer. Make it a point to share your value—whether it’s your expertise, experience, or commitment to client satisfaction. You can do this through personal conversations, social media posts, or targeted real estate marketing strategies.
Think of your role as providing valuable information and insights rather than just making a sale. By consistently sharing market knowledge, industry trends, and helpful resources with your SOI, you establish yourself as a trusted expert and a go-to resource in real estate.
A simple way to demonstrate your professionalism and set yourself apart is by leveraging advanced tools that showcase your expertise and elevate the client experience. Some modern tools that will help to differentiate your offering include:
3D property tours give clients and contacts immersive, detailed views of listings.
MLS-ready marketing assets are polished, professional, easy-to-share materials that reflect attention to detail.
Virtual staging or interactive floor plans help people visualize the potential of a space.
Neighborhood or market insights reports share localized data to reinforce your knowledge and authority.
Using these tools thoughtfully not only showcases your listings in a visually compelling, polished way but also signals that you bring cutting-edge expertise and attention to detail to every transaction.
Take a look at more advanced real estate capabilities in action in our webinar, which demonstrates how Matterport’s Property Intelligence features help agents differentiate themselves and deliver a standout client experience.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals
Referrals are one of the most powerful tools for growing your business. Referred clients not only tend to buy more, but they also refer 30–57% more new customers than others, creating a compounding effect for your business. This happens because referrals feel natural and connect like-minded people.
If your contacts have had a positive experience with you, don’t hesitate to ask for referrals—they’re often happy to help. Make it easy for them by giving clear instructions on how to refer you and by showing genuine appreciation for their support.
A simple, effective way to make referring you effortless is by sharing virtual tour links. Your SOI can showcase your work to their own contacts with an easy “forward and share” action, turning referrals into low-effort, high-impact opportunities. Combine this visually appealing content with subtle branding, and you make it easy for your network to advocate for you.
Networking events—both in-person and virtual—can also expand your reach. Hosting coffee meetups, themed Zoom calls, or small group gatherings allows people to connect organically, creating more opportunities for referrals beyond your immediate circle.
4. Deliver exceptional service every time
Providing exceptional service is the best way to earn referrals. Focus on exceeding expectations at every stage, from the first consultation to closing the deal. When you consistently deliver great results, trust and loyalty within your SOI naturally follow—and so do the referrals.
One way to stand out is by anticipating your clients’ needs before they even ask. This shows you value them as individuals. To achieve this, you need systems and people who understand (and anticipate) what your clients truly want. It also means you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach—every client deserves personalized attention.
Embedding Notes and Tags throughout a virtual tour is a great way to highlight specific details and support clients. They can explore properties at their own pace and ask informed questions, even remotely. By combining interactive tours with thoughtful commentary, you create a premium, high-touch experience.
5. Share social proof
Encourage happy clients in your sphere of influence to share their experiences of working with you through online reviews or social media posts. These endorsements boost your credibility and can help bring in new clients.
In today’s digital world, social proof plays a key role in influencing decisions. According to a recent survey by Kerfuffle, 92% of real estate agents say online reviews have a major impact on their business and reputation.
A particularly powerful way to showcase your expertise is by pairing your marketing assets with client testimonials. Embed quotes, reviews, or even video testimonials into your digital tours. This combination allows your SOI to see tangible results while reinforcing the positive experiences of previous clients, making their endorsements even more persuasive and helping you stand out in a competitive market.
6. Stay on their radar
To stay relevant with your SOI, regular communication and engagement are key. Social media allows you to reach wide audiences, while more personal channels—like newsletters, emails, and texts—help you maintain deeper connections. By tapping your database of past and potential clients, you can create a highly attuned, loyal audience that’s right at your fingertips.
Whether it’s through email newsletters, social media updates, or personalized DMs, find ways to stay connected and offer value to your potential and previous clients. Because, by consistently demonstrating your expertise and professionalism, you’ll be top-of-mind when opportunities come up.
One effective approach is regularly sharing the assets for your latest listings. Any immersive, visually engaging assets capture attention and provide eye-catching content that highlights your expertise.
“Immersive marketing improves engagement by over 80%…anything that is experiential, that embeds within our brains also creates better brand recall.” – Bill Linehan, Global Strategy Partner at Matterport
How Matterport technology can help you cultivate your sphere of influence
Matterport can help you make a lasting impression on your sphere of influence. By using advanced 3D virtual tours, you can show that you’re not just keeping up with market trends—you’re ahead of them.
“62% of U.S. home buyers think that a virtual tour is the number one thing they need to use to impact their buying decision…71% of home shoppers say that they would make an offer on a property just using the 3D tour.” – Ben Goldberg, Matterport.
Properties with 3D tours sell up to 31% faster and often for a higher price.
Offering these tours as a premium service gives you a compelling reason to reach out to your sphere with something valuable. It’s an easy way to demonstrate your expertise and remind your network of the high-quality service you provide, naturally encouraging referrals without feeling pushy.
Matterport also streamlines the selling process for your sphere. Virtual tours help pre-qualify home buyers, reducing unnecessary showings and focusing only on serious prospects. For sellers, this creates an efficient, stress-free experience—especially appealing for vacation properties or clients who are relocating.
Even after a property is sold, Matterport continues to add value. You can showcase past tours on your website or in your marketing, creating a visual portfolio that reinforces your expertise and helps win more listings.
And that’s just scratching the surface of what you can do with Matterport. Explore how these tools can help you cultivate your sphere of influence and grow your real estate business by registering for a free account.
