Gracie, St. Jude’s April Patient of the Month

Apr 12, 2016

April 2016

Gracie, 5 years old

Diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Gracie’s story:

When 5-year-old Gracie didn’t want her belly touched, her mom feared appendicitis. In fact, the diagnosis as worse: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer that is also the most common form of cancer in children.

Referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®, Gracie began a treatment plan of two and a half years of chemotherapy, at no cost to her family.

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. “Everything St. Jude is doing for us, and we won’t have to pay a bill? That’s amazing,” said Gracie’s mom. “Being able to focus on nothing but your child is a wonderful thing.”

Gracie adores her care team at St. Jude. From her Child Life Specialist to her doctor, she calls them by name and doles out hugs and love-notes.

Please help us help kids like Gracie and their families.

To Donate, please visit www.prospectsplus.com/StJude

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago.

St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

Staying Top of Mind Year Around

Apr 11, 2016

8 Tips for Using Seasonal Marketing

by Julie Escobar

While a lot of sales pros send out holiday greetings for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we’re finding that lots of top agents stay in touch with seasonal messages for the sphere of influence all year around.

Great idea as staying in touch and top of mind never goes out of season. Before you buy a card, stick a stamp of figure out where your mailing list is — consider these eight tips for sending seasonal marketing.

Be clear about your message. Even when you’re sending holiday postcards, you can use the reverse side to send a great message to your customer base. If you are sending to both your sphere and farm, you may want to consider altering the message slightly for each. Make it personal and heart-felt, with a note of thanks for allowing you the opportunity to serve them as customers — or in the case of your farm – the community.
Serve two purposes. Are you having a holiday open house? Customer event? Charity drive? Looking for a good time to stop by with a small gift? You can include that information on the cards as well.
Don’t be salesy. Holiday greetings are not about the sale – they are about the connection. Keep it warm and personable.
Don’t wait for just Christmas. Many top agents send a holiday message once a month to their sphere. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Back to School, and Halloween are all favorites. There’s something to celebrate all year round, and it’s a fun way to stay connected and stand out as someone who is “there” more than just in the month of December.
Have some fun with it. Got a great team? Or just a great personality? Take some fun pictures and opt for a photocard rather than a more traditional card and don’t be afraid to get a little creative with your photos. Create a fun message and send out each quarter.
Don’t leave anyone out! You know all those mailing lists you’ve been collecting throughout the year? For Just Listed postcards, or the stack of business cards that have been sitting on the corner of your desk collecting dust?
Order early. We suggest sending your holiday cards out at LEAST two weeks in advance of the holiday every month — and sending first class as opposed to standard-class to ensure timely delivery.
Follow up. Sending cards is a great way to easily stay in touch. Pick a postcard, edit your message, add a list – and you’re done! In a matter of minutes you’ve created a connection. However to really get the full impact of ANY mailing (holiday and otherwise) — be sure to follow up – at least with the top 25% of your list. There is no substitution for this step. Imagine if you made it a point each year, every year, to speak with every single person in your sphere at least twice a year? Touch base, see if they have questions, thank them for being great customers, and say hello. Here’s what happens when you do: they remember you. They don’t list with another agent because your name wasn’t on the radar. They are grateful that you take the time to call. And one out of 12? Statistically will do business with you or refer business to you.

Here’s to staying in touch with your sphere and farm!

If you’re new to ProspectsPLUS!, watch this quick video to learn how fast and easy it is to register for your free membership, and place a postcard order in ten minutes or less!

Need help? We’re here for you! Call our team at 866.405.3638 today. We’ll help get your holidays started and save you money at the same time! Have a great one!

One Powerful Way to Get More Referrals

Apr 4, 2016

Starts with a Little Appreciation

By Julie Escobar

People say a little appreciation goes a long way and they wouldn’t be wrong. We know from massive research where business really comes from, and it’s not from where most business people think. Statistics show that 66% of all the business generated by 95% of successful professionals today comes from only four sources:

Family
Friends
Close Acquaintances
Referrals generated by the first three groups

Statistics also show us that when you stay in consistent touch, top of mind, and deliver excellent service and show your appreciation, you can expect either a referral or a transaction from one in every twelve people in your sphere. So the questions to ask yourself is do you even know who is in your sphere, and how are you expertly staying in touch with them and delivering that top of mind service and appreciation?

If not, you’re leaving a lot of business on the table. One powerful way to tap into spring of referrals starts with two little words: thank you.

A long time ago I learned from Floyd Wickman that, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Show them you care.

Here are four easy strategies to help you do that:

Each month pull a list of every customer in your database who has an anniversary of either the sale or purchase of a home and send them a Customer Appreciation postcard with a personalized message on the back.
Each month choose 25-50 people from your sphere database and send them either a Thank You or a Thinking of You postcard from the Customer Appreciation series with a personalized message on the back.
Each month send a sphere-friendly postcard to the rest of your database to keep your name top of mind. Top customer picks would be the Listing Inventory Series, Content Cards, Holiday Cards, and Recipe Cards.
Pull an idea (or a few) from the fun connection suggestions on our Master Marketing Schedule each month. For example, this month, April 22nd, is National Jelly Bean Day. Get little packages of jelly beans to give to clients, the admin staff at your office, co-workers and friends. There’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in May for a chance to deliver some tasty treats to ten top clients. Or National Chocolate Day in July, where we suggest you grab ten of those little sampler boxes of chocolate and deliver to ten top clients with a note thanking them for being such a treat! Or Aviation Day in August where we suggest you order cardboard or paper airplanes from www.orientaltrading.com and pass them out to your farm area this day with a note attached saying, “Buying and selling real estate today takes an experienced pilot. I can help ensure you have a terrific landing! Call me today!” The schedule is filled with fun ideas that help you stand out from your competition. Try them!

Rising to the top of your game in your market means doing things differently than your competition. Where others show up once or twice – show up every month. Where others wait for the phone to ring – pick up the phone or see everyone in your sphere at least twice a year. Break the list into manageable numbers and call just to say hi, see if they have any questions, let them know you appreciate them and that you’re there when they need you. Where others sit on the sidelines, get in the mix every day. Be out and about in your community. Talk to your customers. Walk your farm areas. (The goal is to get the folks in your farm so connected with you that they become part of your sphere!)

Lastly, never, ever forget to say thank you, in big ways and small. To your customers, clients, colleagues, brokers, assistants, friends and family. It is a gesture that will never go out of style, and will garner you good will again and again. In a business built on relationships with people – good will goes a long way. On that note – a big THANK YOU to all of you who graciously allow us to be your marketing resource of choice!

Need help? Call our marketing team today at 866.405.3638 to put the best systems in place to build your business easily, and cost-effectively.

March St. Jude Patient of the Month

Mar 9, 2016

Introducing 8 Year Old Leland

As proud supporters of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, we would like to introduce you to their patient of the month: Eight year old Leland!

His story:

In 2014, Leland started having headaches. His parents were concerned but not alarmed, because migraines run in the family. But then more symptoms appeared. Leland’s grandmother noticed he was holding his left arm funny. His mother, Marisa, noticed his smile was off kilter in a photograph. Soon, a series of tests revealed Leland suffered from an aggressive brain cancer known as an atypical teratoid/ rhabdoid tumor, or simply ATRT.

When considering treatment options, Marisa sought her doctor’s recommendation. “My doctor said, ‘If it was my child, I would be going to St. Jude,’” Marisa recalled. After receiving a referral, Leland and Marisa were on their way to Memphis.

At St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®, Leland’s treatment has included surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. “St. Jude is amazing,” said Marisa. “Not just all the leaps and bounds they’re taking medically, and how many children they save, but how they don’t just treat his diagnosis. Kids can be kids here, and I think that helps a lot with their healing.”

Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

Leland loves to make people laugh. He says silly things and never lets anything get him down. “He’s strong and amazing,” Marisa said. “I draw my strength from Leland, because he amazes me every day.” Some of Leland’s favorite things are tacos, baseball, kittens and the beach. Watch a video about Leland here.

Here at ProspectsPLUS! we’ve committed to helping kids just like Leland and their families get the help, support, and medical attention they need. We’d love to have you join us in effort!

To Donate, please visit www.prospectsplus.com/StJude

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