Communication is the behavior that defines my business as a Mortgage Loan Originator. Buying a home can be exciting, but it can also be stressful and confusing. I believe my clients deserve consistent updates and clear answers throughout the process.

For me, communication means being proactive—keeping clients, Realtors, and partners informed from pre-approval to closing. Even when there isn’t a big update, I make sure people know where things stand.

Strong communication builds trust, reduces anxiety, and helps avoid surprises. It shows my clients that they have someone guiding them every step of the way. When someone refers a client to me, they can be confident that person will be informed, supported, and well taken care of throughout their home financing journey.

I don't waste my client's time - I don't believe in it. In my initial client consultations,  this is one of the many things I stress. There are many ways be disrespectful of time..whether it's being late for an appointment, spamming them with homes that don't fit their criteria because, sending unnecessary emails or trying to list a home higher than it's worth...etc.

Time is valuable, precious and cannot be reclaimed...and everyone is worthy of that respect.

So there you have it...I will not waste anyone's time, I JUST DONT DO IT

Responsiveness: If I don't respond, assume I'm dead.  (Or, maybe my tech is, and reach out again!)

• This does not mean I prioritize urgent over important. 
  The person I'm speaking with right now is always my priority.
  I don't interrupt the person I'm with to check a text or to answer the phone.

Years ago Phil Pennartz invited me to lunch at his club. (That means he paid.) Over dessert (Phil always ordered dessert. His maxim was "It's a good life if you weaken.") he said "Wendy, you have a reputation for not returning your phone calls. If you don't change that you are not going to have a business." So I put systems in place, and now I'm good at returning calls. Even when I think the conversation will be difficult. Especially when I think the conversation will be difficult. 

I'm always going to respond.

For me it's a combination of all 3. Part of my preparation is getting to know them and their risk tolerance.  Are they young and aggressive or older and ready to start taking income out of their investments.  Then communicating that back to them to verify that we are heading down the right path.  I also will follow up with them annually, or more often if they need it, to make sure we are still on track.  Although timing the market is not something I would do, we do look at trends and make sure we are prepared if, say, we are within a couple of years before they retire and need to make adjustments to their portfolio.

Timeliness is a behavior that is very critical to my business and to clients. The ability to provide clients solutions to their insurance concerns and needs within a reasonal time limit is essential to the survival our my business. When customers contact me about a product,  they already have an idea of what they want and my  job is to make their idea a reality. A reasonable time frame I strive for is not later than one business day.

The behavior that's integral to my promise to clients is listening before solving.

It would be easy to jump straight into designing a website. But I spend a lot of time asking questions first. I want to understand how the business works, what makes it different, who they're trying to reach, and what success actually looks like.

One of my engineering clients told me they appreciated that I wasn't trying to fit them into a template. By taking the time to really understand their business first, we ended up with a website that reflected who they are instead of just what they do.

I've learned that the better I listen in the beginning, the better every decision is afterward. The website isn't better because I talked more—it's better because I listened first.

When my client walks through the door of my office for a session or even just a consultation, my attention is focused only on that client, what they want, and how I can help them get it. To help them recognize this, I have a short procedure I follow at the beginning of each visit. Once they are seated, I close the door, lower the shades, and put my phone on airplane mode. I'll also tell my client I'm doing this, to guarantee we won't be disturbed — which often prompts them to follow suit and silence their own phone.

This preparation lets my client know they have my total attention. They can feel more confident I have their best interests at heart — and as a result, they often feel more at ease discussing what can be very sensitive, private situations.

In my business, communication is key.  I feel that half of my job is educating people as to what ingredients/additives/chemicals to avoid and how to recognize them.  They are often hidden on the label or called by other names.  I ask a lot of questions as well to find out what issues clients are facing and what outcome they are looking for.  I help them map out a plan and walk them through getting started on their journey to better health.

Preparation is a behavior that is central to my client relationships. I believe great marketing decisions come from great information, so every new client starts with a structured onboarding process that helps me gather the details needed to build a successful strategy—from websites, social media, past marketing, and Google Business Profile information to business goals and target audiences. My preparation continues with personalized training, easy-to-follow resources, live Zoom sessions, customized dashboards, and monthly strategy meetings backed by relevant performance data. I prepare every report with that specific client's goals in mind so our conversations focus on insights and next steps rather than searching for information. Being thoroughly prepared helps my clients make better decisions, saves time, and gives them confidence that my recommendations are based on accurate, meaningful data.

Communication is a behavior that I feel is critical to my business.  Right from the beginning with a prospect, I ensure they are reminded several times about the time and place for our upcoming consultation.  As part of our discussion during the consultation, I communicate expectations, and I reiterate those with my onboarding emails- what they can expect from me as well as what I expect of them.

Once a client, I ensure that I send them a follow-up email after each session for encouragement, when our next meeting is scheduled, and the actions to take for the next meeting.

This ensures that we are both on the same page, and I always tell them if to contact me with any concerns or comments

For me, it's being reachable.

As I help nonprofits grow their monthly donations, I work very closely with organizations and their missions, waiting days between changes and improvements can cost NPO tons of money in donations. So, when my clients reach out, they hear back from me, usually within 24 hours.

This matter a lot to me, because the nonprofits I work with are stewarding donor money and donor trust. When their gala date changes, or a campaign isn't converting, or they just have a question about their Google Ad Grant, they can't afford to sit there wondering if what we are doing is actually working. Silence costs donations.

One of my clients, Lisa, put it best. She said she looks for vendors she can actually get on the phone, who have the temperance to help her understand what's happening. My clients aren't marketing experts, and they shouldn't have to be. My job is to explain things clearly, respond quickly, and make them feel like they have a partner.

Preparation, timeliness, and communication are traits every scout is taught as very important life skills.  As a scout leader, the boys taught me just the same.  I couldn't ask them to follow these values unless I tried my best to live them myself.  Shortly later, I learned that when people start believing you as a scout leader and a Santa...I best reflect those images because they do come back at you when you don't.  No, I'm not perfect or even close. But I do my best at maintaining these.  My customers my not believe me right off the bat.  But it's much easier if I don't give them a reason to doubt.

When my customer calls me, they expect quality and someone reliable. Typically a call to me is coming from someone who is need of help, and I take that seriously. My character and reliablity is something I pride myself on when helping my customers. I make sure to always be able to answer all of their questions, or to atleast be able to work to get the answer, if it's something I don't know in the moment. I try hard to deliver a white glove customer service in a field that usually doesn't deliver it that way. My goal is that by the end of our job together, that I've delivered on every promise I made, and that I've given not only a quality product, but a service that they're happy to refer to thier friends and family. 

Taking a lot of notes and then going back and adding details from our conversations. Everything in my industry needs to be documented and by having a lot information for a prospect or client, I am always well prepared for our converstaions and meetings. 

I do what I say I am going to do and overly communicate with prospects and clients on purpose. No one will ever tell you that you communicate with them too much.

By doing those things well, it is easier to show a client you are listening and that you care.

My behavior is anticipation.

It is not something I simply remember to do. It is built into how my firm runs. Every client has a Five-Year Look Ahead. It is part of every review I do, twice a year, and it never looks less than sixty months ahead.

When to file for Social Security. Whether a Roth conversion makes sense this year, or makes things worse. The IRA threshold they are three thousand dollars away from crossing.

None of it is urgent when I bring it up. That is the whole point. I would rather raise something five years early than explain it after the window closed.

People hire me so they can settle into retirement and stop scanning the horizon. So the system scans it for them. They should never have to know which question to ask.

Every expensive retirement mistake I have been asked to help fix started the same way: a decision made late, alone, under pressure.

One behavior that's integral to my promise to my clients is staying calm. When someone has experienced a fire, flood, or storm damage, they're often overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. If I show up anxious or rushed, it only adds to the stress they're already carrying. Instead, I try to bring empathy, guidance, and reassurance to every conversation. A calm voice, a clear plan, and taking the time to answer questions can completely change how someone experiences a disaster. Restoration is about repairing property, but it's also about helping people feel confident that everything is going to be okay. That's important to me because I want every client to feel cared for from the very first conversation.

My behavior is Attention.
Giving my attention means that I am being present with the client and they have my undivided attention. They feel that connection, and I truly believe that is something that lasts.

Timeliness and time management are the life blood of any home service business, and especially so in Pest Control. At Reeves Pest Management, setting managable service times and setting customer expectations is key. Treatment windows are also important for letting the client know when its safe to return to areas treated during services. The reason I find it important is not only for the sake of professionalism , but because home service often requires that my clients step out of their normal routine to allow me into their home during their busy weeks, so keeping scheduled appointments makes sure their time tables don't get thrown off. 

At Rapid Response Plumbing, effective communication is the backbone of exceptional customer service because it transforms a stressful, high-anxiety situation into a manageable, transparent experience for the homeowner. Plumbing emergencies often involve active property damage and high financial stakes, leaving customers feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed.

By actively listening to their concerns, clearly explaining the root cause of the issue without overly technical jargon, and providing upfront, honest pricing before work begins, a plumber establishes immediate trust.

Furthermore, keeping clients updated on arrival times and project milestones eliminates uncertainty, turning a routine repair into a reassuring, positive interaction that builds lifelong loyalty

The behavior that's most important to me and my promise to clients is LISTENING. Before strategy, before communication, before creating anything, I want to understand who they are, what they value, and what success looks like to them.

Too often, people listen just long enough to respond. I believe you must listen to understand first. Once you truly understand someone, communication becomes more meaningful because it builds on trust, clarity, and shared expectations.

When clients feel heard, they feel confident. That's the kind of relationship I want to build, because the best work always starts with understanding.

This year, as I've been building my brand, I've realized that I want to be my clients' trusted advisor first and a commercial real estate broker second.

Integral to that promise is honesty. My clients know I'm going to tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. If I think a building is a bad fit, I'll say so—even if it means I don't earn a commission. If I believe waiting six months is the smarter financial decision, I'll tell them that, too.

To me, honesty goes hand in hand with preparation, communication, and timeliness. I prepare for every showing by understanding my clients' needs and presenting not only the properties they expect to see, but also a few outliers that I believe deserve consideration. I communicate every important detail through email, followed by a text so nothing gets overlooked. And I work as quickly and efficiently as possible because I know my clients' time is valuable.

My goal isn't simply to complete a transaction. It's to become the person my clients trust to guide them in making the right decision.

Timeliness is one of mine. I believe in the saying "under promise and over deliver" When I tell my clients I will complete their tax return by a specific day/date, I usually have it done one ore more days prior to that day/date. If I cannot do as promised I get back to them ahead and time, apologize, tell them why I cannot meet my initial due date and provide a new due date. 

The behavior I'd point to is preparation. I document a client's visual standards before I ever pick up a camera.

Let's say a financial services firm came to me with three years of mismatched headshots: different backgrounds, different lighting, different eras. I'd first shoot the whole team on-site in a half day and match every image to their existing brand, lighting and crop included. Now when they hire someone new, the hr manager keeps a checklist and flags that person's photo before their first day, because she knows exactly what she's going to get.

That's the promise. Whether I'm photographing one executive or fifteen new hires two years apart, they can't tell the sessions apart. For an HR or Marketing leader, that's one less thing to manage. It's why I build a written style guide into every ongoing relationship, so consistency isn't something they have to ask for.

I promise my customers a full ervice experience like they are family. I consider and spend time discovering what their needs are and provide options that solve those problems. I'm honest with them so if i'm not the best fit I let them know. I stay in contact and follow up promptly.

I want me customer to feel I truly care

One behavior central to my promise is taking ownership of the process. One of my clients has very little time to film for his YouTube channel, so I plan around the window he can give me and make sure we use it well.

When I edit, I pay attention to pacing, sound, captions, and every detail that makes the final video feel intentional. I do not consider a project finished just because the file exported. It is finished when it meets the goal we agreed on and the client is proud to share it.

I adapt to my clients’ reality without lowering my standards. So when a business owner says, “I know I need video, but I never have time to make it,” that is someone I know how to help.