“You don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression.”
It’s your new team member’s first day. In addition to planning what they will DO, are you being intentional about planning how they will FEEL? (A great book that digs into that concept is “The Power of Moments“.)
ONE thing you can do is be intentional about welcoming them, set the tone of what to expect, and give them some insight into the personality of your team. A Swag Bag is a good start!
Here are 27 Ideas For Your New Agent/Ops Boss® Swag Bag
Branded items with your team logo is a very popular choice for new agent or team member swag. A logo can be added to almost anything. A few possibilities include:
- Sweatshirt
- T-Shirt
- Travel mug
- Insulated bag (this makes a great lunch box!)
- Pint glass (for the welcome happy hour!)
- Insulated tumbler
- Koozies
- Water bottle
- Measuring tape
- Keychain
- Mini flashlight (can come in handy when showing houses!)
- Wine stopper
- Pens
- Notecards and return labels branded with their name and the new team info
The essentials, of course, are:
15. New business cards (if they take their photo before the first day and you don’t use e-cards)
16. Training materials for the first few days.
Books! This is another popular welcome item. Is your team reading a particular book all together? Be sure to include a copy so your new team member can join in right away. You can also include some all-around great books such as these:
10. Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA)
20. Seven Levels of Communication
A few unique and heartfelt items we’ve seen and loved for new team members are:
24. A handwritten welcome note. Especially in this digital age, a handwritten note can make your new team member feel valued and welcome
25. Food! You could wrap fun sayings around candy bars or you could choose a few favorite snacks of the new team member
26. Does your team have a word of the year? Give them an item with the word on it such as a tumbler or notebook
27. Handmade welcome sign and low-maintenance plant to make their desk feel like home
The way you welcome a new team member sets the tone for your future and theirs. Being intentional in setting them up for success is BOSSY!