Expressing gratitude is an incredible act of feeling appreciation and thankfulness and showing kindness in return. Never miss an opportunity to show how much you appreciate someone.
In today’s fast-paced, digital and sometimes impersonal environment where people are easily distracted, personal relationships and how we foster them are so important to maintain, not only for business relationships, but for true relationships to grow. Giving thanks to those who have helped you grow, both personally and professionally, is a way to keep your important and personal relationships meaningful. Showing gratitude to your clients, your referrals and your team members is great way to show those people how important they are to you now and in the future.
Thank your clients for their business over the years. Be sure that you personally thank your clients, whether they sold or purchased their home from you this year or five or 10 years ago. They need to know that you value the relationship and sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence they had in choosing you to help them with their home purchase or sale. Personal phone calls in today’s world are amazingly received with extra appreciation. The phone call doesn’t have to be long; it’s the thought of you taking the time to personally call them and thank them for being a valued client. If you have too many past clients to call, send them a video of yourself thanking them and telling them how much you appreciate their business and their referrals. (I would still recommend calling your top list of clients personally; it really is meaningful when you take the time to make a phone call.)
Be sure to thank your referral sources. Business referrals are the cornerstone of your success, and making sure you are thanking those amazing people who are referring your services, both at the time they refer them to you and several times a year, is so vitally important. These are your top 50-100 referring sources who are card-carrying fans and refer to you their friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. Be sure to thank them with a special gift, gift certificate or meaningful act of appreciation. When people trust you enough to refer you to someone, there really is no better compliment. Be sure to personally call them or stop by to drop off a gift, and thank them again for their trust and confidence in you and let them know you appreciate the relationship.
Thank your team members and staff. It is so important to let people who work with you on your team know that you appreciate their hard work and dedication every day, and that you know how much they put in to make the team successful and that you don’t take any of that for granted. Showing your appreciation with a special handwritten note and small or large gift of appreciation go a very long way, especially when it is not expected. Don’t miss the opportunity to thank your team and staff and recognize them for their contributions to the whole organization. It is a gesture that is most appreciated by the recipient, but also will make you feel good, too.
Consider holding a client appreciation event or giving a special thank-you gift. Many times, a client appreciation event is a great way to see your clients, referral sources and team for a cocktail party, dinner or fun night out. Schedule an event at the hip, new cool place to go in your town or consider having it at your home. In either event, you will be providing a great venue to say thank you and treat your tribe with a fun night that they enjoy, and it’s a social event that you get to see all of these people at and thank them in person. Other client appreciation events can be family-oriented craft events or even an annual golf outing. Inviting your clients, referrals and team members gives everyone a chance to enjoy the event and brings people together for you to show your appreciation to them for their continued, long-term loyalty to you and your business.
Thank your affiliate partners. Don’t forget to thank those affiliated partners who also helped you grow your business or sent referrals to you—all the mortgage, title, home inspectors and insurance professionals who helped keep deals together or assisted to keep your sales closing on time. Sending them tickets to a great movie or theater production, a generous gift card and a personal note of thanks will show your appreciation for their part in your success.
Again, valuing your professional relationships shows you are a genuinely grateful person and that this isn’t just a job, but that you are truly serving the community where you live, work and play. Spread gratitude and show thanks to those who helped you grow personally and professionally and watch great things happen. Everyone wins, and everyone feels good.
Show your gratitude and thanks by visiting my Facebook page and comment with your client appreciation event or drop a picture of your annual thank-you appreciation gift you give you give to clients, referrals or your team at www.facebook.com/sherrijohnsonconsulting/. Have a wildly successful listing and sales week!
Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With 20 years of experience in real estate, Johnson offers coaching, consulting and keynotes, and is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. For more information, please contact coaching@sherrijohnson.com or 844-989-2600 (toll-free) or visit www.sherrijohnson.com.
