Brian Copeland

By Brian Copeland

With December 25 only a few days away, it’s a great time to not only think about giving to others but also to consider touching your clients and sphere of influence in an impactful way.  While it may be a bit late in the season to pull some of the bigger things off on this list, who says you can’t plan for holiday season 2010?

1.  Have a holiday dessert or Christmas tree pick-up event: I hosted a pie pick-up day for Thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit.  You should budget $7-$15 a client and try to get them to give you a heads up on whether they are stopping by or not. *FYI, about 50 percent of my clients showed up.

2.  Write personal notes using only your MLS production report: Whew!  Now, this one was an amazing exercise for me.  Sure I have everything in my client management system; but I thought it would be a good test to see how well I remembered all of them and their homes.  While I failed miserably in several cases, I still garnered enough brain waves to get the vast majority.  Seeing the homes, investigating the information and visualizing it all made me feel extra close to my clients this year.

3.  Have a social media day: Find every client you have or have had, add them as a friend on Facebook then spend a few hours writing nice, non-real-estate-related greetings on their wall.  A simple, “Hey Chad and Melody.  Just wanted to say hey, and I hope you have a great 2010 and beyond.”

(From left) Space Cadet Rob Reuter, Ballerina Shannon Williams King, Nutcracker John Morley and Teddy Brian Copeland.

4.  Make a goofy video: JibJab.com always has fun holiday video greetings where you can include other people’s faces on dancing elf bodies.  Identify those two or three really fun clients and make a video for them dancing with you.

5.  Introduce them to Elfster.com: We all have a ton of parties, gift exchanges and events in December.  Elfster is a great way to organize and gift exchange in a social, fun way.

6.  Volunteer alongside: Few things bring people together more than volunteering for a charity for a few hours.  You can find great opportunities through the Hands On Network at handsonnetwork.org.  If you have a local affiliate, you can find it here.

7.  Organize a carol-sing-a-long: All of us have that one Broadway diva client who loves to host.  Align yourself with him or her for a night of singing and laughter.

8.  Upload a holiday greeting on YouTube: Film a 15- to 30-second greeting to everyone.  Don’t be afraid to show your personality.

9.  Showcase your clients’ holiday décor: Have your clients photograph their decorated tree, homes, mantels, light displays, etc., send them to you and create a special page on your website showcasing them!

10. Hire some carolers: Go to your local church, school or any place where singers may be and hire a few to join you on the main corner of your prime market to spread some holiday cheer.  Place a few of your signs nearby lined in garland so they’ll know you’re responsible for the love.

11. Show the pets some attention: Identify your animal-loving clients and drop some gourmet dog biscuits and catnip wrapped with a bow in the mail for Fido and Fluffy’s stockings.

12. Host an end of the year shredding event: With the new year starting, it’s time for everyone to get rid of the year’s built-up clutter.  Hire a shredding service and invite your clients over to use the service for a day or so.

Brian Copeland is a REALTOR® in Nashville, Tennessee.  You can check out his websites at nashvilleandbeyond.com and brian-copeland.com.