As they witness many of their coaching clients enjoy a healthy market as they start this new year, Matt and Garrett take this opportunity to discuss the importance of building and maintaining relationships that will pay dividends in any real estate market. Employing the analogy of a water wheel and grain mill, where diverting a stream is akin to creating a consistent flow of clients, they emphasize the need to invest time and effort in nurturing relationships as a critical aspect of staying relevant and successful in any market. Our hosts go on to stress the significance of self-confidence and providing exceptional value in establishing a thriving referral-based enterprise, especially during times when market conditions may be less predictable. They highlight the vulnerability and personal belief required to engage with existing clients and maintain the upstream flow of referrals in a changing market. Essentially, today’s episode underscores the long-lasting impact of genuine human connections in the real estate industry, particularly in the context of market fluctuations, and encourages listeners to invest in building and maintaining relationships for a successful referral-based business. Find out more about establishing these crucial relationships by connecting with the 14,000 Ninjas who collaborate, ask and answer questions, network, and more in the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook. Leave a voicemail at 208-MY-NINJA if you’d like to offer more direct feedback. Be sure to check out Ninja Selling Events for upcoming installations and other events, and if you’d like personalized help in achieving your goals, visit Ninja Coaching to connect with one of our fantastic coaches.   Episode Highlights: Comparing building a referral-based business to diverting a stream The crucial nature of maintaining relationships with past clients The necessity of confidence in one's abilities and value How personal connections and referrals outperform buying leads or relying on social media Nurturing relationships for a referral-based business How the water wheel and grain mill analogy illustrates the concept of a steady client flow   Quotes: "Only 1% of sellers found their agent through social media without knowing that person first." "Lean into the good things that people say about you, go back and look at your happy clients." "The amount of business that I saw through personal relationships and people reaching out to their friends - that is where people had record-breaking years last year." "You are diverting the stream up above and you're creating this constant flow of people that now know you, like you, trust, you, understand the value and the service that you provide." “Once you start taking care of the upstream, the people who loved working with you, they're going to make you feel so good because you've made them feel good. And that's a good feeling."   Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA   Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial   Ninja Coaching www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching   Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events   Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding   Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli   The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group Ninja Coaching Book Study Ninja Mastery Ninja Selling by Larry Kendall