I was at a Christmas event at the weekend.
Usual stuff – mulled wine, carol singers, and a tired-looking tombola stall.
Did you know the name comes from the American gentlemen who invented it? Mr Thomas Bowler.
You probably didn’t, but don’t fret about your lack of trivia knowledge. I just made that up – but it sounds feasible enough, right?
Anyway, it was 50p a go. I ended up spending a fiver and ‘winning’ a colouring book that looked older than my daughter (she’s 10), a jar of pickles and a ‘cuddly toy’ that resembled a half-hearted attempt at a homemade voodoo doll. But I also won a 2023 diary, which is of good quality and now sits on my desk, ready for next year.
I bloody love tombolas.
It’s the randomness of what you get.
So, as my tribute to tombolas, here are five ideas I’ve plucked from my upcoming book, 365 Daily Ideas for Estate Agents, which drops early in 2023.
1.The Godfather of marketing – I just read Seth Godin’s daily tip, and today’s was outstanding. Don’t make a point, make a difference. Here is his great advice in full:
“Making a difference (making a point)”
There are countless ways to make a point. For example, you can demonstrate that you are angry, intelligent, concerned, stronger, faster or more prepared than the person you’re engaging with.
But making a point isn’t the same thing as making a difference.
To make a difference, we need practical empathy to realise that the other person doesn’t know what you know, doesn’t believe what you believe and might not want what you want. So we must move from where we are and momentarily understand where they are.
When we make a point, we reject all of this. When we make a point, we establish our power in one way or another, but we probably don’t change much.
Change comes about when the story the other person tells themselves begins to change. If all you do is make a point, you’ve handed them a story about yourself. When you make a change, you’ve helped them embrace a new story about themselves.
And even though it’s more fun (and feels safe, in some way) to make a point, if we really care, we’ll do the hard work to make a difference instead.”
2. Listen to kids – I was speaking a couple of days ago with my young daughter, who asked what I was doing with a big bit of paper covering the dining table.
I explained I was setting goals for the business in 2023.
She walked off. I thought she thought, ‘well, he’s soooooo boring.’
About 10 minutes later, she plonks a piece of paper down on the table and says, ‘here you go, Dad, this is what you need to do.’
Her goals were spookily on track with many of mine – to summarise hers.
1. Work hard.
2. Have a good time.
3. Do nice work.
4. Be proud of yourself.
5. Make people happy like you are doing now.
From the mouths of babes can come some great wisdom.
Are you planning and working on your 2023 goals?
3. Get moving – Simple idea from elite Aussie estate agent Mat Steinwede – Do at least 31 minutes of physical activity every day. It can be as mundane as a walk to a challenging workout/run.
4. Embrace dogs – literally – they are the best. 23 June 2023, is ‘take your dog to work day’ across the UK. Even if you’re working from home, it’s an excellent opportunity to show off your fur babies and build rapport and engagement with your communities.
5. Pay to play – Do you know how much you’d ‘pay’ for an instruction?
This is commonly known as Price Per Client or Price Per Lead, among other ways of describing it.
It’s a crucial thing to be aware of when it comes to working out your marketing budget.
It’s especially useful information when coming up with any referral incentives.
I read something ages ago that stuck in my head about marketing offers.
It was: “If it doesn’t scare you a little (the size/scope of the offer), it won’t excite them (the potential clients) at all.”
And that’s all for this week, folks.
Thanks for reading, and remember, the difference between a good tombola and a bad one is the quality of what you’re given – a bit like your agency’s content marketing efforts if you’re outsourcing, really.
Jerry
PS: Want to start 2023 with a bang? We’re offering five agents a one-month trial of our content – subject to their area being available. Wanna know more? Drop me a line with the postcode districts you serve.