Thanksgiving may have come and gone but that does not and should not mean you can stop thinking about gratitude for another year. Gratitude may be a natural action at this time of year and even provide you with an “excuse” to check in with your customers and clients, but it’s definitely not something that should only be practiced once a year, but rather year-round.
Whether you use Thanksgiving as a reason or not, I want to share a few examples of how to demonstrate gratitude to your connections or audience. These examples are simple but effective and should even tie-in nicely to your business’ sales or marketing plan.
4 Ways To Show Gratitude And Connect With Your Audience
- Pick. Up. The. Phone. Are you having dejavu? Do you feel like you’ve read this before? Yes it’s from my post on how to show clients that you’re grateful for them. Why am I including it again? Because phone calls are important. In this day and age of instant messaging, emails, and texting, phone calls are a much more personal way to connect with people. As I said in that previous post, this is the easiest phone call you’ll ever make because you’re simply calling to say “Thank you and I appreciate you.” After that, it’s up to you. Hang up and move on down your list or engage the person in a deeper discussion, which we get in to below.
- Ask Their Opinion. People love giving advice, particularly when it is solicited. There’s no better way to make a person feel appreciated than to ask their opinion on something. Asking opinions can pull double duty if you frame it the right way. Ask customers about their pain points and then create a product or service to solve it for them. You can find out via phone calls, surveys, polls, or email replies. Listen and ask questions so you can make sure you get to the real problem not just the problem they think they have. You ask their opinion about a perceived problem or need to come up with a solution…now you’ve helped them and yourself!
- Give Them Something For Free. Send a physical thank-you by gifting your connection with a free product or download, a coupon (just in time for holiday shopping specials!), or an invitation to a customer appreciation event. The freebie doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be meaningful. Remember, this is about showing gratitude and building relationships, not making a big sale.
- Sell To Them. Oops. Did I say this wasn’t about making a sale? I take it back. It can be about making a sale….if you have something of incredible value to sell. People often think of sales as a one-sided transaction where the person who made the sale wins because they get the money. CHANGE YOUR THINKING RIGHT NOW! Selling something of incredible value provides more benefit to the person receiving it than it does to the seller. This is especially true if it’s knowledge or a way to change someone’s circumstances. When you are making sales calls, think of yourself as a doctor who is prescribing a treatment. Listen closely to find out what the problems are and then offer a solution. You are giving them such a gift by selling them a solution.
There you have it! A few simple, yet effective, ways to demonstrate gratitude, strengthen connections, and support your business at the same time…regardless of the time of year. What do you think about this approach? Do you make it a practice to show gratitude in business? What has your experience been like?
