Kill em with Kindness! Cards for Kids! By Ryan Steinert
Have you ever received a Holiday card from your CPA, Insurance Agent, Doctor’s office or otherwise? Very cute, the whole staff signs the inside in different inks. It’s a nice touch. Generally, we stick it on the mantle for about 2 weeks and then we throw it away. But it is not something we will remember after New Years, right? Heck, maybe you have even sent Holiday cards to your past clients. Or Anniversary cards or birthday cards. Nothing wrong with that at all. Something is better than nothing. It’s just not that unique and memorable.
What about sending birthday cards to the children of your current and past clients? Ah, hah! This is different and memorable… exactly what you want to be as a mortgage consultant in a tougher marketplace. I have been executing a specific approach to this and it has made the single biggest difference in OWNING the relationship of my clients than anything. Let me share it with you.
I send birthday cards to the children of my clients from ages 3-15. I send a card with five $1 bills inside. The card is homemade via an 8 and 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper folded in half and then folded in half again. I use Microsoft Publisher, you can use Print Shop ($10 bucks at Wal-Mart) or other similar program that will easily do the formatting for you. On the outside of the card it is specific and clear: ‘Happy 4th Todd!’ or ‘Happy 9th Sarah!’ You get the idea. The inside left says ‘I hope you have a wonderful day!’ and the inside right says ‘Your friend, Ryan.’ That’s it.
Now let’s paint the picture: what child/teenager does not like to get something in the mail? They LOVE to get mail. We hate it because its junk mail, credit card offers and bills. The birthday boy/girl opens the card and five $1 bills fall out onto the floor. They are ecstatic! Yelling, screaming and general chaos momentarily ensues. The mother or father (your client) grabs the card that is now somewhere on the floor and sees it’s from you. Wow. How many kids really get cards on their birthdays anymore, anyway, right? I mean, besides grandma and grandpa, they’re pretty much out of luck. The child is still running around with joy because they got money! And one thing I know about children (trust me, I have four under five) is while they may not understand the value of money, they know it takes these green pieces of paper to buy what they want at the store. I have yet to meet a child under three who doesn’t know that dead Presidents get him stuff at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us. And now let’s go even further.
Most parents want little Todd or Sarah to ‘thank’ Ryan the nice man they don’t know who sent them money. Often, I have received calls right then and there. Certainly a day or two later. So when little Todd or Sarah gets on the phone to thank me, I ask, ‘So what are you gonna get at the store with this money?’ and the floodgates are officially opened. Most children are quite clear on where those dollars are going and excited to tell me. They may not know me, but they sure like me! Then I talk to my clients again and they are very impressed and thankful.
How do I get their birthday info? Again, this business is about relationships, making friends NOT clients and owning it. Whenever I take a 1003 over the phone or in person, there is a question there asking for number of dependents. If I have someone answer yes there, I stop and really ask questions. What are their names? How old are they? And then I comment on my kids, etc. If the dependents are within 3-15 years old, I say ‘Hey, we do something special for the kids on their birthdays, do you mind giving me that information?’ I have yet to have a parent not do this.
This is an exceptional way to be unique and cement relationships. You cannot get any more near and dear to a parent than their children. Have fun with it! Remember, make friends, NOT clients. People prefer to buy from people they like, know and trust.
Kill Them With Kindness - Cards For Kids! - Ryan Steinert
