Clifton Park and Albany NY Homes for Sale: August 2008

I have learned a lot about customer service throughout my career and I thought I would quickly share with you some of the things I have learned.  I'm sure there are no original ideas in here but I also know a quick refresher couldn't hurt any of you (I mean me!!!).  Enjoy!!!

1) Never promise something that you can't deliver.

2) Always do what you say you are going to do.

3) Always follow up with your client, even if the answer is "I can't do what I said I would."

4) Never burn any bridges, you never know when you will cross paths with that client again.

5) Your ears make you money, your mouth costs you money.

6) There are no secrets in business so always operate honestly.

7) At the end of the day, we all basically offer the same service.  Ultimately, clients want to do business with people they like.

8) Always end your client meetings or phone calls with, "I appreciate your business."

9) No matter how much paperwork or how many emails you have, you had better return their phone calls FIRST!!!

10) Make your business decisions in relationship to the life-time profitability that you will enjoy.

This last one is the one that makes me the most crazy.  A few years ago I misplaced a credit card bill from a large department store chain.  Now, you need to understand that my wife and I have spent tens of thousands of dollars at this store with a large share of our clothing purchases for ourselves and our 4 children.  So, when the next month's bill came in and said I had a past due balance I ignored it (yes, I realize this was my fault) and only paid the new portion.  The following month my wife went to make a purchase on the card and they said it was declined.  When she inquired about it, they said we were delinquent and so our limit was reduced.  When I called to get this corrected, they refused.  So, after a 20 business relationship of charging up the card and paying it off dozens of times, I paid it off ONE LAST TIME!!!  Now, what do you think was better for this company: 1) A one time refund of a late fee and resetting my credit limit or 2) losing interest income on a card that gets charged up and then paid off every year for another 20 years!!!  The answer is simple to me but I'll listen to your answer if you care to leave a comment.

Have a good evening, Lew.

Most people you meet in any type of sales position are usually pretty confident and sure of themselves.  Although you can't be afraid of yourself in this business you also have to be very careful.  Clients are often times turned-off by agents who carry on about themselves, the market-place, and what they do.

More often than not, clients want you to listen to them.  They need someone to talk to , they are going through a very emotional time and they need you to listen.

So, remember this: Your mouth costs you money, your ears make you money.

If you need someone to listen to you, just give me a call..........................Thanks, Lew.

John from LA posted a blog earlier today about donating blood and it got me thinking about some fund-raising my wife and I did a few years ago that I thought I would share with you.

For my wife's 40th birthday party I threw a big celebration.  Now, she isn't the kind of person who needs to be the center of attention but she does enjoy being around all our family and friends.  When we were talking about the BIG day (oh by the way, she is older than me and I never let her forget it for the two months every year that she is) she indicated that she didn't want all the typical 40th Bday party "crap" that people bring.  Besides let's not kid one another, it all ends up in the garbage or gets re-gifted.  So we came up with an idea.......

We decided to ask people to make a small donation to the American Heart Association instead of bringing the typical gag gift.  This was also done in honor of her sister (Leah Jane) who passed away at the young age of 18 due to a congenital heart defect.  So, we set up a little table with her sister's picture on it and placed a little donation box for people to drop their card or check.  We collected over $2,000.  When I presented it to the local chapter and explained what we had done, they were thrilled and put the story in a copy of their newsletter.

The party was a big hit and everyone enjoyed themselves.  I think a lot of people appreciated making the donation instead of being "forced" to go buy a cheesy gift.  Anyway, I hope you found this helpful and I hope it gets you thinking about creative ways to help out a charity of your choice.

Lew

If you are looking for an idea regarding an 8x8 item of value you may want to consider sending out stickers with the national poison control hotline.  I was able to get some (200) for free from our local office.  Check out www.aapcc.org for more information.

Make it a great day!!!

My September edition of Consumer Reports was delivered to the house this weekend.  There is a section titled "Buying, selling, remodeling.  How to protect yourself in today's rocky real-estate market."  If you haven't seen it yet, it is worth the read.  Also, when my subscription renewal came in last month it included a complimentary gift-subscription, great for a client.

There is also a section on lead based paint and radon test kits.

Enjoy!!!