Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Happy Memorial Day
Thanks to all the Veterans and current men and women serving this great country today. On behalf of all Carp’s Corner readers, we appreciate your efforts to protect the Land of the Free.
Hopefully you have enjoyed the holiday weekend. It’s always that first three-day weekend of the year that many people think of as the “Gateway to Summer.” School is almost out, the temperatures are rising, pools are opening and baseball season is in full swing. It also means cookouts and get-togethers on patios and pool decks with neighbors, family and friends.
Spend Time Celebrating, Not Selling
Use these opportunities to connect with old friends and build new relationships, not ask for business. A neighbor’s cookout is a great spot to get to know people and find common ground. Three new strangers in your foursome of golf at the local municipal course could be the perfect new connection. The family sitting next to you on the pool deck at the country club. These are all potential opportunities to connect with future clients but if you’re going to try to generate some business from them, let it happen afterwards. Discover any needs or problems that people might address – they are having a new baby, they are getting married, perhaps there has been the death of a parent or older family member – but don’t attack it like a vulture attacks road kill.
People can be turned off by that “pushy salesman” who is always talking shop. When you come across as desperate or in need of business, it could be disingenuous. It wouldn’t be right to pass out business cards and new listing fact sheets to strangers at the pool or Memorial Day parade any more than you would like sales material for a local insurance rep or a financial planner while you’re walking into the grocery store to pick up another case of beer or more hamburger buns. Take a break form the sales pitches and instead, listen to see what you might discover. Enjoy the current moment and look for future opportunities.
Level Up by Improving Your Follow Up
Once the holiday weekend has passed us by is the ideal time to set your systems in motion. Follow up with people you may have met over the weekend who might have a real estate need and tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them. Even if they didn’t express any immediate real estate needs, use this as an opportunity to add someone new to your sphere of influence. [Don’t add people’s names who you didn’t actually meet or spend time with. The point isn’t to build up a database of virtual strangers, it’s to grow your reach among people you know and seek opportunities to share your market knowledge and expertise]
Let them know you wanted to make sure they had your contact information in case they have any questions. Use social media as a possible connecting point. A Facebook message here, an email or text there and maybe even a good old-fashioned hand-written note might be just the recipe for taking that casual meeting into a lifelong relationship.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday building relationships, solving problems and having fun. Trust me, there will be plenty of time for selling once the celebration is done.
Photo Credit: Derek Gavey