I'm a big fan of communicating with one's sphere of influence (SOI) via the written word - with the caveat that those written words are YOUR written words, not some words written by someone else who doesn't know you!
If your SOI "hears" from you on a reasonably regular basis - and again - that means they hear from YOU (not that mysterious someone else), they'll remember you, and even better, they'll remember you FONDLY. I've written about this concept once or twice or a dozen times - see the list below for related blogs.
Anyway, agents ask me all the time what they should write about that will inspire their SOI's to remember them FONDLY. Their new listing or recent sale? How low interest rates are and what a great time to buy it is? A reminder to winterize their sprinkler system or change smoke detector batteries?
YAWN. No, none of these.
There are a gazillion things you can write to your SOI about that won't come across as pitchy, pushy or just ho-hum. One of those things is the YAY-ME letter.
Huh? YAY-ME? Isn't that the epitome of pitchy, pushy or even ho-hum (after all - who cares about ME?)
Yep - if you do it wrong.
But if you do it right? It's a fabulous opportunity to very subtly remind your sphere that you're competent and confident AND give them a chance to congratulate you on whatever it is you're telling them about which can open up the door to conversations! And conversations with the people we know can lead to all sorts of wonderful things.
So, Jennifer, um... what's an example of doing it right?
Glad you asked ;-]
Here's a letter recently sent out by one of my faithful readers. She sent it individually to each of her 2010 clients, although I'm sure it could be tweaked to be sent to her entire SOI. My reader enjoyed a tremendous response to the letter, got a few (unsolicited) glowing testimonials to use in her marketing and may even have a few new clients to show for her efforts.
The subject line of the email was: "And the award goes to..."
(and here's the text of the message)...
...me!
This week I had the pleasure (and total surprise) of winning an award from RE/MAX for 2010! It is a beautiful cherry wood plaque that reads:
In Appreciation and Recognition
Of Your Outstanding Performance and Achievements In The RE/MAX® Organization.
You Are Truly "Above The Crowd!"®
Out of 30+ agents in my office, I was one of only 9 to receive this honor!
Why am I sharing this wonderful news with you? Because, without you putting your faith and trust in me last year...well, I wouldn't be writing this email at all!
So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! : )
Jane"
Do you have something you could YAY-ME about to your sphere? I bet you do... want to share some ideas? Or ask for feedback??
RELATED BLOGS
Newsletters - Turning Cheese into SOUL (Part 1)
Newsletters - Turning Cheese into SOUL (Part 2)
Newsletters - the Difference Between "Meaningful" and "Interesting"
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