Imagine that you wake up one Monday morning after a nice weekend, and you have the firemen ring your doorbell and make you evacuate your home in your pajamas because your house is on fire. As you grab your children by the hand and grab your wallet or purse, your heart starts pumping as you start to process what is going on.
Then, the fireman asks you that important question. “Before we pour water on your house and ruin everything, what would you like us to retrieve in the next 5 minutes?”
So many things are racing in your mind about what to have them retrieve. Should I have them get my computers, my family pictures, my important papers, or my child’s favorite toy?
When this exact question was posed to me on June 20, 2011, I was surprised at my own response. The main things I had them retrieve were my grandmother’s blanket, my daughter’s favorite toy, and my family pictures.
The part that surprised me the most about this was that the things I had them retrieve had very little monetary value. They were all sentimental to me. I knew I could easily replace the TV’s, the furniture, and the other household stuff. But the family items were priceless to me.
I learned a valuable lesson that day and in the days that followed. I learned that I had worked way too hard to pay for so much stuff that I didn’t even care about, when I should have been spending time every single day showing my appreciation to people that I actually did care about.
Since that revelation, I’ve been making serious efforts to show more appreciation to the important people in my life. In fact, I’ve been working hard to not just show them, but to actually tell them what I appreciate about them.
In today’s Main Essay, I will share 3 techniques of showing appreciation to your customers, co-workers, friends, and family, so you can live your life with gratitude and grow your business in the process.
Technique 4: Tell People Why You Appreciate Them
It may sound obvious to tell someone why you appreciate them, but most of us never actually take the time to do so. In fact, telling someone that you appreciate them is a totally free way to show your appreciation to them.
You may even find that they appreciate this type of gift more than anything else you could give them. Most people at the core just want to be appreciated.
So with your customers, you can either visit them in person, or pick up the phone and simply tell them why you appreciate having them in your life. Make sure when you do this that you don’t have another reason for calling them that day.
Just say something like this (that is tailored to your relationship with them):
“The reason I’m calling is because I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate having you as my [client/friend/co-worker]. I know that we get so busy all the time, and I didn’t know if I’ve ever made it clear to you just how much I appreciate you. I don’t need anything else today. I just wanted to let you know.”
Technique 5: Send A Gift
Another great way to show someone your appreciation is to give them a gift. This is a great way to say “thank you” while also subtly marketing your company at the same time, especially if the gift has your company name and logo on it.
The gift can be nominal in nature from stationary, calendars or ink pens. Of, if you have a budget for it, you can give your customers quality merchandise with your company’s name/logo on it.
For example, you can give your customer a nice shirt or tote bag embroidered with your company’s logo on it. Giving this type of gift has a dual benefit. Not only will your customer enjoy the gift, but your customer also becomes a walking billboard for your company.
You can even personally hand the gift to your customer if you host a special event during the holiday season.
Technique 6: Host A Special Event
For a more face-to-face approach, host a holiday event for your customers and co-workers. Whether formal or casual, a party gives you the chance to connect with your customers in a more intimate and festive atmosphere.
Just remember that the purpose of the event is to show your appreciation and not to sell them on your goods and services. There is always time in the coming year for that.
No matter what your business is, make sure to thank those who support you all year long. Any gesture, no matter how small, will go a long way. Customers will feel appreciated, you will be filled with gratitude, and your bank account will be full with more money that was generated from increased sales.
To learn other ways to increase your revenue, then make sure you sign up for the special Business Mastery Training webinar.
For other business strategies on how to grow your business, then check out a free business startup and growth training program. If you haven’t signed up for that free course yet, I highly recommend you check it out too.
Click here to read Part 1 of this article.
*Originally published as Issue # 46 – November 25, 2011
