How Gratitude Helps Your Business

 

Just how powerful is gratitude? In our business, it’s not only an emotional act and a show of good faith, it’s an important part of achieving your goals.

Saying thank you is an emotional act. It doesn't just acknowledge someone's effort, kindness, intent, or action. It recognizes the person himself. It's even more important than acknowledging the principal person you are doing business with because it sets a tone for discussion. And it is a winning tone. When you suffuse your preliminary actions with gratitude, it shines out of you as a penumbra of generosity.
 

Showing gratitude in both ways, on your own by acknowledging your accomplishments and thanking others, is an important part of achieving your goals and a great way to keep up with your networking connections. Just make sure that you are being genuine. Here are a few tips on how to show gratitude to your networking connections.

A Word on Honesty From Joe Maddon

I think Joe Maddon is not only a great baseball coach, but he also has some great philosophies on life I’d like to share with you.

Today, I wanted to share with you an inspirational quote by Joe Maddon, the coach of the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs:

“If I’m honest with you, you might not like me for a day or two, but if I lie to you, you’re going to hate me forever.”

That line would be my next tattoo if I could minimize it enough. In my business, it’s important to be very transparent. If people misunderstand what you’re saying, or they even think that you’re not being honest with them, they’ll end your relationship with them and never come back. 

The importance of transparency doesn’t just apply to business relationships, though; it also applies to your personal relationships. In all walks of life, remember to be honest and transparent.

Honesty and transparency are important in all walks of life.

If you have any questions about this topic and or how I apply it to my business, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Donate Warm Winter Clothes for Our Veterans

We’d like to encourage you to help us support our Lake County veterans by donating to the Veterans Closet.

If you'd like my free e-book of the Top 10 Credit Do's and Don'ts, you can contact me!

My team and I just wanted to pass along a quick message to encourage all of you to help us support the veterans of Lake County, IL and the Veterans Closet this year.

We would like to ask all of you to please bring your extra coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and socks to our office and place them in the bin right outside of 533 North Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, IL. This will ensure a nice, warm, and comfortable winter for the veterans of Lake County this year.

Drop your winter items off in the bin outside 533 North Milwaukee Avenue.

The Midwest Veterans Closet, located in North Chicago, Illinois provides weather-appropriate clothing, personal care items, houseware, furniture, and food from the Food Pantry to disabled, homebound Veterans. For more information on the Midwest Veterans Closet, and to find out what else you can do to help them, visit their website. 
Thank you in advance for helping us support our veterans! If you’d like any more information about ways to support us in our cause, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Why You Should Negotiate a Closing Cost Credit

When I’m working with one of my clients, one of the first pieces of advice I give—especially to first-time home buyers who have limited income and limited reserves in the bank—is to always negotiate a closing cost credit. A closing cost credit results in the seller paying your closing costs. They’re not giving you money at closing; instead, what they’re doing is building in the cost of your closing into the purchase of your home.

For example, let’s say you’re purchasing a home that costs $100,000. Borrows may step in and want to lowball the seller by offering $85,000 thinking that they’re going to get you a great deal. The problem is that closing costs in the state of Illinois total about $5,000. It doesn’t matter what the price of the home is—closing costs will always total $5,000. 

"It’s always a good idea to negotiate a closing cost credit"

Why are closing costs uniform across the board? This is because they represent an accumulation of several different service fees calculated independently from the home’s price, such as the appraisal, the home inspection, the cost of homeowners insurance, etc. Your closing costs, then, can sometimes exceed your down payment. That’s why negotiating a closing cost credit is a good idea.

If you have any questions about closing costs, don’t hesitate to call me today or send me an email. I’m here to answer all of them.

A Quick Look at the Libertyville Farmers Market

If you'd like my free e-book of the Top 10 Credit Do's and Don'ts, you can contact me!

I'm thrilled to join you from the farmers market in downtown Libertyville today!

Produce is just one of the tons of options you have to choose from at this great farmers market. It's a wonderful place to bring the family to shop and eat.

You can support local Libertyville businesses like Door County Potato Chips, maker of the perfect potato chip, or grab a hand-crafted crepe. For something local to take home, stop by Leider’s Local Honey.

For a complete list of vendors, take a look at the Libertyville Farmers Market website.

Check out the video above for a quick look at some of the Libertyville Farmers Market offerings!