Check out all of Inman’s end-of-year coverage here.
Greatness doesn’t happen by accident, and there is always a process to achieving success. What you give comes back to you in spades, in business and in life.
Make 2022 about how to serve more people, and next year will be your best year yet — but you have to be consistent in how you show gratitude, build relationships and add value.
Below, you’ll find a roadmap for making the mindset shift to giving (and thus receiving) and learn how to systemize these strategies in your daily routine to make giving seem effortless.
Remember, what you focus on expands, and by focusing on the things you’re thankful for, you’ll find more things to be thankful for, which is just good for the soul.
1. Say thank you more often
The best way to ensure the coming year will be your best year ever is to say thank you more often. This sounds basic, but are you living a life motivated by worry or gratitude?
What we focus on expands, and by focusing on the things you are thankful for, you will find more things to be thankful for.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to express my thanks:
- Hand-written thank-you notes: The personalization of a hand-written thank-you note makes it a memorable gesture. Imagine how one hand-written thank-you note sent each business day could transform your business in the coming year.
- Selfie video texts: The ability to record yourself verbally saying “thank you” and sending it via text is extremely powerful. Imagine the impact of recording one thank-you video on your phone per day and sending it to someone who has improved your business or life.
- Video email with BombBomb: Sending a personalized video email thanking someone is entirely different than sending a text email. Tools like BombBomb make video emails incredibly easy to produce and share.
- Unexpected gifts for referral partners and clients: Everybody loves a gift, especially an unexpected one. Small gift cards or desserts on special occasions are a great way to say thank you to the people who support your business.
2. Expand your database
The more people you have in your database, the more opportunities you have to serve your clients and grow your business.
Do you have a systematic plan of action to add quality leads to your database consistently? If not, now is the time to put a plan in place.
A growing database is a leading indicator of a business that will continue to grow in the future.
3. Automate property detail communication
Stay top-of-mind with your clients by automating outgoing property details. Automating the outgoing communication can be done via your MLS or possibly your website. Every person in your database should be on an automated email program providing them consistent information about properties of interest to them.
For past buyers, this includes automated email updates on homes like theirs that: come on the market, go under contract or are sold.
For future buyers, the automated emails include properties meeting their criteria that either come on the market or have a price reduction.
Having every person in your database on automated emails sending them relevant properties will give you more time and opportunities for sales.
4. Build relationships with agents in feeder markets
If you’re looking for another source of qualified leads, look no further than a feeder market where a large portion of the people moving into your area are moving from.
Relationships built with agents in these feeder markets are a great way to generate consistent, high-quality leads.
Out of Raleigh, North Carolina, Heidi Harris realized early in her career that many of the buyers moving to her area were coming from nearby Charlotte. She hand-wrote notes saying she loved paying referral fees to agents from Charlotte.
She sent about 50 cards to top-producing agents in Charlotte over four years ago. Since that time, she has developed relationships with a number of those agents who consistently send her four to five referrals each year.
Referrals are the lifeblood of a thriving business, and this strategy can help your business thrive in the coming year.
5. Shoot more video
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A video is frame after frame, meaning it’s worth a million words. Video gives your ideal client the ability to connect with you even before meeting you in person.
Cisco predicts 82 percent of all internet traffic will be video-based by 2022. The ability for video to take your business to the next level is not the question. The question is, when will you begin to implement video in your business?
6. Bring more value to the marketplace
The beauty of our business is the more value you bring to the market, the more the market will reward your business. 2022 is the year to become the undisputed information source for your community.
You could add more value by providing informational and entertaining video market updates. You could bring more value by highlighting local businesses or charities on social media. You could also add more value through a weekly email newsletter.
Ask yourself how you can serve your community and add more value. The best year of your life is right on the other side of bringing more value to the marketplace.
Everything you’ve been through, the good times and the tough times, has prepared you for this next year to be your best year ever. You’re brighter than you’ve ever been, more resilient than you’ve ever been, and more poised for success than you’ve ever been.
Take massive action, and you will see tremendous results in the year to come.
Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Growth Officer for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida in Northwest Florida. Connect with him on Facebook or Instagram.
