When it comes to building a business, what it all comes down to is getting people to trust you enough to buy from you (or, in real estate, sell with you). And while you can, and should, do plenty of networking and postcard marketing to get new prospects in the door, the reality is that there is only one group of people that you know for certain trusts you enough to buy from you: your past clients.

Unfortunately, far too many real estate professionals suffer from marketing amnesia: the tendency to forget about a past client as soon as the transaction is over.

It is – perhaps – an understandable impulse. After all, barring the rare real estate investor, most people aren’t going to call you up to buy another house a couple of months after the sale. But what many people will do is have friends, family members, and Facebook acquaintances who need to buy or sell a home in the next couple of months, and again and again over the years – until they’re ready to get back into the real estate market themselves.

Past clients can be some of your best resources for ongoing referrals. But if you don’t keep in touch, you won’t stay top-of-mind, and it won’t even occur to them to pass along your name the next time they know someone who is ready to buy a home.

If you know you’ve been guilty of real estate marketing amnesia, you can fix it. Starting today, take the time to get back in touch with all your old clients. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in contact, send them a heartfelt message in a nice note card. Or with Easter on the horizon, consider sending a real estate greeting card with a message asking how they’ve been and expressing your best wishes.

Going forward, make it your mission to keep in touch with all your past clients. You don’t need to hit them with a high-contact postcard campaign like you might if they were a new prospect; reaching out a couple of times a year is plenty to let them know you’re still around, and still there to help with any of their (or their friends’) real estate needs.