By Tami Bonnell, Co-Chair, EXIT Realty Corp. International
You know what has truly opened more doors for me than anything? Expressing gratitude. It’s changing, “Having a means to make a living” to “Making a meaningful living”, and there are so many ways to go about it.
You can show gratitude for a multitude of things. It’s not just about somebody giving you a gift. It could be them teaching you something or even correcting you, as long as there is improvement, focus on the end goal.
Showing and expressing gratitude, a sense of thanks, doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be creating a short video. Just a, “Hey, I want to thank you for today. That was amazing and I learned so much!” Writing a quick note, “Hey, thanks for covering for me”, or “Thank you for making our company look great!”
When you make this part of your business plan it not only puts you in a good head space but when you actually send out these videos or notes to the other person, it really does make all the difference in the world. Think of how many personal notes you’ve held on to because they made such an impact.
Communication only works when it’s personal. Having genuine, honest communication and really letting someone know that they made a difference in your life is how we connect. Just “Thanks for that” will never be enough.
“Thanks for making sure that I didn’t make that mistake. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Thank you for doing this transaction with me. It was so nice to have a polished professional on the other side.”
“Thank you so much for trusting me with the purchase/sale of your home. It was a pleasure getting to know you and your family.”
It makes a giant difference this time of year, thanking somebody and letting them know they made a contribution to you or your way of life. The more specific, the better. If you can make this a consistent habit, it is a great thing for your mindset and your reputation.
It also gives people a real appreciation and respect for what it is you do. People want to matter now more than ever. They want to make a difference in the world. Show them “I saw you; I heard you, I listened.” All of those things help cut through the distraction and show you deliberately care about how you impact people.
It’s never too late to say thank you. You can show gratitude to somebody that did something for you five years ago, decades ago. Every single bit of that matters. I remember calling a boss that I had decades ago and saying, “I just want you to know that I’m using a couple of things that you taught me that really helped me to get to the next level. It took me a while to really grasp and understand what you were trying to achieve, but I know now. Thank you.” He told me he had been in a really bad place at the time and was actually sitting down thinking he hadn’t contributed enough. He was so appreciative, I’m still not sure who gained more that day from a simple phone call. Sometimes you have exactly the right words at the right time, you just need to express them.
