C.A.R.E. To Improve Your Real Estate Business

I read recently about research by Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, who studied 30,000 American families. Brooks discovered a family giving $100 more to charity earns about $375 more income than a non-giving family that is similar in every other factor. For every dollar they give, they earn nearly $4 more. Who would have thought it? In giving, we receive.

But Realtors shouldn't be giving just because they get something in return. You should give because you earn your living from your community.

But Bob, what should I do? There are so many causes out there.

Let me share some examples. A few months ago NAR highlighted several Realtors making heart-felt differences in their communities:

Bernice and Troy Helman, of Coldwell Banker REALTORS® in Terre Haute, Ind., joined two dozen other business leaders who pledged to live on $4.57 a day for one week (thousands of Hoosiers live on that amount of money every day). It generated tons of local media coverage on the prevalence of hunger. She also launched the "Grillin' and Chillin'" picnic for local real estate pros that raises $10,000 to $15,000 annually for the poor. And as the 2011 fundraising chair for the local United Way, the Helmans led the charity to a record year of donations -- more than $1.8 million.

When Tina McDonough of RE/MAX Select in Renton, Wash., lost her friend, Michelle Brown, to breast cancer in 2008, it touched her deeply. "I watched her 12-year-old daughter and her husband fall apart," McDonough says. "I had to do something, so I started a team to walk in her memory." Today, it's the top fundraising team for the Susan G. Komen organization in the country -- it has raised $1.4 million. McDonough also includes the Komen logo on all of her real estate signs.

Joel Pratt of J.L. Pratt, REALTORS in Canton, Mass., raises money and awareness for MatchingDonors.com, a nonprofit that has saved more than 500 lives by matching kidney donors with recipients. Pratt says every life saved keeps the memory of Lynda, his beloved wife of nearly 25 years, alive. She died in 1998 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

Kristina Rhodes with F.C. Tucker Emge, REALTORS in Newburgh, Ind., has helped make more than 80 children's dreams come true with her support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When Rhodes learned of Emily Jones, an 11-year-old fighting an aggressive form of cancer, and her dream of taking a Caribbean cruise, she acted. Sadly, Emily's health never reached a level to allow for the trip. So Rhodes brought the cruise to Emily by arranging a pontoon ride on the Ohio River. "Emily taught me about what's really important in life and helped me keep things in perspective," Rhodes said.

So what's the next step for you? Follow the acronym C.A.R.E. to get started today as a real estate agent who, well, cares:

C - Commit yourself to a cause. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: The day you truly commit, your whole world changes.

A - Act on your commitment. The only way anything gets done is through action.

R - Reward yourself. Humans do things because there's something in it for them. After you act, do something nice for yourself.

E - Enjoy the rewards. I promise, once you start giving back to a cause you care deeply about, you will enjoy your life (and your increased business) more.

Let me hear from you. Are you involved philanthropically in your community? If not, why not? Do you believe if you were to give back to your community your business would grow?

Bob Corcoran, national speaker and author, is founder of Corcoran Consulting Inc. (800-957-8353), an international consulting and coaching company specializing in performance coaching and implementing sound business systems into residential brokers' existing practices. Contact Bob at "Article at CorcoranCoaching dot com".

Related Articles - Bob Corcoran, Corcoran Consulting, real estate coaching, Realtor, real estate advice, residential broker, real estate speaker, home selling tips, realtor coac,

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