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WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

WHY THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS AN INCREDIBLE TIME TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH YOUR TEAM

HOW SHOWING APPRECIATION IS ALSO A GREAT WAY TO MARKET YOURSELF

EVALUATE YOUR YEAR WITHOUT JUDGEMENT

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 The holiday season is an incredible opportunity to build rapport with your team.

That includes contractors, tradespeople, architects, and, ofcourse, your clients. Building rapport will lead to smoother projects, stronger relationships, and ultimately, higher profits. 

Something super simple but very impactful is building rapport through holiday gestures. This time of year always feels like the perfect opportunity to show a little extra appreciation to the people we work with. 

Now, don’t worry; I’m not saying you need to buy expensive gifts for everyone or even buy a gift for everyone on a project. That’s truly not the point. It’s about a thoughtful gesture that shows you value that person’s contribution.

It can be hard to know who is going to be at a house when you pull up for a site visit, especially when it’s unannounced. So, I like to buy boxes of homemade butter cookies from a local bakery and keep them in my car. For the next couple of days, I’ll show up on a site, and if the carpenter and electrician are at a site, I’ll grab two boxes. I keep little gift tags in my car. I put a quick thank you and personal note on them. You would be shocked at the surprise looks I get when I give a box of cookies that I didn’t make by the way. It’s literally just a heartfelt thank you that goes miles and miles with the guys that I work with. Because what you’re saying with this tiny gesture is, “I see you. I really appreciate what you’ve done.” The acknowledgment alone builds trust. It builds rapport and it positions you as someone who values collaboration, not just focused on your part of the job.

Building rapport like this isn’t just about being nice.

It’s also about setting the tone for how you are perceived. When contractors and trades feel respected, they are more likely to respect you in return. They may even prioritize your projects. They will definitely communicate more openly with you and will want to work with you, not against you. 

My gift giving is heartfelt. It is NOT manipulative. 

We have all gone through frustrating stereotypes people have of designers. I have seen them; I have worked with women who behave like this. The bitchy designer or primadonna, or impossible to work with. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked onto a job site and felt like I had to work twice as hard just to prove I wasn’t that person. But every time you show up as a collaborative, professional partner you are breaking down those stereotypes. 

When you’re the designer who takes the time to say, “Thank you for your hard work.” You are setting yourself apart. It’s that easy. 

Doing this doesn’t just improve your working relationships, it is also one of the best ways to market yourself. 

The reality is contractors, trades, architects – they talk. And when your name comes up you want the conversation to sound like, “Oh, Renee? I love working with her. She’s professional. She’s thoughtful. She makes my job easier.”  That’s the reputation we want. 

There’s even a bigger shift that happens when you build this rapport and relationships.

You stop being seen as the worker bee. You start being seen as an equal partner. 

When you are in the worker bee role, you are just reacting. This is exhausting and puts you in a subservient position where you’re just there to execute. But when you focus on building rapport and respect, that dynamic shifts. You are no longer the person running around trying to keep everyone happy. You’re the leader of the project. You’re the one helping set the vision, make those decisions and make sure that everything aligns with your client’s goals. 

So this is also the perfect time to look back at these projects you had this year and think about what worked and what hasn’t.

But here’s the key: you need to approach this with curiosity and NOT judgment. 

Building rapport and earning respect isn’t just about being nice. It is a strategic move that leads to smoother projects, stronger relationships, and higher profits. So whether it’s a small holiday gesture like we talked about today or a thoughtful thank you or both, these actions make a big impact, and not just on the people receiving them but on you and your confidence.