Celebrating Independence

Christmas in July (Part 2)

Today, July the 4^th, Independence Day, is a great day to kick off your companies Christmas in July.   Christmas and the holiday season are all about celebration, good will, and sharing kindness so it is perfect that Christmas in July begins with a holiday celebration complete with fireworks, parades and lots of fun.  Consider the activities you participate in as ignition for ideas that you might incorporate into your company.

To help you with some starter ideas, a lot have been pulled together and presented to you as a fictional company we will call Independence Realty.  The ideas could work in most industries with a little change to align to that company’s industry and activities.  You will notice that all of these activities align to the objectives of the company and are revenue builders.

The owner of Independence Realty noticed the same cycles in business that everyone talked about.  Within those cycles, July was usually a good month but nothing stellar.  It was in the middle of vacations, summer heat, and a time of the year when people were not highly motivated in the business.  It seemed that, from Memorial Day to after Labor Day, customers and staff kind of coasted.  People who had begun the buying or selling process would complete transactions but there was a significant drop in new customer inquiries and activity.  All of this was, to a degree, related to the fact that sales professionals and companies spent the greater amount of marketing activities and efforts in the early spring and fall.

What would happen if the week of the Fourth of July was celebrated with events and activities such as you might find around a Midwest state fair?  The owner decided to go big and go grand with focus on participation from the staff, families and community and of course business.

On-Track Awards

The on-track awards were designed to give individual and public recognition to people and offices in the company that were at minimum on track for their annual goals.  The goals had been set in the fourth quarter of the previous year.  Each producer in the company had worked with managers to set goals that would meet their income and business needs.  Managers worked with the leadership team to set goals for the office and the leadership team set goals for the company.  The On-Track awards combined revenue, commissions earned, sales count and new inventory listings to create the standards.  The big factor was to qualify for the award, winners could not have a goose egg month with no listings or sales in the first six months of the year.  There were several awards groupings including several that focused on saleable listings added each month.  Recognition would be made through the week’s events to community and peers in multiple venues including significant web presence.

Staging Exhibition

Each office would host an exhibition in which the associates would profile on a display board listings that were prepared for market and “staged” shown through pictures and descriptions on a foam core board.  Each listing presented for the exhibition and an award had to show before and after, explain objectives and give results with a bit of the associate’s bio.  During the first week of July, these were featured on the company’s web site and in the offices.  Judging was through a panel from the community.

Office Open Houses

Each office location hosted office open houses within the week.  Main Street offices where there were community events were coordinated with the community calendar to maximize impact.  Mystery visitors will come through the open house to judge the office on reception, readiness to assist and appearance. These open houses are a  time to be on your toes – opportunity and recognition follow.  The open houses culminated with a picnic or barbeque for staff and families.

 Freedom to Choose

Celebrating the Freedom to choose a career, the company offers free tuition for licensing to new recruits signing on in the first week of July with a commitment to stay with the company at least two years.  Perks are available for milestone activities once the person has joined the company including during the pre-license period.  Experienced associates moving to the company within that week will receive a jump start package.

Participation in Community Events

If there is a celebratory event in the community for Independence Day, each office and the company participates whether through a float in a parade, volunteers at races or creating an event at their location.

There are many other ideas that can be incorporated.  Each idea executed needs to push production and include participation from the community, associates and families.  Using activities to create a mid-year jump start can change the business cycles that are perceived to be norms.  Initiatives that are focused on objectives definitely will bring dollars into the company.

We have so much to celebrate with the freedoms we have as citizens and entrepreneurs.  We have the freedom to establish businesses, create concepts and ideas.  We can make as much money as the market will allow if we use our skills, creativity and make sure that we recognize others.

Celebrate the birth of our country and our freedom!