It’s time to elevate our client experiences with these high touch ideas you may be missing. We’ll be exploring how to go beyond the basics and create a truly exceptional experience for your clients, all without breaking the bank. We are sharing free high touch ideas that will make you stand out from the crowd and explain how understanding your clients’ goals and pain points to make their lives easier is crucial. We give you the actionable tips for providing valuable communication and building lasting relationships with your buyers and sellers. We even share with you our philosophies on closing gifts and what our favorite closing gift ideas are. It’s time to start seeing yourself as a service provider, not a salesperson, and bringing in ways to surprise and delight your clients with thoughtful gestures. Join us as we chat about how to deliver a high end experience that builds trust, loyalty, and ultimately, more business for you!

https://www.masonrow.com/personalized-stamp-gift-set

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The following is a rough transcript provided by Otter.ai.
Alissa 0:00
When I have a problem, pop up, it’s my time to go. Well, this is where I earn my value. It’s kind of motivating me to be like What does not need to be happening so that I can do these really important things right? So every time you are with your client, you are marketing yourself. You are sitting in front of a human being that has hired you. Is that not the ultimate goal of real estate? Yeah,

Katy 0:26
you don’t have to feel like you’re all alone. In the beginning of my career, we stood at the kitchen counter and we wrote a purchase agreement with a

Alissa 0:35
pin. Hi y’all welcome to hustle. Humbly. It’s Alyssa and Katie, and we are two top producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market. We

Katy 0:42
work for two different companies where we should be competitors, but we have chosen community over competition. The goal of our podcast is to encourage you to find your own way in business, so stop comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. Hi, Alyssa.

Alissa 0:55
Hey, Katie. Welcome to episode 272.

Katy 0:58
High touch ideas that you’re missing. Yeah, and we’re gonna also partner this up with a little closing gift. Talk awesome, all about the high touch things you can do for your clients.

Alissa 1:10
I had some thoughts about about this. Okay, I can’t wait we spend a lot of episodes telling people like how to get business, how to run your business systems and things like that. Now, speaking as someone who is established and does repeat and referral business pretty much only at this point. Yeah, this the things we’re going to talk about today are things that I want to focus on almost solely, oh, exclusively, like, if you just, if you have the referrals coming, I’m at a point where I’m not necessarily soliciting. Yeah, your train is on the track. My train is on the track. So people keep asking to get on. The people come, and now I’m at a point where to serve them. Well, you want to make it a luxury train, yeah? But I can only do that if I’m not overburdening myself with all this other stuff, yeah, looking for more people correct to put on the train, not looking for more people. That being said, whether you are brand new, doing your first transaction or well established, the things we’re going to talk about today are amazing ideas. Yeah, and the most important thing you can do is treat even just your one client so well that they have to refer you, yes, I almost feel like this episode is amazing if you’re, like, working one deal at a time, yeah, because you can really take it to the next level. Or if you’re working like 10 plus at a time, I mean, it’s good for anybody, yeah, but I do think if you’re still on the real estate roller coaster of having to hustle so much to get the business that sometimes when you get the business, you’re like, Yay, I got someone throw them over here. Okay, let’s go get more business. Yeah. And it’s like, no, no, right? Don’t, don’t just throw them over here. From working so hard to get them that you’re like, Oh, yeah. Like, I

Speaker 1 3:20
take a break, like, I don’t need to work so hard, right? But it’s like, once you get the client, now is your moment to shine. To shine. This is your moment that’s going to determine if you get referrals from this client and definitely repeat business, and if they call you back one day. Okay, so let’s first start with what a high touch does not mean we’re not saying that you have to spend money. Yes, they’re not required. It does also not mean that providing this great experience for your current client is letting go of your boundaries. So I don’t think either point. I don’t think either of those things are required to provide an excellent experience. You do not have to answer the phone at midnight. You do not have to spend $500 on a closing gift. That’s not what we’re talking about. I

Alissa 4:09
think that that’s an excellent point. And so much of the real estate industry says that to provide high touch and really impress your clients, you’re spending money on events, birthday cakes, you’re helping them pack and move your you know, just all these things that cost money and a lot of time. Yeah? Not, not

Katy 4:34
what we’re talking not what we’re talking about. Good news, though, here we like to give you the actual examples. Yeah. So we’re not just saying, Don’t do that. Let’s just talk about All right, to me when I think about high touch, and I’ve read quite a few articles about this recently, you know, with the big portals, the real estate portals, with AI, with all of this technology that is swirling around real estate disruption, how are these things going to do you. Job for you, whatever. At the end of the day, if you want to be a high touch agent that people are like, I want to work with you, you have to ask yourself, What can I do that a computer cannot like? What literally can I do that a computer can’t and so we have kind of a list of some high touch thoughts that we wanted to cover. Number one would be to be there for your clients and ask them how they’re feeling. The computer does not give a anything about how do you feel, Mr. Seller, are you anxious? Are you nervous? How are you feeling, Mr. And Mrs. Buyer, are you struggling with, you know, meeting all your needs? What are you feeling? You’re good at this, I feel like you always kind of have that sixth sense of when it’s time to reach out and be like, Hey, how are you feeling? Sometimes,

Alissa 5:47
I wish I could turn that sense off.

Katy 5:50
You know,

Alissa 5:50
I know. I know, and I’m usually right, like, you know how they say, just call them. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re thinking. If it’s gotten to that point where it’s, it’s like a disgruntled person, it it’s right? Yeah, they’re disgruntled, yeah, but I can usually navigate. But I

Katy 6:07
think if you’re going into their transaction with a high touch mindset in the front end, you can preemptively ask them how they’re doing before it’s gotten that bad, right? Or, you know, just kind of that’s the time when you get to gently share the stories of, hey, I had another client that went through this too, and this is what happened. Like they don’t do this every day, so asking them how they feel is also an opportunity for you to tell them stories, to give them advice, to walk them through the process. I

Alissa 6:34
would also like to say that the time people have been unhappy or frustrated or stressed in general during the real estate process. Those are the the transactions where I as an agent, was able to shine the most. Yeah, if I needed to problem solve, if I needed to bring my experience to say, like you said the last time that I had this happen, this is how it played out. Let’s think of the scenarios. So it’s almost like, when I have a problem, pop up, it’s my time to go. Well, this is where I earn my value. Yeah,

Katy 7:09
I like that. Okay? I think another way to kind of keep that frame of mind is to understand what your client’s goals are. Not just buy the house, sell the house, but what are their pain points? Why are they moving? Where are they going to like, what’s going to be difficult for them when they go to list their house? Do they have four dogs, right? Is that really tough to get out for? Do they both work out of the house? Like, is this going to be really hard for you to set up showings? Like, understanding where your clients are coming from and where they’re trying to go, I think is really important. And you can do things like, Hey, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but we can set your showing times to be when you get off work at three, or if you’re a shift worker, we can adjust this to where maybe the showings are only on Friday, Saturday, whatever. Like, they don’t know what their options are because they don’t do this. Yeah. So if you’re like, Hey, I know that it’s gonna be tough for you to like, I just recently had one, a dog that they leave out in the house that they didn’t want barking in a kennel the whole time. If someone showed two, you know, the parents are out of the house working during the day, can’t get there to do this. I’m like, well, let’s just work it out to where, who can get there and at what time. Let’s just do the showings then. And it was fine. So I think knowing those types of things you can do that the other one on this logistics is always the move, oh yeah. When they’re like, oh, I don’t, I don’t know if we can even buy or sell, because I don’t know how we’re gonna do this. We have special situation. We don’t know, like the logistics of getting from one house to the other in one day, it’s like, hey, here are all of your occupancy options. That is, to me, a high touch, yeah, because other agents just don’t even pay attention. Like, oh, well, let me know what you decide you gotta be out. Like, here are the other options for you.

Alissa 8:57
So an example that falls into this category, please tell us it’s not a success. Example from being able to sell the house, we did not. It was a listing. This might be one of my, like few that just I expired work approaching expiration, okay, I could not sell this house. And the guy was so nice, I was actually the second listing agent, okay, the house had flooded, and the flood insurance was pretty astronomical, right? Okay, they were moving to Texas. So he calls me in January, and the house is pristine. It is so clean. And, you know, we judged a few things, but the condition was excellent. So he tells me, I would really like to get it sold by August. Okay, I’m thinking, okay, yeah, we got plenty of time so that my daughter can start her new school in August, in Texas, ideally like June, July, so we can move over this. Summer, right? But definitely by the time school starts. Okay, long story short, we list the house in March, and we’re just, we can’t get anybody that’s like qualified, and we’re doing different things and all of that. And I realized, you know, it’s August 15, he told and we’ve been in communication, but he hasn’t mentioned withdrawing, or, like, what timeline and but I’m wondering, we have slashed the price more than I would have ever dreamed we would have to. And the problem is, it wasn’t doing anything. Yeah, so I call, I said, you know, let’s get together. We need to talk. And so, because my concern was it’s we can’t do anything to better the condition. Yeah, we even shopped for different insurance quotes along the way, and it didn’t matter. So I said, I remember you telling me that she needed to start her new school? Am I correct in assuming she has started the new school year at her old school here in Baton Rouge? And he was like, Yes, we just had to re enroll her. Yeah. I said, so is it safe to say that the time frame for that has passed us? And he’s like, yeah, it has. I said, Well, my fear is that we’re gonna just keep reducing until you have nothing left. Yeah. What’s the point the market at this moment is not accepting this house, right? I’m also the second listing agent, so it has a very high day on market, because it was not off the MLS for at least 90 days before I listed it. So I was like, How would you feel about taking a break, taking it off the market, maybe we even list it in the spring of 2025 Yeah. And he was like, actually, that’s what I would really love to do. I said, Well, great. Why didn’t you know you could have did? Did you want to talk about that? He said, Well, my last agent that I had wouldn’t let him out, wouldn’t let me out of my listing, and got pretty upset when I wanted to withdraw, and I you’ve just like, done so much, and I didn’t want to do that to you like Thank you, sir. That’s the sweetest thing. But I am here for your best interest. I served you. I serve you. Yeah? And it made me realize that if I had not called that meeting, he would have just kind of suffered. The house would still be on the market, and we’re like, almost to October.

Katy 12:34
Yeah, he would be doing showings he didn’t want to do for

Alissa 12:38
offers he wasn’t going to take for offers that were not going to be good, yeah, right, and so that required listening, yeah, remembering that like because we didn’t talk about in March, what happens if it doesn’t sell by August? No, you didn’t think that was gonna happen. I never thought that was gonna happen. So we never had that conversation, right? But I think we gave it a good effort enough for me to feel comfortable knowing that this is just not

Katy 13:04
but let’s just take it all back. The high touch here is that you remembered his situation, and you reached out to him and was like, Hey, how are you feeling? Are you ready to take a break? And he was like, oh my goodness, thank you. So if he does go to list it again, is he gonna call a different agent? Probably not. He’s gonna call you back,

Alissa 13:21
right? And he said that he’s because he was even like, look, I really appreciate this. Yeah, thank you for not making this awkward. He was like, I will send anybody I know to you. Perfect. He felt so bad for me. And I’m like, Dude, I, I You’re so nice. I hate that we can’t sell this house for you. You know, like, I wish I could just win the lottery and buy all the houses like this for the nice people that deserve it. That would

Katy 13:45
be so nice. And our listeners can go back to just an episode or two ago and hear what our thoughts are on how we’re going to fix this problem later. Yeah, because we talk about this one, and when listings sit we do Okay, let’s move on to other high touch, you know, ideas I want you to talk about, instead of making your seller fill out like their homeowner info sheet or their PDD or something like this, what? What do you mean when you want them to you’re going to do it for them. Well,

Alissa 14:14
we can’t do it for them. We can’t fill out the property disclosure for them. But if you have the time and you are just looking so every time you are with your client, you are marketing yourself, yeah, you are sitting in front of a human being that has hired you. Is that not the ultimate goal of real estate? Yeah. So now that we’re at the kitchen table, right, and going over everything and have decided to list, you can say I have brought along this property disclosure. It’s a bit tedious. There may be things on here that you’re not sure about. Do you want to fill it out together? You can start filling it out now. We can read through the questions. This also ensures that nothing is missed, right? So. Any checkbox. Our checkboxes are often left unchecked, or an initial is missing, or they don’t know what answer, so they leave it blank. Yeah, it’s like we know how to tell them where to check their flood zone. We know how to tell them where to check their lot dimensions. Yeah. Would it take 30 to 45 minutes to get through an entire property disclosure, as well as a homeowner information sheet with all the utilities. Yes, but if you have the time, and this is the type of seller too, that may really appreciate the extra hand holding, yeah, you will win them over so much by taking the time to sit there and go through all of that with

Katy 15:38
them. I also noted you can do that on the phone. Yeah, hey, I’ve sent you the E Sign Document for your property disclosure, or for your purchase agreement, or for whatever I’m happy to jump on a call and walk you through as you’re e signing, yeah. Like you don’t have to feel like you’re all alone. See, we’ve lost that person to person contact when we e sign. Yeah? Like, in the beginning of my career, we stood at the kitchen counter in the house we wanted to buy, and we wrote a purchase agreement with a pen. With a pen, I brought it in my little paper folder, and I wrote it with a pen. But I can’t tell you how much we lost when we lost that behavior, because as I go through it. I know where people get tripped up, or what they need to be pointed out, or what maybe I mean, hey, this is where we’re filling in something we chose. It just loses a little bit of that in translation. So it’s really nice to offer them the hey, let’s jump on a call or a zoom or whatever. If we’re ready to sign this stuff. It’s a lot. It’s, you know, eight, 910, pages, whatever it is, I can walk you through it, and

Alissa 16:43
when you get these disclosures back, let me tell you, it’s even happened to me if you don’t really review them, yeah, especially if you’re using electronic so I did not catch that the system had glitched like the autofill, and no matter what You chose on Is there a tax lien? It always automatically selected Yes. That’s unfortunate, so, but it didn’t do that until you clicked save at the end. So we were realizing that all these pdds had checked yes for your office. It was like in the yes, yeah, the way that it was auto formatted, and it’s such a it’s such a part of the property disclosure that is usually a non issue, right? You don’t even, right? I’m looking for them. I’m skimming Yes. I’m skimming the high points, yeah. So ever since that happened, I have been very diligent about doing this, and even if they don’t have the best handwriting, retyping it for them and putting exactly what they wrote and then sending it to them for signatures. Yeah, that’s a good idea, and that’s another option too. Like I just had one where they they filled it out themselves. Handwriting not good, and there was a few scratch out and scribbles. So I called them and I said, Hey, I retyped your property disclosure. Just to keep it tidy, I noticed that you did not mention what type of gas is run to the home. Okay, great, check that off. Okay, here’s a few other questions. Okay, now it’s coming to you for electronic signature. And then he signed it, and he was like, thank you so much. It looks so much better, right? And I would not have wanted to upload something all scratched and hard to read for other agents. Presentation is important. Yeah, you are selling a product. It looks like they are messy. They it just feels like the house is messy. Not only should these be called high touches, because you are spending more time and communication with your clients. But it’s also like micro touches, right? Because this is when you pay attention to these little details, like the condition of the property disclosure, is it legible? Is it filled out correctly? It just presents the whole thing as easier, easy to work with. We want to sell our house, right?

Katy 19:02
I like that. Let’s talk a little bit about pairing your clients with the right lender that is knowledgeable about their particular situation. I would consider this to be a high touch when I am pairing up my clients with a lender or a title office or anyone on my vendor list. Hey, here is a vendor list. To me, very high touch, also free so, but I think that when you get in your clients and that initial consult, when you’re asking them their goals and what they’re trying to do and what they’re trying to accomplish, hearing things like, oh, you’re a VA buyer. Well, I know the right lender that you need to call that to me, is making the whole process going to be smoother and easier for them. Another one that I think you had mentioned in our notes was when the buyer’s having trouble getting their documents to a lender. What do you do? It said the listener mentioned they were. Sending the right bank statements. Okay?

Alissa 20:02
So we got a message from a listener that said, my buyer is really struggling to get all these documents to the lender. A few notes on that. First of all, we need to make sure that we are explaining to our buyers that it’s not always necessarily the lender that’s the issue. They are just following government regulations, right? So I tell my clients, when we go under contract, like, look, the first 10 days are a lot. We have inspections. The lender’s gonna be emailing you like crazy. They’re gonna need all these documents. Then it goes to underwriting and they need more documents, same one again, or the same one. Again, it’s not because they were negligent. It was because this is just how it happens. So preparing them, yeah, that it’s gonna get a little dicey here, but then we have this little pause and thing like letting them know what to expect. Secondly, I had the same when we got this listener’s email. It was so funny, because I also had a client that was not sending the appropriate bank statement, like this isn’t what they want, right? And I thought to myself, This isn’t that hard. Why can’t my client figure out this bank statement? And it turns out that when you do it in the app versus doing it on a desktop. What the bank gave you was different, a totally different format. So he sent her several different things, and it kept getting rejected, very similar to the message we got. So he was like, I’m done. Like, I don’t like lender, and I’m thinking, I need you to stay with this lender. Like, we’re not sure, no, and I don’t want you going on, and everyone’s gonna want your bank statement. Yeah, we gotta figure this out. So if they’re struggling, offer to walk them through. Send it to me first, you know, let me look at it, and I will make sure it has the account number and appropriate date that the lender was requesting, right? Like, sort of just help be the buffer, buffer between the client and the lender when they need it. Sometimes it’s an easy peasy loan, and it’s not that complicated. But it seems lately it’s just getting more complicated as more regulations are added, more rules, appraisals, all sorts of things, yeah, so offer to to be that person that steps in. I also tell my clients, before they go get pre approved, I have, like, the list that my like the certain lenders, like, yeah, if they have these documents up front the pre approval letter, solid. Okay, so hey, when you go meet the lender, just bring your last paycheck. Do you have a w2 from last year? Like it may not be the complete set, but I know paycheck and w2 is Yeah, so important, right? So anyway, just sort of so many agents are afraid to give guidance and direction in the lending department, but the clients appreciate it so much

Katy 23:05
they do. They’re lost, and it’s a lot coming at them, all at once. And before covid,

Alissa 23:13
and before covid, I was working with a lot of younger people too. I went to so many pre approval appointments. I went to one this year too. That was just like I went to a few this year, both of which I went because I knew I needed to. Yeah, they were very new to this. And when I left the pre approval appointment with my client, I was thinking, I am so glad I was there, because I really understand, I do this all the time, and they don’t. So I really understand what she meant by what you’re pre approved for versus what you’re comfortable with, yeah, and if you find a house that looks like this, we may need to switch to this type of loan, yeah, even though you would ideally like to do FHA, right? So there’s just so much to be involved in that’s important for us,

Katy 24:00
and you’re just like you said, the buffer you’re facilitating all of this is like, how do you level up your professionalism to actually assist your client? Yes, so it sounds like these are obvious, but I think some of our listeners would be surprised how many agents do not do these things. I

Alissa 24:20
have a listing right now. Everything was going smoothly, and it popped up on my calendar that we closed next week, and I’m going, has the appraiser gone? Oh no. Like, we finished inspections like, you know, yeah, a good bit ago, and the agent was very great and responsive, and so I just sort of because the inspections went so smoothly and the negotiations, I sort of was just letting that agent do his thing. So I email the the lender, and I’m like, Hey, I just wanted to check. I don’t think I got a notification that the appraiser went and she’s like, Oh, this client. Client, like, dropped me. This client is I’m not doing the loan anymore. And I was like, so I call the buyer’s agent. He doesn’t answer. I text him. I’m like, Hey, so and so says they’re not the lender. What’s going on? We close next week. He’s like, Oh, sorry. Meant to tell you, we did switch over to this lender because the rate was better. Thankfully, new lender, I did not know, but knew the company. They’re with their local so I’m like, okay, so I email new lender and copy buyer’s agent. Same thing. Hey guys, just checking in. We’re supposed to close that week. Next week. Can you let me know? Did the appraisal go and forget to schedule like the house is vacant. Linda responds, hey, we’re still trying to figure out if I can swing it to let them go. FHA, because they did not realize that their down payment was separate from their closing cost, and they don’t have the funds. I’m like, if I my my response back was, if I hadn’t checked in today, when was someone gonna tell when was I gonna know we had a problem? And the buyer’s agent called me and was like, Hey, I had no idea that this was happening. And I’m thinking again, how right? How did you not know, right? And so I said, I’m about to send you an email written in such a way that you forward to your buyer. What did you say? I basically said, if we don’t have an update by the end of the day today that the appraisal is ordered, we are not granting an extension, yeah, because you’re not acting in good faithful on you, right? I said, but another day cannot pass without progress. Yeah, the appraisal must be ordered by five o’clock today. Or you can send me a cancelation, or we close on time like it has to be ordered. Okay, so I’m waiting to hear back. That was this morning. Oh, today. But it made me realize, if you didn’t check in, if you didn’t check if I was too busy making flyers, or if I was too busy doing all these things, going to all these you have to serve your current clients. We before you attend the fun real estate social, yeah, before you attend the optional mastermind group, right? You must serve your clients before you can do anything else like this has to come first.

Katy 27:37
Oh, this plays right into my next idea or point valuable, consistent, weekly seller check ins. Yes, you have to be checking on your buyers process. You need to be checking on your sellers, especially if their house is just sitting on the market. Yeah, you better come to them with some information that is helpful. Look, if they’re having a ton of showings and no offers. Maybe you send them, like a little restaurant gift card or a little note or something that’s like, Hey, I know it’s so tough to get out of your house over and over again for showings, but we’re having activity. This is good news, something, something, but you definitely need to check in and tell them what’s going on, or they’re going to be like, what happened to them? They put a sign in the yard and they just disappeared. Yeah,

Alissa 28:24
in my busiest times. And, of course, this depends on the client, right? But you know, when we get feedback from the agent, it gets emailed to us, and then we can publish it. So it automatically goes to the seller. During my busiest times, I just like, submit it to the seller. And I know I they know it comes to both of us. Sometimes we talk about it, sometimes we don’t, yeah, but I think that especially if it’s a listing, that you’re having trouble thinking of things to say to the seller, it’s a good time to just text or call and say, Hey, I saw the feedback, right? Wanted to get your thoughts check on you.

Katy 29:02
How are you feeling? How

Alissa 29:03
are you feeling? Okay and let them talk. I love it. Instead of just being like, well, they got the feedback. Like, use these opportunities as prompts to reach out to your person and talk to them directly and provide

Katy 29:16
service. Provide service. I think it’s so important to see yourself as a service provider and not a salesman. Yes, like this is a is a crucial distinction if you’re going to give a high touch experience, yeah,

Alissa 29:28
if you’re one of those people that is worried about being a bother, then you have the mindset of a Salesman. Yeah, if you are not afraid to reach out and have relationship with your clients, you understand that you’re providing a service, and it’s not only it’s not only desired, but expected, it’s required. I expect to hear from you, yeah, when your sign is in my yard, yeah,

Katy 29:55
what are you doing over there? Okay, well, that leads right to the next one. Tell. Them what you are doing, yeah. Okay, so are you doing an open house? Don’t you don’t just say, Mr. Seller, I’ll be there on Sunday from two to 4k bye. You’re gonna tell them what you did leading up to, like, all of the steps, and not one of those stupid 180 point list of all the things you’re doing. I mean, things the seller might actually care about. Yeah. So we had on there letting them know that you emailed other agents about the open house that you shared it at your sales meeting, that you maybe you reached out to the other agents that have a property listed nearby, and they are gonna have one too. Whatever it could

Alissa 30:34
be, something as simple as, Hey, Mr. And Mrs. Seller, I was in the office this morning, and someone just listed a house in your neighborhood. I was talking to them about your listing, and this is what we talked about. Just wanted to let you know how that conversation went and how it’s going for them. They heard from you. But I think we get on autopilot so much that maybe you did and now maybe at the end of your sales meeting, you announced the house. Did you even tell your seller you did that it may it may seem small, but or when we get a random internet lead for one of our listings, even a sign call. A sign call. How would the seller know you handled three sign calls this week, right? Even if they didn’t pan out, you need to let them know that people are calling you and you were talking to them about their property? Yes, because I think this is where people could opt to go for sale by owner, yeah, because then they know how many calls they’re getting, how many website inquiries they’re getting, right? It’s almost like the second you hang up with a sign call, even if the call really went nowhere, yeah, hey, just wanted to let you know I received a phone call from the sign it is out of the budget they were looking for, but I gave them all the information on the house. It’s just unfortunately out of their price range.

Katy 31:51
I’ll keep you posted. And it’s just another time that you’re talking to your seller. The

Alissa 31:56
more you can’t you cannot, no, you cannot over talk to a cell or just

Katy 32:01
be like, okay, great, thanks. I hear because that’s like you opening the door and saying,

Alissa 32:06
I’m here. Yes,

Katy 32:07
I didn’t leave. I didn’t hang you out to dry. Yep, I’m here. I’m here. Okay, let’s talk a little bit about a handwritten note. Yeah, it doesn’t cost much, although postage apparently goes up every time you go to the post office. I think it’s in the 60s. Now, 60 cents, but whatevs, it’s worth it for the card and the postage. When do you send a handwritten note? When do these come up in your business?

Alissa 32:29
Definitely, after I leave a listing appointment, always, always, whether or not it was an interview or a slam dunk. I know I got it because I’ve known them forever, whether or not it’s my cousin. Yeah, they’re getting a handwritten note. Agree after that’s my non negotiable one for sure. Yeah, it’s almost like you could just keep them in your glove box. Yeah? Here you go. Right? Yeah,

Katy 32:52
I know that you send some to the people who come with your buyers to their inspection. Those are like your post closing. Thank yous, but I think those still count as a high touch, absolutely. Who would think, as the mom of someone who just bought a house? Wait, the realtor sent me a note. Yeah, I feel like so seen and validated and special, right? Because they wanted to be a part of that process, and you’re like, hey, thanks for coming, yeah, thanks for being a part of that process. There are so many different times you can send a handwritten note. I think it’s great to send one to another agent if something’s going on to your seller, if you’re going through something to your buyers as you’re looking Hey, I haven’t forgotten about you. I know the inventory is tight for what you want. You know they

Alissa 33:36
make a lot of really cute papyrus like, cards that have a house on them. Like, they make a lot of really cute house stationery, yeah. And I like that idea just being like, Hey, I saw this card. It made me think of you. I know we haven’t found your house yet, yeah, but I wanted to pop in and let you know we will find it, right?

Katy 33:59
And that’s like, oh my gosh, they’re still there. It’s not just crickets because there’s no houses available. It’s like, hey, they’re

Alissa 34:06
thinking about me. And I think this would be a good time to switch over to buyer communication. We have talked a lot about high touch ideas with your seller, especially the house isn’t selling. So I do, as we’ve talked about before, I do not like to have listings automatically sent to my buyers immediately. Right in the beginning, I get their search as fine tuned as I can, and then I send it to me with their name in the subject line, and that is my prompt to check in with those buyers. Yeah, so I’ll check in with those buyers and say, Hey, this house just came through. What do you think about this neighborhood? I wasn’t sure what you thought about this type of garage. Or you could say, hey, this house came through. I don’t think it’s what you’re looking for. But. Going to continue tweaking the criteria I have set up. Don’t forget to send me anything that catches your eye as well. Once we get to a point where I am confident that the search I have set up is not just sending a bunch of junk, yeah, I copy them on it as well. So it does become automatic. Okay? I think long does that typically take? I can usually tell within a week or two. Oh, but if it’s emailing me seven times a day, I don’t want to be emailed seven times a day, especially when it’s a bunch of jumps. You’re like, this isn’t right, right? So then I have to go in and sort of figure out, like, is. Like, sometimes I have this one client in particular, I know if the house is below $150 a square foot, it’s gonna need a lot of work, okay, for the parameters they’re looking for. Got it so it kept sending me things that on paper were the right size and location, but just not right. So I made it to where it didn’t send me any houses below $150 a square foot, and see, yeah, because the majority every time they sent me a house, it was like, 180 a square foot, 190 200 that’s what they okay. So even 170 could have been too low. 150 was way low. 50 was like, I don’t even want to see this fast. So once I filtered that, yeah, it really only sent me, like, two or three houses a week, and that were turned it on to them. Yes, okay, makes sense. And then I it shows that all three of us are getting this email, yeah, so they know you’re and sometimes I’ll just respond to that email that’s like, hey, what do y’all think of this one or or not? Like, if it’s they know that it’s coming to all three of us. But what I I have heard too many times from buyers that fired their buyer’s agent because they were just set up some kind of automatic thing, and then I guess the realtors just waiting for us to be like, Okay, well, can we go see this one? Yeah, like, what if we say this? Or if you’re having trouble finding what they’re looking for, and you have the time search through expired

Katy 37:13
Yeah, that was on here, yeah, and send out a letter. Or do, like,

Alissa 37:16
send out letters to the subdivision they are, like, kind of zoned in on So, yeah, you’re right. If you have some time, there’s a definite extra service to be provided. There a lot of extra service. And see, this is these, when we get into talking about this type of stuff, this is just proactive, a little bit time consuming. These are the things that I wish I was like, had weekly time for Yeah, and maybe, you know, I don’t know, like, I was excited to do this episode because it’s kind of motivating me, right, to be like, What does not need to be happening so that I can do these really important things,

Katy 37:56
right? What do you can you? What can you eliminate? Yeah,

Alissa 37:59
I had a client emailed me recently a house that is not on the market, and she was like, Okay, I don’t know if this was weird, but could you just write them a letter? I have always loved this house, and you know, so what I did is I actually handwrote them a letter. I printed my client’s email and put it in the envelope. I said, I haven’t I said, you know, this is a real letter. I’m not a We Buy Houses. Person. They specifically asked me to send it to your address. So I said, I even attached her email, and I just sort of like cut it out so it didn’t have all of our stuff on it. I said, if you decide that you ever want to move, you know, did they respond? Yes. What did they say? So he emailed me back, so I put my business card in there. Okay, so he had my email. This seller emailed me back and was like, that was so flattering. Thank you so much for the kind letter. Unfortunately for your buyer, I’m not going anywhere. Yeah, but he was like, I would love to show you what I’ve done with the place. He sent me before and after pictures of you. We’re like friends now, of course you are me, of course you are me, and this owner of this property who is but these are the type of things where I go. You never know what’s gonna come from

Katy 39:15
them. No. Well, he might be like, hey, there the next door neighbor might want to sell their house. Yeah. What if, in like, 25 years, he’s like, Hey, remember that time you sent me that letter? Yeah, I’m

Alissa 39:25
going to a nursing home now, but, but I’m ready to sell my house. What, uh,

Katy 39:30
what I find funniest about the story is that you’re, like, actively selling real estate in 25 years. Maybe, I mean, you could be, you could be, Oh, my God, I’m cracking up. All right, so I love that, and I wanted to just say that giving that luxury experience is more about thoughtfulness, yes. So you have to be thoughtful about your clients. You have to listen, be a good listener. What are they talking about? What are their like? What’s going on with their family, their kids, their life like? It’s not about you. It’s never a. Out you. It’s always about them, but it’s like, how can you listen better? How can you show up with some thoughtfulness? I know you have sent out someone to mow the grass or to do this or that, or whatever, like it really, you have to pay attention. Yeah, and I

Alissa 40:15
would like to say too that the reason I can send my house cleaner to surprise a seller. The reason I can send the long guy to surprise a seller or buyer moving in, I can do these things because I am not spending any money on, really anything else. You don’t

Katy 40:34
have a billboard to pay for, you know, park bench. You don’t have I’m not big sailors.

Alissa 40:38
I’m not doing like, the only things I sponsor is like, our office, secretaries, kids, ballet program, right, right? Like when, and I have several clients too. Every year I sponsor the Cubs football program. It’s like $150 and it means so much to them. So it’s like, keep yourself available, yeah, to give back to your clients and your sphere when they need something, talk

Katy 41:05
about sending meals. Who do you send meals? To give me an example, so I

Alissa 41:10
always like the waiter app, because you just enter their address and their name. Sometimes I’ll send a meal. Well, I like to just when I’m scrolling Facebook, if someone’s like, ah, all the kids are sick. Pray for us, you know, right, right? Like, surprise, here’s a meal. You know, do you ask them before you send it? I do because I definitely want to make sure they’re home. Yeah, so I’ll just, but I don’t ask. Like,

Katy 41:35
I’m sending, hey,

Alissa 41:36
I’m sending y’all Mexican tonight. Just a smorgasbord of stuff. Are y’all gonna be home? It’ll be there at five o’clock. Yeah, I won’t have ordered it yet, yeah? But when they say, oh my gosh, yes, then I see and then it’s just like, get quesadillas and fajitas, yeah? And let everybody raise it up. Always throw in a dessert, something sweet. Oh, that’s cute. Yeah, always a dessert. Always a dessert, always a dessert. But really, just, you know, anybody that you think could benefit from that, you know what I’ve been doing, what? Even more, especially lately, people are having babies all over the place. Your clients, yeah, my well or not clients yet. So when I was in the hospital with Haven after she was born, um, somebody sent me a cookie bouquet, okay? And it was like, It’s a girl. It had, haven’t named one of the cookies. I ate all the cookies, you did. They were good, yeah, okay, love. They were so good. And I was in the hospital, like, give me a cookie. I’m like, starving, and I’m like, nursing this child. I’m exhausted. Like, I just want cookies. You know, sounds good. I will never forget those cookies. So when I see somebody had a baby, you send the cookies. I send them cookies, the same ones, the same, yes, cookies, by design has my your order ready? My order ready? They know. Like, if it’s a boy, if it’s a girl, we always put the baby’s name on a cookie. But also like, okay, so I became friends with one of the moms of a kid in Tate’s class, okay? I met her. She’s so sweet. The last time I saw her, she was like, about to pop. Okay. I’m like, You are due any moment now, and Tate and Ellie have become like, such sweet little friends. Okay, so the baby was born. She has a brother now. And I’m like, they need cookies. Okay, so the cookie bouquet people put, you know, baby brother, whatever his name is, and then big sister, Ellie, oh cute, gets a pink cookie stuck in the blue bouquet. That’s so cute. And, um, then it just gets delivered. Oh my gosh. And I usually send it, like, the week after they’re home, like I wait into their house, into their house because logistical question. I’m like, Are

Katy 43:42
you getting their hospital room? Like,

Alissa 43:44
what’s happening there? You’re not that tight with these people, no. And it’s like, what if they got released early, or what if they don’t? You’re sitting to their house. I’m waiting about a week. I screenshot their Facebook announcement, uh huh, and I email it to myself, Okay? And then I schedule when it needs to be delivered. So

Katy 44:05
it’s just

Alissa 44:07
so easy. You

Katy 44:08
are just the most efficient action taker. Well, you

Alissa 44:12
have to do it then, right? You can’t wait if you don’t do it. Then, if something sounds like a good idea, just do it. I just email it to myself or do it. Yeah, immediately got it because one, I’m going to have to get it out of my inbox. I’m not going to delete it without doing it. No. So it’s like this needs to happen or or not. Okay, and you have to add quickly.

Katy 44:35
Are there any other high touches before we move into the actual GIFs? Topic?

Alissa 44:41
I’m sure there’s so many. There’s a

Katy 44:43
bajillion. I think it’s again, like everything else, high touch is about mindset, yeah, how can you provide service? How can you listen and be thoughtful? How can you make the experience better for the people who are working with you?

Alissa 44:56
Like, hey, I’m working at a coffee shop. Before I come to the home and. Action. Do you want me to bring you a coffee? Yeah? Like, how Chelsea Peterson puts homeowner on the coffee, has them write that instead of the name you told

Katy 45:09
the story about the tickets, right? Tickets, like the football tickets, like, I have extra two tickets. And you’re like, you know, text the first person, like, oh, sorry, we can’t go. And then he texts the person, oh, that’s so nice, but we can’t go. And the third, how many times did you give the tickets? Right? You

Alissa 45:24
gave the tickets away five times, right? Even though only one person accepted them. That’s a big deal, yeah. And these things don’t always cost money, like, cookies are fairly inexpensive, right? Um, like, though it’s more just about checking on people. Yeah,

Katy 45:42
I agree. Okay, let’s do closing gifts. What is your stance on a closing gift? What is your philosophy? Do you have one? I

Alissa 45:50
have a love, hate relationship with them. Okay? I do them majority of the time. Agree.

Katy 45:56
My philosophy is that good service is your gift to the client. First of all, yes, you do not have to show up with a giant $300 basket of all their favorite things or every hand towel for the whole house right at closing. I just do not feel like that is a requirement of the service that you are providing. Does that mean I do not give a gift? No, but I keep it kind of minimal for my buyers. For a long time, I have done the return address stamp. It is the personalized one, so that they get a code inside of the state. It’s there. It’s the actual stamp. They get the code. They go the website, they pick out what they want their return address to look like. It comes in the mail to them. They pop it into the stamp. There you go. Perfect. Okay, lovely. That works great for buyers who are going to live in their home. Do you want to share where that link is? Because,

Alissa 46:43
you know, we’re about to get a lot. I’m going

Katy 46:45
to tell you I used to get it at I’ll put the link in the show notes. I used to get it at Amazon. 20 bucks, easy peasy. It is never on Amazon anymore. Okay, okay. So very kindly. Erin O’Brien, one of our listeners, turned me on to Mason Rowe for my YouTube people, I’m

Alissa 47:01
showing you what the actual box looks like. We are not affiliated and do not get any I don’t

Katy 47:07
know anything about Mason row, other than they send a nice gift pack. It’s the same vibes. It’s got the stamp in there. It’s got a code in there. You go online, you get it how you want it. They send you the new like, little die, nice, whatever plate. There’s an extra ink. This one was, I think, 30 bucks. Okay, I’ll put a link to Mason row. I Sorry. The other place I used to get them was remarks, yeah, they just don’t carry them all the time, or anymore, I don’t know. All right. So that’s the deal with the stamp. Would I give the stamp to the seller? Maybe only if they were buying a house that was new to them, that they were gonna live in, right? Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. They’ve already moved somewhere. They’ve been there a while. I don’t need to give everyone a stamp. It just doesn’t and more often than not, I would give the buyer a gift more than the seller a gift. Yeah, I’m like the seller. Now it’s sort of a different mindset, remember? And back then it was like the seller hired me. They agreed to pay me. The buyer more, kind of like, just had me and the seller paid

Alissa 48:07
me. Right now

Katy 48:08
they’re everyone else. Yeah, everyone’s paying, paying everyone. Maybe it’s a different thought, other ideas on buyers. I’ve done, I know I’ve seen you do, like a watercolor of the house, yeah? Or, you know, that’s probably more also on the seller side. If they’re more emotional about it, I

Alissa 48:27
I enjoy more too. Like, depending on how big the house is, how dirty the house is, saying at the closing table, I’ll be like, hey, my cleaners actually there right now, cleaning, yeah? Like, I’ll ask the buyers, the listing agent, hey, do you mind if my cleaning lady starts at 9am yeah? Like, that’s super impactful. Yeah. They’re like, what I was gonna clean all weekend? Like, and you’ve had painters go paint a room. I did that was a special that was so sweet. Yeah, that. But that was very specific, because she was like, the nursery is being painted this color, it’s happening. And her husband’s like, oh, I don’t want to paint, you know? And she’s like, it’s happening. Get over, yeah, you’re

Katy 49:05
gonna have to do it. I like that one for a buyer. I if you have an investor buyer, I’ve bought professional photos for them to use, like in the rental going forward for I had a buyer that was gonna paint, but I just bought them like a paintbrush and a gift card to Sherwin Williams, yeah. I mean, like, and again, I think $50 is more than enough the IRS, actually, I don’t know what the rule is now, but for a long time, it was they only let you write off 25 bucks, yeah. And then that’s how Realtors started putting their freaking logo on everything that was a closing gift, because that’s a promotional item and you can write it off. Okay, well, I’m sorry, y’all, I’ll take the hit on whatever extra money I spend over the write off amount. I’m not giving every one of my clients personalized everything. No, I just don’t like the way that feels to me. Yeah, I want them to have something they like and will use, but it doesn’t matter to me if they see. Katie Caldwell, realtor, all the time, right, right? So you do you I have also seen like the Christmas ornaments that are more like standard, like new home in the year. So you can get them for every buyer that you had that year. You can drop them off more like a pop by at Christmas. That’d be cute. That’s super cute. So that’s a nice thing to do. And then, if your buyer is purchasing a home with something that they are super excited about, like, I had a buyer that was buying a house the basketball court in the backyard. They had kids, so I bought them a couple of basketballs. That’s perfect. They were there in the house whenever they after they closed, she said her husband immediately went in the backyard and started playing because the ball was there. If they’re getting a pool, they never had a pool before. What about a pool float like, these things are not expensive, but they are more thoughtful. How

Alissa 50:53
cute would that be to walk into closing with, like, pool noodles? So cute. That’s fun. Yeah, so, and especially

Katy 50:59
if there’s kids involved, like, what’s going to be fun for them when the like, what are they excited about with the house? So I think that just being mindful of all of that, if you’ve got an investor buying, like I said, I did the photos, but are they making changes? Do they need a Lowe’s gift card, a Home Depot? I think gift cards are just not as personal, yeah, but it’ll work in a pinch if you need it again. No buyer or seller has ever given me a bad review because I didn’t give them a fancy gift. And we have had listeners write and say, Well, I’m wanting to really up my closing gift, but then I’m worried about my old clients seeing what I’m doing now. And like, what is the how do I handle this? Yeah, and I’m like, I just, first of all, we believe that everyone sees what we do, they don’t. But if you’re changing something, you can always say to someone, as if anyone would ever say anything but my gift if they did, just like, hey, I know it’s so great. I’m implementing something new in my business. I can’t wait to work with you again so you can get that as well. Yeah, I mean, like, it just doesn’t have to be that

Alissa 51:58
big of a deal. I had one one time that was super excited to have a flag pole. Oh, really. So I got them a big American flag. So cute. Closing, you know,

Katy 52:09
commerce gives an American flag to the first time buyers. Yeah, I guess, like, you know the American dream, yeah, it’s so cute. Okay, those are all good for buyers. Let’s talk about sellers a little bit. Okay. Are you still doing the photo book?

Alissa 52:21
Yes, so I take their professional pictures, and I put them in a nice book so that they can remember. I actually had one recently where I was the second agent, and the first agent had the photos from when it was furnished, when it was furnished. Okay? My photos were of the house vacant. Both looked good, so I just saved the MLS photos from the previous listing agent to my computer. They did have the little MLS thing on them I needed to Photoshop, but that’s okay. I kind of cropped a little bit fine. It wasn’t super noticeable, but I put them at the end. So I told her, be sure to get to the end. And then she was like, Look at Emily’s room. Okay, so remember her bed like that, like it was just, I did the same

Katy 53:16
thing with a client. I made the photo book. I used their listing photos. Their stuff was still in it, so it was great, because they could see what it could see what it looked like. But I went to their Facebook and stole some photos of them, like on the port, they had done a photo shoot of themselves when they professional photos, when they bought the house, not with me. They bought it with someone else. So I went and stole a couple of those photos, a picture of their dog in the house, like things that were very clearly in the house. Yeah, added a few of those into the book. That’s cute, so cute. Now you get your photo book at Shutterfly still. Yeah, I

Alissa 53:50
use Shutterfly. Okay, there’s a lot of good options. Yeah,

Katy 53:52
I have used Google Photos. Okay, it comes very nicely in a little sleeve. It was quick. It’s good quality. I have heard that the Canva printing is really good and affordable. Do they do books? Yeah, cool. You could do it straight on Canvas. So there’s a bunch of different places you can get a quick book. And I mean, what? 3040, bucks. It’s not that much. It’s

Alissa 54:12
like sometimes a really great idea just happens in the transaction. Yes, but you have to be looking and listening and listening like you have to be looking and listening for that opportunity of what’s important. Yeah, I have the best ideas the more time I spend with these people, because you know them better, right? I’m hearing them. I’m getting to know them. So the closing gifts, sometimes the closing gifts are personal, but I’m not gonna force it? No, I know that there’s some that are like, I want to think of the most perfect, special closing gift for every individual client. Yeah? And sometimes it’s like, they’re

Katy 54:50
ages spending days on a closing gift. Yeah, they’re going to all these different places, getting a basket and sourcing this and that, and look, I’m sure it’s love. And your clients are thankful. But is that what’s required of you? Like, are you feeling pressure to do that because you see other agents doing it? I just think that you can be thoughtful quicker, yeah, like, and more efficiently. You’re the most efficient, thoughtful person.

Alissa 55:16
I don’t know about. Like, here’s

Katy 55:18
the waiter, here’s the my grass guy, I can just I’m

Alissa 55:22
good at at executing. I

Katy 55:24
think that’s great. I

Alissa 55:24
don’t always have the best ideas, but when I get an idea, I can make it happen. I love that. One more example for a buyer, please. I was showing in this house that they were buying, there was this painting of like a bird or something in this certain spot, and she just kept being like, I just love this painting, and it’s, like, perfect for this spot. Like, I love this. So after inspections and everything, I emailed the agent and was like, hey, because I took a picture of it, can you ask your seller how much they would want for this painting to stay? My client loves it. I was thinking about, like, doing it as like a closing gift. And she was like, Oh, he said he paid, like, $35 for it. I was like, Would you mind asking if it can stay and I’ll just Venmo him at closing? And he was like, Sure. And they said, Sure. So when we went to our final walkthrough, wait, did you pay $35 I paid $35 to stop it. It wasn’t huge. It was like a little like, like eight by eight square, okay, in this little spot in the kitchen. This is precious. So we get to the final walk through. I’m so excited. The house is totally empty, and we’re walking through like, yeah, it looks fine. Look fine. Oh, the bird. The bird painting is here. I said, that is my closing gift to you. I reached out to the seller and bought it for you. They don’t

Katy 56:44
even know it’s $35 it didn’t matter because it was thoughtful.

Alissa 56:47
They don’t care if it was five or 100 they liked the

Katy 56:52
painting there. Yeah, that’s such a good example. So easy. I love that. Let’s do a couple more seller ones. I like the watercolor painting I’ve done this just a handful of times. If they’re really attached to their house, if it is kind of a cute like cur appeal, I’m not going to do it on just every single listing. Recently, I had a first time seller who had gotten married and was selling the house that she owned on her own, was so proud of loved it so much, you know, just thought she would have to, she was going to live there for a long time. I got the hand paint, and you turn me on to someone locally to hand paint the ornament. It was so pretty, so cute. It was so pretty. And so I think also the your closing gifts are an opportunity for you to reach out to local businesses and and support them as well. So the ornament was super cute. It had her home on it. It was great, very well received. You know, people like to give sometimes some champagne if you’re celebrating. As a seller, sure, fine. I think, like a restaurant gift card is if you just feel like you’re obligated to give a gift. I want to talk about having a system, though, especially with the return address stamps, I keep a handful in my closet, my office closet. I keep the wrapping I get, you know, like a brand color tissue, a bag that they fit in. I have it ready to go, so that if I’m running out on my closing and I’m like, oh, it’s there already, yeah, that’s already prepped and ready to go. It is sort of my go to. And when you think about lenders, have this a lot, because theirs is all promotional, usually, but they’ll have, like, all these things that are in the office. We just fill up the bag and we go to the closing, kind of the same principle, but have a process in place so that closing gifts aren’t taking you days or hours or whatever. Yeah,

Alissa 58:36
you’re a good prepper.

Katy 58:37
I try to prep. And the last thing I wanted to share. I’ll show it for our YouTube friends. This is my pre listing or listing gift. So that’s so cute. I don’t love a seller gift at closing, I feel like you provided the service they hired you for just I don’t know why. That’s how it feels to me. Logically, this little doodad is perfect for when they’re going to list. Okay, so I’m going to just walk people through what’s in it, if you’re not on YouTube. There is the home showing checklist. It is laminated, okay, perfect. Yeah. There is a dry erase marker so they can just check off on here every time they get ready for showing, wipe it clean, start again, so they don’t forget how to get ready for their showing. It sort of serves you and Serves them right. Help me. Help you. Help me. Help you. I have old English scratch cover in here because I have never met a cabinet or a piece of furniture, even if it’s one they’re keeping that can’t be helped with some old English scratch cover. There is the icky stick, y’all, if you don’t know, you can go on Amazon and just type scouring stick, I guess, or icky stick. It’s a handle. It’s a pumice stone. All those rings on your toilet, they will go away with this. Oh, okay, it’s quite interesting. I have house wine just because I wanted to get something cute. Stick in there. Magic erasers. All right, take out the house wine. Magic erasers, you know,

Alissa 59:55
you know, we sell houses. It’s

Katy 59:56
real cute. It says house, house wine. Yeah, you got it? Yes, magic eraser, because they’re gonna need that to prepare. But you can also throw in packing supplies. You know, I don’t know if necessarily boxes, but you can never have enough packing paper.

Alissa 1:00:11
This jar is cute. You could have a moving box. Yes, you could put it in the box and be like, and then you can use this box to hide your toothpaste every showing tape

Katy 1:00:20
and markers and packing paper and boxes. And specifically, I like that you said that. I say if I had this one in a vase, because I cut a leaf from my yard and I put it in the back of this vase so that they can actually use the vase in the show it for staging, right for staging. Now you could also get a nice basket if you don’t want to do the moving box. And it could be their go basket, like, Hey, this is where you throw all of your prescription meds and your small electronics and your jewelry when you’re running out the door, or your dog bowls or whatever, right?

Alissa 1:00:49
Just put it in a basket, throw it in the car, and when you come home, grab your basket. Yeah,

Katy 1:00:53
so there’s a lot of things you can throw in that would help them during the listing. Yes, here is a restaurant gift card for around the corner, for that late night showing that you weren’t expecting. And now you’ve got to get out and it’s dinner time. A

Alissa 1:01:04
good candle. I do put a candle or a wallflower with a scent, something that smells good, that’s good for the showing. Yep, I like that. Anything

Katy 1:01:13
you would need. I feel like it’s more useful. You’re basically giving them something you want them to use, yeah, to make the listing. So, right?

Alissa 1:01:23
That’s my last thing that was amazing. Oh

Katy 1:01:26
my gosh. I’m so glad that that was valuable. Also,

Alissa 1:01:30
a few other easy things. Is if you have, like, an email list, okay, and you have them on there by past clients or not emailing and saying, like, after a hurricane, or after a natural disaster, or after a storm, just being like, Hey, just wanted to check on everybody. How’s everybody doing? Do you need recommendations for anything? I’ve attached my I’ve attached my vendor list if you need help. Oh, that’s very good. Just easy little things, um, also email templates in and of themselves, or high tech,

Katy 1:01:59
oh my gosh, they’re giving them all the information that they need. Communication. Communication is high touch, yeah,

Alissa 1:02:06
this was still I just want to go be a really good age.

Katy 1:02:08
Want to go out there and, like, find another client and treat them so well and listen to them provide them excellent service. Yeah, that’s what it’s all about. That’s when I love real estate. I

Alissa 1:02:20
know I dislike it when I’m in the weeds and feeling like I’ve dropped the ball on checking in before they reach out to me. This is the fun part. This is the fun. This is the this is why if I could get rid of everything else in my professional life, yeah, and just do this at this point? Yeah,

Katy 1:02:43
I would be the happiest I could be. I think. What do they call, yeah, for sure. What do they call those at companies, like a customer relationship manager, yes, this is my only job. This is all I do, is make Cust is like, wow, yeah. Gary V is always talking about, like, surprise and delight. So look at it that way, what is the way you can surprise and delight your clients? What are they not expecting? Surprise and delight? Yeah. Do you have a minute? I’ll tell you a really good story. He tells Yeah. Okay, so, you know, GaryVee is known for being like, one of the early adopters of Twitter, and just it was when he had the wine. We worked at the wine his dad’s wine store. Okay? He would get on Twitter, and anyone that said anything about wine, he would comment. He became very well known with anyone who knew anything about social media because he was so active on Twitter. Okay, so he’s helping his dad grow the wine business. He tells the people working at this is, I guess, after a while, working in their, you know, Office admin of marketing, of this wine shop. Hey, I want you to go on Twitter and, you know, find the people that have bought wine through us, because they he basically starts up this online wine business. If they’ve bought wine from us, I don’t care how much it was, just go like the last people go to Twitter, find something they’ve said, and then I want you to, like, tell me, like, what you find. So they come back to them, the people from the from his actual office, they’re like, Hey, we found this guy. He bought a case of this, you know, cheap wine. He’s in, I don’t remember what city, but he keeps talking about hockey and this team and this, like, whatever player that he loves, that’s all he ever talks about on Twitter. So Gary’s like, Okay, go to eBay, order a signed jersey from that player and ship it to the guy, because they obviously have his address, because he bought this wine, yeah, it was, like, a three or $400 Jersey he had bought far less in wine they send it. Gary is, like, so excited, because he’s waiting basically, for this guy to go on Twitter and like, tag them and be like, Wine Library sent me a jersey. Like, so excited. A couple of weeks go by crickets, Gary’s like, Man, I really thought that was gonna play. Like, I thought he was gonna be so excited. Then. And all of a sudden he gets, like, this 911, e text from his marketing guy who, like, works in the bill, like, in their actual business. And he’s like, Hey, I need to talk to you right now. And he’s like, Okay, what’s up? And he’s like, Well, we just got an order from a guy in a totally different state. I believe the original guy was in Chicago. Okay, this guy was, like, in Texas or something. We got an order for like, 1000s of dollars of wine. The guy put in his comment section, Hey, my friend is Bill, and you sent him a jersey. I just wanted to let you know that I love what like whatever player. Oh my gosh, and he bought all this wine. It was his first time being a customer. He bought it because they had given the jersey to the guy that bought the cheap case of wine, who never posted, who didn’t actually post. They obviously preferred told everyone, yeah, so it’s just that’s surprise and delight. Like, you don’t have to do it to everyone, but like, Can you do something that is just so stand out that your clients would be like, I can’t not tell people about this. I also

Alissa 1:06:05
think that that mindset is what keeps me going. There’s so many agents that say, you know, I did all this, all this, and they didn’t even say, thank you. My brain always thinks like, I wonder how many years until this comes back exactly. I’m very confident in the seeds I’m planting, right, because they will grow 100% and it goes back to real estate is a long game. Such a long game, you never know when you’re gonna get a random phone call from someone that’s like, hey, eight years ago, I came with you on a showing because you were helping my daughter buy a house, and you wrote me a letter after, yeah, like, I need to sell my house, and I’m a millionaire.

Katy 1:06:50
Yeah, right, there is my luxury property.

Alissa 1:06:52
Like, it just that’s what I love about real estate, is that you

Katy 1:06:57
don’t know which connection will take you where, yeah, and which behavior that you did was be the most standout for that client.

Alissa 1:07:04
It keeps me going. It’s exciting, yeah, because you could do anything, yeah, and it could return, yeah, and it feels good to do it. And when you’re so focused looking for what returns, you totally forget about the things that don’t it

Katy 1:07:18
comes across, though, when it’s all contrived and it seems like we’re trying to get something out of it, like your intention. No matter what you do in life, your intention always shines through. Yeah,

Alissa 1:07:29
that’s Yeah. People know. They know what you’re giving from. They know and serving from. I

Katy 1:07:34
love it. This was just so delightful. Now, really, what a wonderful topic. Good one, okay, and I think Gary actually has a whole book that is, maybe it’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook that he talks about this. Okay, if anyone’s interested, he talks about it all the time. Okay, surprise and delight. Surprise. Go out there and surprise and delight someone. That’s great. Let’s listen to a toast.

Speaker 2 1:07:55
Okay, okay, bye. Hi. This is Candace Dunn with John L Scott from Beaverton, Oregon, and I am toasting Cindy Thackery and Rochelle Neumeier today of the Women’s Council of Realtors in Oregon. They have just been such a blessing to me in my life, and have been so wonderful and encouraging and supporting as I join the Women’s Council of Realtors, and I’m so excited for what’s going to come and the growth that will happen in 2024 Cheers.

Alissa 1:08:24
Thank you so much for tuning in to the hustle humbly podcast. If

Katy 1:08:28
you enjoyed this episode, please go to rate this podcast.com/hustle, humbly, and leave us a review or drop a comment if you’re listening on Spotify, if you

Alissa 1:08:36
have an episode topic or someone you’d like to toast on the show, please email us at team. At hustle humbly podcast.com

Katy 1:08:43
Find us on social media at hustle humbly podcast, don’t forget to find all of the free resources at hustle humbly podcast.com/resources,

Alissa 1:08:52
see you next week. You.