Do You Have A Referral Marketing Plan In Place for 2009? Start here....

Dear Friends,
I recently received this email in my mail bag that is the inspiration for today's tip.

Dear Jeff,

I've been reading your tips and really enjoy them.

Assuming I can get my referral mindset in good working order by thinking the commonalities, Customer Perception, Entrepreneurial Perception and Activity Focus, what do I do next? Where do I start?

Please help.

Thanks,
Andrew

Great question!

You've already started. You've been reading http://www.jeffreysjournal.com/ and my 3 Minute Tips, you've kept copies for future reference, so what I'm going to give you this week is the actual template you can use to write your activities down.

This becomes your Referral Marketing Plan based on the 3D's.

Deeds, Dialog, Database.

It's an action plan...a priority list.

But for now it comes to you BLANK.

You will have to choose and commit to specific activities but for now just answer this question.

What are the activities, if I did superbly well, would greatly increase my referral business?

Give some thought to your business, real thought. List the answers on the form. It's just the beginning of a plan so don't worry about how fancy or technical it is. Make it real. Be yourself. Whatever you write down you have to commit to. Go back to some of the old "3 Minute Tips" and use them as a reference.

Here's a simple provocation that will shake out some of your creativity. This is one of my favorite questions because it always evokes meaningful, simple, and effective responses.

What one thing would you do to improve your customer quality service without spending a dime?

Now answer this same question as it relates to the 3 Stages of any business.

BEFORE you meet a customer
DURING the customer process
AFTER the transaction is closed

Put your answers down under the category of Deeds, Dialog, Database on the Referral Marketing Template that I am giving you.

This is where you start..."Your Referral Marketing Plan."

Deeds:
Intentional behavior that create a world class client experience.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________


Dialog:
A purposeful selection of a pre-memorized language activity that directly influences a client to refer friends, family members, co-workers.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________


Database:
Get in touch, stay in touch, with your referrals and your referral network.

People who know you, like you, and trust you will refer you to their friends, family members, and co-workers if they know exactly what you do and how you help your clients.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton ITI, CLC, CNE, WOW
Your Trusted Advisor For Life

347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Today's market is challenging. What do your customers really want?

Dear Friends,

I recieved this email from a fellow JeffreysJournal reader and thought i would make it the topic of this weeks tip...

Jeff,
Thank you for your tips.
I have been a lender and in the title business and for the past 5 years I've been a full time Realtor. Your referral tips help to keep me motivated and on track.

I have a question.
What do our customers expect us to do?
Since we can't change the market, what do they really want?

DL

WOW!!!
That is one of the best and most important questions I've heard in the past couple of years.

What do our customers really want?

It looks like a simple question on the surface but it's not. As service providers we often think we know what our customers want.

Who knows better than us? Actually, the customer does!

We hear them say this and say that, ask for this and demand that, struggle with the realities of the marketplace, ignore warning signs, and sometimes behave in a manner that is completely opposite to get the results they are looking for.

They say left and go right, you say black and they say white.
Then their cousin Earl the plumber offers his insight as a financial expert and the room gets crowded.

Effectively navigating through any volatile market requires a skill and compassion to really understand what our customers want, really want, even if they can't express it.

It's enough to make us crazy. Enough mumbo jumbo!

I'll answer your question the way it was answered for me when I asked the same questions a long time ago.

Maybe you would like me to give you a short list to answer your question. I could but it wouldn't be as effective as what I will give you today. It would be easier but if you finish the exercise it will stay with you forever, regardless of the market conditions.

Note: In customer service 101 the foundation of all effective human interaction is based on the ability to see things through the Other Persons Point of View.

This is the first step in building a successful referral business.
No matter what business you are in.

Here's your answer:
CUSTOMER SERVICE - What do customers really want?

You know what it feels like providing service to the customer but you should also know what it feels like to be on the other end, when you are the customer.

A large part of customer service consists of adopting the customers point of view. When you are the customer what kind of treatment do you want to receive?

You can answer this question by yourself but it is more revealing in a small group of 5-7 people. Managers ask this question at your next sales meeting.

Stay on track and focus on what you and the others "really wanted" as a customer in your past experiences. How did you want to be treated? Be careful, may get sidetracked so stay on task.

The process is a process. Do not underestimate the effectiveness in the simplicity in this exercise.

Remember, as Thor Heyerdahl said in Fatu-Hiva"Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity."

You don't need me, a customer service course, or a dozen business books to tell you what you already know.

You need to talk about it. Use your intelligence and creativity to flush out the answers of how customers want to be treated.

You will have a tendency to hear a couple of things and then want to start solving the problem. You'll have ideas about what you can do and what you'll say and then you will be focused right back on you.

This process is about the other person...the customer's point of view. Stay focused on "When you were a customer and what kind of treatment did you want to receive?

Empathic thinking and listening takes practice and is risky. Be empathetic and listen to everyone's answers.

You'll have plenty of time to evaluate your behaviors and select a course of action that will assist you on giving the customer what they really want.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life
347-466-3047

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Can you build rapport on the phone?

Dear Friends,

I have a standing invitation to everyone who reads http://www.jeffreysjournal.com/ to ask me to write about what you want to learn more about. Taylor M had the following question:

Jeff,
I have been reading your last few tips on rapport and persuasion, and I was wondering if you could go into how to generate rapport over the telephone. I have spoken on the phone to other sales people trying to sell me stuff. I have felt more at ease talking to some of them than I do with my customers or soon-to-be clients, even people I have known for years. It is fantastic and I'm not sure how exactly how it happens or how they do it....

The answer is… well, a bunch of things.
First of all, I don’t know exactly what the people Taylor has spoken to have been doing, or what Taylor is not doing himself, but I do know that there are a number of things which will help you to get rapport, put people at ease and have more fluid, enjoyable telephone conversations.

The first thing is to know what you want with regard to a particular conversation.

With regard to some upcoming phone conversation, what do you want?

And how will you know when you’ve got it?

Having a clear idea of what direction you want to go in will allow you to get good feedback about whether or not you’re on track. Obviously, the amount of time you spend figuring out what you want with regard to a call will depend on how important the call is to you.

Get in a good state.
I’ve heard my mentor say repeatedly "If you want to get someone into a good state, go there first yourself." If you want other people to feel relaxed & at ease, make sure you feel relaxed & at ease.

Establish rapport
Now, there are many ways to establish rapport. Some of the behavioural ways you can do this on the phone include the following:

Talking at the same rate as the other person
Modulating your voice tone so that it is similar to theirs
Modulating voice pitch so it’s similar to theirs
Using the same sensory words as them
Talking at the rate they’re breathing

Personally, I find it difficult to breathe at the same rate as someone else if they’re talking.
I do, however, like talking at the same rate that someone is breathing.

How do you know what rate they’re breathing at?

Listen to them talk (if they’re talking, they’re breathing out.)
Listen to them breathe
Can you hear someone breathe over the phone?
Sure, if you listen.

Make a mental image of the person
Another trick of the trade is to make a mental image of the person you are speaking to. See the expressions on their face, notice how they respond to what you say. And whatever you do, start by pretending / believing that the call is going to have a positive result for you both.

Be curious about & interested in the other person
Of all the points, this is one of the most powerful. Some of the most powerful messages you can give to someone are "I am interested in you", "I care about your well being" and "You are important to me." And the quickest way to get these ideas across in your communication is to mean it. When you mean it, you come across congruently, and the communication can flow.

Sometimes, people get so caught up in the technology of rapport (matching eye blinks etc) that they don’t remember what it’s about: connecting with another human being.

The behavioural elements of rapport are just a way to allow that connection to emerge more rapidly.

All Related Topics: 3 Minute Rapport/Persuasion

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life


One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me.

If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Do You Want a Referral Marketing Plan in Place for 2008? Start here....

Dear Friends,
I recently received this email in my mail bag that is the inspiration for today's tip.

Dear Jeff,

I've been reading the last few tips and really enjoy them.

Assuming I can get my referral mindset in good working order by thinking the commonalities, Customer Perception, Entrepreneurial Perception and Activity Focus, what do I do next? Where do I start?

Please help.

Thanks,
Andrew

Great question!

You've already started. You've been reading www.JeffreysJournal.com and my 3 Minute Tips, you've kept copies for future reference, so what I'm going to give you this week is the actual template you can use to write your activities down.

This becomes your Referral Marketing Plan based on the 3D's.

Deeds, Dialog, Database.

It's an action plan...a priority list.

But for now it comes to you BLANK.

You will have to choose and commit to specific activities but for now just answer this question.

What are the activities, if I did superbly well, would greatly increase my referral business?

Give some thought to your business, real thought. List the answers on the form. It's just the beginning of a plan so don't worry about how fancy or technical it is. Make it real. Be yourself. Whatever you write down you have to commit to. Go back to some of the old "3 Minute Tips" and use them as a reference.

Here's a simple provocation that will shake out some of your creativity. This is one of my favorite questions because it always evokes meaningful, simple, and effective responses.

What one thing would you do to improve your customer quality service without spending a dime?

Now answer this same question as it relates to the 3 Stages of any business.

BEFORE you meet a customer
DURING the customer process
AFTER the transaction is closed

Put your answers down under the category of Deeds, Dialog, Database on the Referral Marketing Template that I am giving you.

This is where you start..."Your Referral Marketing Plan."

Deeds:
Intentional behavior that create a world class client experience.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________


Dialog:
A purposeful selection of a pre-memorized language activity that directly influences a client to refer friends, family members, co-workers.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________


Database:
Get in touch, stay in touch, with your referrals and your referral network.

People who know you, like you, and trust you will refer you to their friends, family members, and co-workers if they know exactly what you do and how you help your clients.

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________
8. _____________________________________________
9. _____________________________________________
10. _____________________________________________

One of the fastest ways to build a successful referral based business is by training. Now, with me, I like to invest significant time immersing myself in training, while some people prefer to take it in bite-size chunks. Whatever your preference is, now is the best time to contact me
and schedule your office for your Custom Tailored Workshop: "Building a Referral Based Business in 2008 and Beyond"

Great question....thanks for asking Andrew.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me...
The best is yet to be!

On Your Team
Jeffrey Stanton
Your Trusted Advisor For Life



If you have found this tip useful, please share it with any friends, family, colleagues and associates who you think will be interested. Feel free to print it (with credit and subscription information) and continue to enjoy the tips. I am always grateful for any comments, criticisms or other feedback that you may have. Please send them to feedback@jeffreysjournal.com

Business Plan program for Agents

Jeff,
I figured if anyone knew, it would be you. I am looking for a decent, but not expensive Business Plan program for Agents, that doesn't involve an annual fee. Annual fee, can't understand that one. Anyway...let me know what you've seen in your travels.

Thanks,
TW

TW,
Is great to hear from you.
I never understood the annual fee thing either.

What type of program are you looking for?
Does it specifically have to be for real estate agents?
A fill in the blanks?
Or are you looking for an outline?

Experience shows that most of the business planning programs are great for getting everything on paper, just not really that great for getting it into action, you probably already know that.

I never really liked the fill in the blank type because all your doing is filling in some one else's blanks.

I have had this same conversation with many agents and loan officers over the years.
The question they ask is usually the same "I need a good business planning program”
The real question they are asking is “I need a plan of action”
I believe the best program for this is your own mind... It is the most powerful computer that we will ever have.

I would like to suggest that is you don't already have a personal mission statement that you start with one.
(Here part of my personal mission statement, my guiding principals Letter To My Readers )

I have always found that once you know where you want to be personally it much easier to figure out the business part.

You like me want to succeed in our chosen paths, and the ultimate goal really is to have a happy and rewarding personal life.

This is how I start.
Begin with the end in mind.
(See What Are Your Numbers? )

Where do I see myself 10 years from now?
I see it in my minds eye, not just a picture; I see myself living it as if I was actually in the picture.
Once I see the picture or the movie in my minds eye I write it down.

Don't think you can make pictures or movies?
Close your eyes and think about your childhood bedroom.
What color are the walls? What does the bed look like? What toys are around the room? Did it smell like playdough?
That's a picture.
Everyone makes pictures; some people just make them so fast that they don't even know that they are doing it.

That's how I start.

Next I rewind the movie; I rewind it past the starting point. (Isn’t the mind a great thing?)
While doing this jot I down everything that i can see / hear / feel.

Where do I see myself 7 years from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 5 years from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 3 years from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 2 years from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 1 year from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 6 months from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 3 months from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 1 month from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself 1 week from now? Rewind
Where do I see myself tomorrow? Stop

Some times you may have to replay and rewind some of the movies or pictures over again.

What do I want to do tomorrow to start my vision for the next 10 years?

What you really want is a vision, then a plan of action.

Once you have you personal mission statement and your vision the next thing you need is a plan of action.

What actions do I need to take to get to my intimate goal in 10 years?

What systems and strategies am I going to put in place to accomplish this?
Write it all down... That’s your business plan... Your plan of action.

I here is one of my older Vision / Business Plans
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df7vt26g_34gd9n2h

If you would like some other samples or need additional ideas and strategies to get you to your ultimate goal give me a call or an email.

Your Trusted Advisor For Life
Jeffrey Stanton

Listen, Share, Show, Tell and Ask...

This weeks 3 Minute Referral Tip comes from my Mail Bag:

Dear Jeff,

A few weeks ago you spoke at our company. Our office has been buzzing since your presentation.

People are really thinking and acting different.

A few of us were sharing notes over the Magic Words section and the process of telling a customer on the first meeting about how we want to build our referral business and the benefits to them.

We are struggling a bit.

Could you go over the 5 steps you shared with us so we can really get it down right?

Thanks,

Tony C

Dear Tony,

In the most simple terms..."first seek to understand, then be understood."

From Steven Covey's, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" this is Habit # 5. It is what I consider to be the most important first habit in interpersonal communication.

Yes, we are often begging to be understood. We sometimes feel it is easier to speak about what we do and our company, or programs, than it is to really listen to someone else.

It's where you begin.

Empathic listening is risky.

It takes a great deal of security to go into a deep, deep listening experience because you open yourself up to being influenced.

You may feel vulnerable.

It's a paradox, in a sense, because in order to really have influence you have to be willing to be influenced first.

This means you really have to understand both the transactional and the transpersonal aspects of your customer's situation or problem.

You have to understand the "What" and the "Why."

You are teaching your customers how to treat you by your own behavior.

If they feel understood, the Law of Reciprocity (Robert B. Cialdini: Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion) will give them the desire to understand you.

The order is critical.

Then a true partnership can begin and you can explain how you do your business, show the benefits, and begin the referral conversation.

Here are the 5 Steps you can take on your first meeting with a new client:

1. LISTEN
2. SHARE
3. SHOW
4. TELL
5. ASK

I'll explain the simple level 1 dialogs...


LISTEN –

This is the Process of Understanding.

Can you describe for me your current situation, where you are in the process, and your time schedule?

What major concerns or questions come up when you think about the process of buying/selling/borrowing?

Reflect back on your past buying/selling/borrowing experiences or those of others you may know, what problems or situations would you like to avoid?

What do you need to know about me, my company, or our process that we have not discussed?

(Repeat to them the key points exactly as they had said them, "Did I hear you correctly", "What I understood you to say is...", “So you want…”, or “You would like…”)


SHARE –

Let your clients know how you depend upon Satisfied Clients as your "Business Plan."


SHOW -

The "benefit to them" is a higher level of attentive, professional service and follow through with intentional behavior that creates a world class client expertise.


TELL –

I can't do it without your help.


ASK –

"I want you to be so delighted with our service that you will feel comfortable referring me to your friends and family while we're working close together and after you sell your home/move into your new home/refinance your home. Can I count on your help?"

When a client says, "Jeff was different. He was the only person who really seemed to understand our situation and genuinely seemed to want to do what was best for us. He was the only one that listened to what we were saying. We decided fairly early in the process that our business would go to Jeff."

This doesn't happen by accident...it is in the process.

Thanks for a great question,

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
The best is yet to be!

Jeff

Please Let me know you thoughts. Comment on this post

You read Jeffrey's Journal every week because you, like me want the best for yourself.
And you, like me want to build a strong referral based business.
Who else like you, like me loves referrals that you can share this blog with right now?
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Upgrade Your Referrals

Dear Mr. Stanton,

I'm a Realtor.
I have been doing business in SI for 3 years now.
I get referred quite often by clients and friends.
What I don't understand is why my conversion of referred prospects is so low?
I call immediately after getting the lead and follow-up on a regular basis until I get through, but I don't feel I get as many appointments as I should considering they are referrals.
What can I do to increase my percentage of appointments of referred clients?
Best Regards,

TK

Dear TK,

Upgrade your referrals before you call them.

First lets look at the reasons people may refer you.
Some people want to be a hero and a referral can be a way to enhance their status.
Others want you to experience the better service they experienced possibly as a way to reaffirm their decision.
They most probably like you, trust you and genuinely want to help you.
Letting others know how pleased we are with our decisions, reaffirming our choices, telling others by way of a referral is only natural.

Here's my point...the act of referral is not always about the needs of the person being referred.

Because we all have given referrals, received referrals and have been the prospect of referrals we know this to be true.

Upgrading your referrals is a process.

We'll look at the two most important parts of this simple process today.

1. Know more about the person you're calling.
2. Ask the referrer to call the referral first.

Here's what normally happens:
You get a name and number and permission to call and then say "Thanks for the referral, I'll call them right away."

What a waste.

The first way to upgrade your referral is to know more about the person you're calling.

Questions you may want to consider asking first:

• How do you know this person?
• What is your connection with (name)?
• What do you admire most about (name)?
• Does (name) have any special interests?
• What are some challenges (name) is facing right now?
• Why did you think of (name) first?
• Do you know where (name) is in the process?
• Why do you think we would be a good match?
• Does (name) know you’re referring him/her to me?
• How do you think (name) will respond to your giving me his/her name?
• Is there anything else about (name) that would be helpful for us to know?

IMPORTANT
If you're referred to solve a problem, a serious problem ask this question.
"How do you think he or she will react and feel about discussing their problems? Can I bring them up or should I be less direct?”

Remember, referral selling is about building and protecting relationships.

When given a referral there if there isn't time or you are not in the appropriate situation to ask all these questions.
Just call back the next day and ask before you call the referral.

You are teaching people how important relationships are by your very behavior.

The second part of upgrading your referrals, after you' ve asked these questions, is to ask the referral source to call first.

It might sound like this.

"Mike thanks for helping me meet Anthony. I was wondering, maybe he would appreciate hearing from you first, just to know that you're not sending some salesperson to attack him. Would that be Okay?" (pause)
“I don't want this to be a hassle for you, so if you get his voice mail a quick message about why you think it would be good for both of us to meet would be just fine."

OR

"Mike thanks for trusting me to help your friend. How can we let him know how I can help him also?” (pause)
“Could we give him a call now to let him know that I will be contacting him tomorrow and why you think it would be good for both of us to meet?"

That's it.

Upgrading a referral is more about a genuine and sincere desire to better understand who you might be talking to before you pick up the phone.
With this understanding, your words, tone, style, temperament and manner are transferred to the referral to create a more comfortable conversation, leading to a desire to meet.

Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

Jeff

What would be the one most important tip you would give, if you could only give one?

Jeffrey's Mail Bag:

Dear Jeff,

I have a question. I hope you will answer this.

First, I want you to know how much my team enjoyed your training.

We've been to a lot of seminars over the past years and this was by far the best.

I have some new people joining my team and I added what I learned from you into their training.

Thank you!

I like to break things down into an order of importance and try to keep it simple.

New agents get so much thrown at them so fast I give them a priority list of the most important thing to remember as they learn and develop throughout their first year.

Looking back over your experiences what one thing would you tell a new agent coming into the real estate business about building a referral business for themselves?

What would be the one most important tip you would giveif you could only give one?

Thanks,
BT

Dear BT,

You must be a good trainer, because you have learned to ask great questions.

The answer is simple, very simple.

Always speak as if your customers are listening.

That's it. It's realy just that simple.

Practicing this one tip will increase your agents refer-ability.

By example. If you're talking to another agent on the phone about your listing speak to the agent as if your sellers are listening on the other line.

If you're in the office talking to another agent about your buyers, speak as if your buyers can hear ever word you say.

When speaking about your customers or clients (past, current or future) in your office, at a board meeting, a training seminar, on a caravan, open house, anywhere or any time, imagine the people you are talking about can hear you.

What do you want them to hear?
Always, always respect your relationship.

What you say about others speaks volumes about YOU.

It's not easy sometimes.

It's OK to have an unexpressed thought.

If you don't like the way someone is acting or responding to the challenges of the marketplace, keep it to yourself.

Take time to understand what the other person is going through.
Give them the benefit of the doubt.

As top agent and dear friend put it 10 years ago, "I don't have to like my clients, I have to love them."

In 10 years I have never heard him say anything about his customers that he wouldn't want them to hear.

Is it a coincidence that his business is 100% referral based and his production is in the top 10% of the industry for 10 consecutive years?

He has the respect of his peers, friends, business associates and anyone who has been in contact with him.

He embodies a deep and sincere respect for his client no matter what. This teaches us the single most important lesson of any referral based business strategy. You get what you give.

So when you ask, "what would be the one most important tip you would give if you could only give one?"

Always speak as if your clients are listening.

-----
Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
the best is yet to be!

Jeff

Perfect "Thank You Note"

Here is a perfect "Thank You Note" that I received the other day.

Dear Jeff,
Thank you so much for sharing the benefit of your experience with me and for your excellent career advice. It speaks to your willingness to share and your qualities as a teacher and mentor, that you would "go the extra mile" to help me navigate these tricky waters, where decisions made now will continue to affect me way into the future. I look forward to being in a position to return the favor in the near future. Let us stay in touch.
Best regards
Les

Les, you got it perfect!

This is one of those letters that you show around the office... One of those letters that just makes you feel good.

Les.. Thanks for noticing and for making my day.

Jeff

The strategy behind the "Thank You Note"
How to write a memorable THANK YOU NOTE…in less than one minute.