A little compliment can make a big impression on someone. It doesn’t take much, just a kind word, an observation, a word of encouragement. Those little things will brighten someone’s day and make them remember you for a longtime afterward.
Claudia and I are in the process of selling our house and we’ve had quite a few realtors come through and show the house to their clients.
Normally the way it works is we get the house all straightened up by doing things like putting all the toys away, clearing the extra appliances off the kitchen counter, and turning all the lights on to make it show well. Then, we leave so the prospective buyers can take their time looking at the house.
After the showing, many times we’ll find the realtor will have left their business card on the table just inside our front door. Of the many different realtors that came through to show our house, one of them clearly sticks out in my mind, even though I never met him.
When he left his business card on the table, he wrote on the back of it, “Great house!” That small compliment made us feel like he appreciated all the effort we put into getting the house ready for them. (We’ll often spend an hour plus getting the house ready!)
It also made him stick out above all the realtors. I even remember his name now; it’s Josh.
You can see how this is great from a personal perspective – we can encourage, show appreciation, and brighten someone’s day – but also from a business perspective. If we were looking for another realtor, I’d remember Josh and want to meet with him.
Are there ways you could use complimenting others in your life or business? It probably took Josh all of 5 seconds to write, “Great house!” on his business card. Why not leave a short note or shoot a quick text or email to someone when you think of it. Say, “Hey, you did a great job today.” or, “I really like what you’ve done with that project you’re working on.”
It won’t take more than 5 seconds, but will make a big impression.
Such a good to reminder! We all too easily forget to do this to others in our lives. It takes a mere seconds but makes a HUGE impact! Unexpected words of appreciation of the best to receive.
Absolutely, Char! I think it’s the little things that often mean the most. Sometimes I’ll want to put off saying an encouraging word thinking it needs to be epic and grand. Not so; I’ve found it’s the genuine, little things that mean the most.
Thanks for reminding us. I know I often think how wonderful something is but don’t follow through with saying it. Positive reinforcement is always so uplifting.
Thanks, Donna. Positive reinforcement is so uplifting and nearly always means a lot to the recipient!
I agree about it being the little things that count and make a big impression.
Last week, I applied for a teaching position at a therapeutic boarding school for boys. This is how I started my non-traditional, this-might-blow-up-in-my-face cover letter.
“Dear Awesome Person Accepting Applications at the Little Keswick School,
First, thank you for the amazing work you do to improve the lives of the students at your school. Seriously, thank you! You probably don’t hear that enough. Everyone who works within an organization like yours is part of something incredible that has the potential to touch kids’ lives forever.”
I got a call from the head master the next day saying that he just read my letter and looked over my resume and would like me to come in for an interview. Who knows where this will lead, but hopefully he felt that my introduction and words of encouragement were heart-felt. Hopefully he felt appreciated.
You got me laughing over here, Jody… Love it! Hey, you’ve got to stand out, do something unique. That’s what folks like Dan Miller say. Seems to be working. Plus, I highly doubt they ever hear words of encouragement like that from applicants. Most applicants are going to be self-absorbed and just talk about themselves. Hope the interview goes well!
I had the interview last Thursday. It went well. He’s calling my references and we discussed salary and benefits.
Here’s an even funnier aside and how the non-traditional cover letter may have blown up a little bit. The head master who interviewed me mentioned that he was initially concerned that I might have “boundary issues” because of that cover letter. I guess bloggers like to be more transparent and share their ideas and thoughts. Head masters of $92,000/year boarding schools… apparently not so much. 🙂 He said he understood how it all fit together though and seemed to appreciate the effort.
I’ll keep you posted.
Love it, Jody. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!
It IS a great house! 🙂 I’m glad the realtor realized that, and I wish you all the best in selling it soon. It’s a huge hassle that no one wants to draw out any longer than they have to!
Thanks, Ryan. I’ve thought of you and Ashley on multiple occasions as we were getting ready to list the house. I know you guys did such a great job at getting everything in great shape before putting it on the market. That’s a great approach one we’ve tried to model. We still need to catch up! I’ll try calling you later this week.
Glad we could be good inspiration. 🙂 How’s it going so far?
It’s going really well. Always an adventure, but well!
Glad to hear it!
And I look forward to talking to you, too!
Taking the time to leave a comment after reading a post is another way to so “Great House”.
Great Post
Hey thanks, Jody. I appreciate it!
Something I learned in the Dale Carnegie class and listening to Zig Ziglar – the absolute power of a short note, a brief complement – sometimes the shorter the better. To simply check in and say HI. Nice reminder. Hope the timing of your house sell is absolutely perfect for what you guys need and are looking for.
Thanks, Michael. I appreciate it! I keep hearing great things about the Dale Carnegie course.