A Season of Thanks – A Commitment to Serve

Empowering Your Life and Career with Two Extraordinary Words

By Julie Escobar

“Thank you.”  Pretty powerful stuff for two tiny little words right? During this season of thanks, it’s important to remember that we don’t need to wait for a holiday to let our gratitude shine through for our family, friends, customers and blessings.

That’s why most successful people I know start and end their day with thanks. Now that’s a powerful way to bookend your day!  Giving thanks for the people, the opportunities and even the challenges — more often than not those are what teach us the most.

Floyd Wickman was the first to introduce me to the phrase, “we get by giving,” twenty-plus years ago when I was a fledgling in this business but it still holds true. (Thanks Floyd!)  Recently too, I had a long conversation with my friend Connie Podesta who is both a motivational speaker and a therapist, on the topic and her thoughts echoed my own.  “It’s easy to get caught up in the drama, the challenges and the negative in today’s world, but for those who keep it in perspective and focus on the relationships and on the people — those are the folks who are not only going to STAND OUT in their industries, but lead happier, healthier lives.”

Here are some ideas for saying thanks to your sphere from some of our valued clients:

Get creative. There are some great ways to show your appreciation above and beyond frequently saying those two important “thank you” words! Pat Tasker with Shorewest Realtors actually got together with three other agents to throw an easy-but-effective Customer Appreciation Movie Night. The cost was affordable, and the results were amazing. “Between the four of us, we had about 150 people attend, everyone was thrilled and splitting the bill between the four of us was really very manageable. The nice part is, even those that didn’t attend felt special just for being invited. It gave us all a reason to connect with our client base in a positive, fun way! The movie theater made it easy. It was $6 a person for the movie, popcorn and drink and all we did was show up early, greet everyone when they came in, took pictures with families and friends, watched the movie and that was it! Easy!”

Movie nights are a great way to get large groups together to say thanks, and it really is extraordinary to see the referrals you will receive afterwards as well because you’ve reached out to your client base, your name is top of mind and they know that you are appreciative and there for them. If movie nights are not your thing, read our blog post: Celebrate Your Customers – Ten Great Ways to Say Thank You.

Talk about mixers; consider this idea from Coach Patti Kouri: “Go into your database and choose a small group of people each month and invite them to lunch. Make the lunch a networking event of sorts and start with the question, ‘How can I help you?’ Before long, you’ll have a whole group of people exploring ways to help each other and all appreciative that you facilitated something that was not just about listing a house or getting a referral but truly helping people. Make a regular habit of this and watch as the law of reciprocity kicks in! Consider calling people individually as well – and ask what you can do for them. How can you help them in their business or endeavor? You’ll find when you approach ‘prospecting’ in this way it:

* Feels better than cold calling
* When you’re giving not asking for something, it’s easier
* You create a natural ‘boomerang’ and invite good things back to you

Keep trying new ways to help your clients. Many agents come from a place of fear, which is really a place where you don’t want to do anything. Take the opposite approach and you’ll find that you immediately and instinctively want to take action.”

I also called on the very talented, very inspiring Karin Hill of Watson Realty Corporation in Florida. As the broker and manager of a great team in the Orlando area, Karin definitely is a think outside the box professional. “We do a lot of community service work here. It’s a wonderful way to build your business while really working for a greater good. At any given time we are involved in several charities. For example, in the past we’ve worked with the Second Harvest Organization on a food drive. They estimate there are roughly 250,000 homeless children in Florida and could use a few helping hands to reach out to them! We put the information on our sign out front, and it’s wonderful to have strangers come into our office with donations. It really lets people know that we are there for the whole community, not to sell them something and they appreciate it. We even have the agents bringing in canned goods to our weekly office meetings!

We’ve organized charity runs, car and motorcycle drives, ‘adopted’ families in need, poker runs and more. It’s a great way for us to work together as a team, stay connected to our community and give back all at the same time!”

All great ideas from great thinkers! Another great way to give back and show your appreciation for your community is to work with your area schools. Most of them are looking for business partners who can help them provide the things they need for the students and staff. It’s a fun way to get to know the teachers, the faculty and the parents and they always appreciate the helping hands so it’s definitely a win-win for everyone! Learn more about this strategy here: Take a Back To School Approach to Prospecting!

So this month, and EVERY month, give thanks for the opportunity before you. As real estate professionals, you are only limited by your own thinking. There are no glass ceilings in this business, no one telling you that your income is capped and your goals are too high. Are there challenges? Most definitely – but challenges make us stronger, push us to try harder, learn more, and fine-tune our skills. Give thanks for those VIPs that make up your book of business and who invited you into their lives and those of their families to help them with one of the biggest decisions of their lives. Treat them well, show them you care and they’ll be a customer for your entire career, sharing their lives, their business and their referrals. Give thanks for your family and friends. They tolerate the often odd hours, pick you up on tough days and celebrate with you during the triumphs. Lastly, give thanks for another day to give back, to work hard, to try again and to make a difference in the world around you.

Here’s a great quote from John Southard to help keep things in perspective: “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.” That said, know that we appreciate YOU! Thank you for spending a little time with us today reading this article, for being a client, for doing all that you do. What can we do for you? How can we help? We’re just a phone call away. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Ready to kick your niche marketing into high gear? Visit www.prospectsplus.com or our blog at blog.prospectsplus.com to learn more great ideas for staying top of mind. There you’ll also find valuable training resources, customer tools and more. Call if you need us at 1.866.405.3638.

Oh – and don’t forget about our contest for an iPad!  As our way of saying thanks — we’re giving away a free iPad, iPod and hundreds in postcard mailings!  Learn more here or visit us at www.facebook.com/prospectsplus — tell us your best story about any of our products and you’ll be in the running to win!