Michelle explained, taking a sip of her tea. “I’ll be happy to go over some stuff in more detail in a minute. But before I forget, Jay Michaels is coming to town this Friday. Why don’t you come as my guest? It’s normally pretty expensive to attend, but I think I can get you a ticket.”
At that moment, Jo Ellen returned with their entrees.
“I’m sorry, but who is Jay Michaels?” Rick had no idea what she was talking about and the smell of his food had caught his attention.
“He’s the guy who taught me about the Generosity Generation, which is the whole philosophy of our company,” Michelle explained, taking a bite.
“Generosity Generation?” Rick asked apologetically. Geez, I’m out of it. . . but these crab cakes are great.
“Basically, it means the more you give, the more you get. Jay shows business people like you and me how to turn our relationships into referrals. There’s no catch,” she added, perceiving his skepticism. “It’s just a really good system. You know how some say it’s all about who you know, and some say it’s all about who knows you? Well Jay says it’s about who you know, how well you know them and who THEY know. Like, Jo Ellen? She’s in school so she’s not buying right now, but she referred her sister to me. Her sister had a great experience and referred her neighbor who was refinancing. I would have never gotten that business if I hadn’t learned how from Jay and my coach.”
“Oh,” Rick responded. Katherine smiled at both of them as she escorted another couple to the adjacent booth. I bet that hostess gave her business too.
As they both ate, Michelle talked freely about her business and her life: she was getting to know some great people, and she seemed to have an endearing story about each of them. She also seemed to be speaking a foreign language using terms Rick had never heard: she mentioned the Generosity Generation again and said something about a Communication Pyramid and the Influential Zone. She spoke about making 1st & 10 calls and communicating her solutions to her community. Rick nodded, but felt himself losing track of what she was saying. Overall, though, he knew she felt confident about where her business was going, even in a down market, and that her life was more balanced and fulfilling than it had ever been.
“I mean, even with market ups and downs, you have to admit this is an incredibly exciting time to be in the business,” Michelle said.
“What do you mean?” Rick asked, honestly confused. Exciting?
“That’s what the Generosity Generation is all about,” Michelle explained. “In the old days, the only way to get business was cold-calling, door-knocking, and other ways to ‘market to strangers’. Everybody spent time and money trying to attract and close people they’d never met. In the Generosity Generation, we can spend our time, energy, effort, and money on people we actually like and trust. In the end, those are the ones who are most valuable to our business.” Rick considered this. Michelle was so animated and energetic as she spoke, but instead of feeling irritated, he felt intrigued. How can she have so much passion for this stuff?
“Connecting with people has never been easier,” Michelle continued. “The more people I connect with, the more people think of me as a ‘mover and shaker.’ The more people think of me that way, the more people I connect with. It grows itself and I don’t get hung up on or a door slammed in my face.”
“Can you give me an example of something specific which you’re doing that’s different?” Rick asked.
“Well, I could give you lots of examples. Like just this morning, instead of clipping articles to send to clients like the old days; I used Google Alerts to stay in touch with all my clients and referral partners, and remind them how much I care about them. It doesn’t cost me anything and takes no time. The Google Alert comes in, I review it, and then I forward it to the person in my database with a short e-mail from me. I set up a Google Alert for all my referral partners and top referral sources; I call those people Ambassadors and Champions. It’s almost like having staff to keep tabs on the people in my community.” She added, seeing the confusion on Rick’s face, “Oh, it’s really easy. I can show you how to do it in twenty seconds. Before I do that, just to let you know, I have another appointment coming in at 1:00. That’s in about 15 minutes.”
“Okay. Thanks,” Rick answered. Michelle explained Google Alerts in more detail1, pulling out her phone and demonstrating the process. Rick thought, I’d like to set up a Google Alert on Don Dasick to see what he’s doing. Jo Ellen quietly cleared their plates and refilled Rick’s coffee without being asked. As they continued to chat, Rick was tempted several times to bring up Don and ask if Michelle had heard anything about him, but he resisted.
“Rick, do you mind if I ask you a business question?” Michelle said.
“Sure, Michelle. Shoot.”
“If you had a friend or neighbor who was looking to refinance or buy, who would you recommend?” Michelle asked almost casually.
Rick thought about his neighbor living in the condo downstairs; she had asked, but he hadn’t referred her anywhere because he didn’t get paid for refinances. He sipped his coffee and thought some more.
“I don’t know. The last time I talked to someone about refinancing, I didn’t send her anywhere. Probably should have, but I don’t really have a go-to person. I guess I’d have to say I don’t know,” he finally answered.
“What would it take for me to be that go-to person?” Good question.
“I don’t know,” Rick answered honestly. “I mean, this meeting didn’t do you any harm. If you can be successful in this market, you’ve got to be doing something right. I guess I’d need to learn more about what you’re doing to be successful, and more about what loans you do and don’t do.”
“Great,” Michelle smiled gently. “I want to be your go-to person for loans. I don’t need all your business. Just give me a few shots per month. And if I’m hearing you correctly, you’re saying that if you get to know me and my business better and like what you see, I’d be your go-to person? Am I correct?”
A few shots per month would be all my business. “Yep. That about sums it up,” Rick answered as he drained his last bit of coffee. Jo Ellen slipped by silently for the refill.
“Great, thank you for that answer. I’ve prepared some information for you to learn more about the solutions I provide,” Michelle said, sliding a one-page document across the table. “This is another thing I learned from Jay Michaels and Seven Levels. It’s called a Spectrum of Solutions and it shows the full range of services I can provide for you and your clients.”
Rick glanced down at the brochure and then feeling bold, blurted out, “Look, neither of us makes money when nobody’s buying. Clearly you’ve found the last people in town who are. You’re asking me for help, and I appreciate what you said about my reputation. But if you’re doing as well as you seem to be, I’d like to know more about what you’re doing. Google Alerts and this Spectrum of Solutions page didn’t explode your business.”
“Well, let me turn that around,” Michelle said softly. “What can I do to help you? What do you need right now?”
“Honestly, I need good, solid leads,” Rick confessed. “Like I said, I’ve tried the magazines, newspapers, home journals, Internet advertising, everything. I know I can deliver what buyers need, but I’m just not finding the people who are buying.”
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