A Gift to Their Office

A Gift to Their Office Turnkey Touchpoints Stage 2: Initial Consultation MyByReferralOnly.com Page 1 of 7 A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – What Is It? T...
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A Gift to Their Office

Turnkey Touchpoints

Stage 2: Initial Consultation

MyByReferralOnly.com

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A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – What Is It? The Gift to Their Office Touchpoint is your chance to show appreciation for your client’s taking time to review their options at the Initial Consultation and choosing you as their consultant. The Gift to Their Office also creates an environment where your name can naturally be inserted into the conversation between your client and his or her coworkers. With this in mind, it is recommended that you select a gift that invites sharing in the office – anything from a fruit basket to a plate of cookies. When a coworker sees another employee receive a “special delivery” at the office, it’s natural to be inquisitive and inquire about the “special occasion.” This is exactly what happens when your gift arrives at the office, helping to create the “stir” you’re after. If you are working with a local provider who will hand-deliver your gifts and you want to generate even more office buzz, have your gift provider deliver the gift with balloons attached. Lesson learned! Scott and Todd Asbell of Rocky Mountain Mortgage Group in Provo, Utah, started sending a gift to their clients’ offices more than five years ago. The first year they sent a beautiful cookie bouquet from Cookies by Design. These gifts were masterpieces and commanded quite a bit of attention when they were delivered to the office. Scott and Todd would generally get a nice thank-you call from the client, but were not seeing the influx of new introductions they had hoped for. Scott says, “After a year of doing this, we decided to make a slight adjustment. Instead of sending the big, glamorous cookie bouquet, we replaced it with a simple cookie basket with two dozen cookies. This change created the result we were looking for. Rather than the client stashing the cookie bouquet under the desk so he could take it home and show the family how cute it was, the two dozen cookies were opened and shared with friends at the office, helping us increase our introduction and referral rate from the gift tenfold.” TOUCHPOINT TIP – When working with your gift provider, select gifts that encourage sharing. Stay away from sending a gift that is so “awe inspiring” that it prompts the client to take it home versus opening it and sharing with coworkers.

A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – When Should It Be Sent? The Gift to Their Office should be sent 24 to 48 hours after you’ve completed the Initial Consultation. Joe Stumpf says, “There are two critical stages in the course of a real estate or mortgage transaction. They are the beginning and the end. The most successful consultants design a system that consistently creates ‘WOW’ moments early in the transaction, and strategically position several more ‘WOW’ moments near the end.”

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Studies have shown that anytime a consumer makes a major purchasing decision, shortly thereafter they will experience what’s called “buyer’s remorse.” This is a state where they begin second-guessing their decisions and wonder if what they are doing is the correct course of action. For most consumers, buyer’s remorse sets in 24 to 48 hours after making a critical decision. Having the gift arrive at the office inside of this window helps reassure the client that they indeed are moving the right direction and have made the correct decision. It seems subtle, yet it is extremely powerful. Most clients are having two conversations: The one externally with you and the world, and the one inside their head. The Gift to Their Office helps address concerns, doubts, and possible fears that likely would never be voiced. TOUCHPOINT TIP – To ensure that the Gift to Their Office consistently shows up 24 to 48 hours after the Initial Consultation, install a system to ensure you’ll place the gift order immediately after the consultation.

A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – Where Should It Be Sent? It seems fairly straightforward that a Gift to Their Office would be delivered to office, which is true. However, you may also strongly consider sending a gift to both spouses even if one does not work in the “traditional office” setting. Many By Referral Only members have reported that they get as many (or more) referrals from a stay-at-home spouse as they do from the one working in an office. This makes a lot of sense considering that a stay-at-home Mom or Dad has an extensive network including neighbors, friends, playgroups, PTA associates, carpool group, etc. Regardless of whether the gift goes to a home residence or an office complex, make sure to pay special attention to suite numbers and other key address information as this will help ensure more efficient deliveries. TOUCHPOINT TIP – Keeping the gift cost under $20 to $25 may allow you to send gifts to both spouses. It would be wiser to send both parties an $18 gift than to send a single $36 gift to just one person.

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The Gift to Their Office Follow-Up Call Recognizing that is value is received when it is recognized, many By Referral Only members make a quick follow-up call to the client a day or two later just to confirm that the gift did arrive safely. These calls almost always result in a warm “Thank You” from the client and a nice deposit in their emotional bank account.

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A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – Why Is It So Effective? Several of the reasons this touchpoint is so powerful have already been discussed, including tapping into both spouses’ spheres of relationships, addressing the issue of buyer’s remorse, and creating a stir in the office. However, perhaps the biggest reason that the Gift to Their Office Touchpoint is so effective is because it creates an opportunity for your client to talk about you. More than 86% of the population falls into the “I” and “S” behavior styles according to the latest DISC assessment report. This means that more than eight out of 10 people do not have an overly aggressive personality, which may make it difficult for them to feel comfortable approaching coworkers and referring your services (even when you’ve done an AMAZING job). The Gift to Their Office helps orchestrate a conversation where your name can naturally surface. The gift provides a safe, comfortable space for your client to share their experience of working with you, and endorse you to those they care about.

Advanced Strategy

Including the Reticular Activator in Your Gift Package Most members elect to not send a stack of business cards with the Gift to Their Office because it may come off as self-serving and just doesn’t fit. However, an alternative way to remind your client how important those endorsements and introductions are to your business is to include a copy of the Reticular Activator Letter with your gift. This letter does a masterful job of explaining to the client that now that they are going through the process of buying, selling or borrowing, everywhere they look they are going to find other folks who are considering doing the same thing. The Reticular Activator Letter helps instruct your clients on what to do when they identify a friend or family member who may need your help. This is the perfect piece to include in the Gift to Their Office because it is a natural, comfortable, fun way to introduce the concept of referrals and introductions into the conversation.

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A GIFT TO THEIR OFFICE – How To Install This Touchpoint In Your Business

STEP 1 – Find A Local Service Provider The first step to implementing the Gift to Their Office Touchpoint is to seek out a local provider who will assemble and deliver gifts to your clients. You can use the following resources to help find that perfect gift provider: 1. Connecting with your client base to see if anyone can refer you to someone they know and trust. 2. Checking the Yellow Pages (this may seem a bit old-fashioned – but it works). Most providers are listed under the Gifts – Baskets & Parcels section. 3. Searching Google by typing in the words gift baskets and your local city and state in the search field.

Benefits of Local Providers • • •



Tend to be less expensive. More personalization options. Added touch of hand-delivery versus mailing. A new Strategic Alliance Partner who can refer you business.

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If you are unable to locate a local provider, here are a few companies to check out:

Cherry Moon Farms: www.CherryMoonFarms.com Hundreds of gift baskets with an average price range of $25 to $50 + delivery charges.

Cookies By Design: www.CookiesByDesign.com

Call Toll Free: 888-882-6654

Large selection of cookie bouquets with an average price range of $35 to $50 + delivery charges.

Designer Gifts: www.DesignerGifts.com

Call Toll Free: 877-734-2458

Nice choice of gift baskets with an average price range of $20 to $30 (free shipping on orders over $25). Designer Gifts offers a gorgeous “Home Sweet Home” gift basket for $28 with free shipping. You can check it out on their site under Gift Baskets – Traditional Housewarming Gift Ideas – Home Sweet Home Gift Package.

Gift Hounds: www.GiftHounds.com

Call Toll Free: 866-906-GIFT

Email: [email protected]

Amazing selection of gift baskets with an average price range of $20 to $30 + delivery charges. Gift Hounds has agreed to provide special pricing on their gift baskets to By Referral Only members. Contact Amy Stokes for additional information and to set up an automated gift ordering system for your business.

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STEP 2 – Gift Options And Developing A System For Ordering Gifts Once you have identified a gift provider, the next step is to connect with this individual or company to review what gift options are available and then develop a system for ordering future gifts. Each gift company has a different process for ordering. Some will prefer you email an order request, others will have you fax a gift order form, and some will only accept orders through their Web site.

Many gift providers will consider being flexible on their pricing depending on the volume of business you bring. Don’t be afraid to request special pricing, recognizing that you will be a consistent source of business for them. Most local providers have the flexibility to adjust their gift packages to fit your budget, so delivering a quality gift for under $25 should not be a major issue.

Gift Order Form Template If the service provider you select prefers your orders to come through the submission of a gift order form, don’t recreate the wheel. Simply download the Gift Order Form Template, make the necessary adjustments, and begin sending gifts today!

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Gift Tips • • • •

Try to stay in the $25 to $30 range. Select gifts that are likely to be shared with coworkers and friends – cookies, chip and salsa, pretzel tins, etc. Include a personal message for the client in the gift. If your budget allows, send to both spouses even if one does not work in a traditional office setting.

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