Fixing the "Appreciation Gap"

Just about every good mother and father teach their children two phrases just as soon as they can talk. Say them with me...

 "Please and thank you."

 Awesome. We have wonderful parents (or soon to be parents) reading this post. Cheers.

 But here's the thing. Nearly any parent will tell you, we get tired of hearing "please."  

 "Please can I go to friend's house?"

 "Please can I stay up later?"

 "Please can I have just one more?"

 On the other hand, we never get tired of hearing "thank you." That simple sign of appreciation is much more rare. And even if it's not, it's never annoying. We appreciate the appreciation.  

 Our clients and prospects and employees feel the same way.

 As business owners, sales people, and leaders, we spend a lot of time asking people for something. We ask employees for their effort. We ask customers for their money. We ask both of them for their time. We ask...a lot.

 But how often do you really spend time saying "thank you?" Not just the basic "hey thanks" you say in passing or the automatic email that says "thanks for your purchase." Those are fine...I guess. But they don't take effort and are not really sincere. How often do you stop by a customer's office just to thank them for their business? How often do you pick up the phone to do the same? How often do you schedule a meeting with a person in your organization just to take the time to applaud their efforts?  

 If you are like most of us (me included), the answer is probably "not enough."

 So here are 3 ways to fix the "appreciation gap" in your business.

 1. Just "Thanks:"  Go to your clients or your employees with a simple "thanks meeting." If it's a client, let them know you are only there to say "thank you for their business." If it's an employee schedule a quick meeting. Both will probably give you quizzical looks because they are not used to this sort of meeting. But both will appreciate it.

 2. Send a Card:  Yes...we are going old school. Take the time and send out a simple greeting card showing your appreciation. The fact is, most of the mail we get these days is a bill. This will stand out!

 3. Appreciation Program:  This is for your best clients. Most businesses have a rule that 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients. This is for that 20%. Create a quarterly program where you get a simple gift for your best clients...just to say "thanks." It's simple and it's easy.  

 And you will be saying "thank you" instead of "please."

This is a re-post of a blog that was posted at HassemanMarketing.com. You can see the original post (and many more like it) there. We are posting new content every day.