Gratitude Expert: Lori Saitz
Over the weekend, I saw a post in a sales-focused Facebook group about sending thank you notes to clients. The person posting was recommending the practice.
The majority of commenters said they’d “tried” it and it made no difference in their sales numbers.
Wow, that’s some sad state of affairs right there.
Expressing Gratitude In Business:
My comment was that first off, how do you know you’re not missing out on additional referrals and/or sales because you didn’t express gratitude? And secondly, what happened to good manners?!
If you’re running a successful business, you likely have a marketing plan. Do you include client appreciation in that strategy? Don’t feel bad if you don’t. Most people don’t, but it’s the part of your marketing that gives you the biggest bang for the buck.
When you have a system in place for saying thank you – and you follow it – just like when you have a system for doing anything, it gets done. And you don’t stress about it.
“When you have a system in place for saying thank you – and you follow it, it gets done.”
You know what else you don’t stress about? The rest of your marketing and business development efforts. Yes, you’ll still have to attend to them, but you won’t be as desperate because that client appreciation system will be doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
How Do You Create This Client Appreciation System? It’s Very Easy:
Here’s a quick exercise to get you started on creating your own system. Take out a piece of paper or open a fresh screen on your iPad. Write down New Clients, 6-months, 1-year, Referral Sources, and Birthdays.
Now put down what you do to say thank you to your clients at those first three points in your relationship. Put down what you do to say thank you when someone sends you a referral. And what do you do for your clients’ birthdays?
Granted, your business may have different touch points, but these are some basic ones. If you don’t have a plan for at least the new clients and the referrals, I guarantee you are working harder than you need to on getting new business and the money in that pot of gold is going to some other lucky leprechaun.
I Once Had A Client With A Membership Program:
Back when I ran the baking company, I had a client with several different membership programs in his business. His average client was staying with him for about seven months.
He decided to try something. He started sending Gratitude Cookies at about six months, with a note about how thankful he was to have them as clients. Listen to this! He more than DOUBLED his client retention and reached the point that his clients were staying with his program an average of 18 months!
His average client was spending approximately $197 a month with him. Over seven months, that’s a total of $1380. Double that and you’re talking $2760. Clearly his $25 investment was returning a decent ROI.
“Expressing your gratitude in business can be a long-term play. But it’s definitely worth the effort.”
Effect Of Expressing Your Gratitude:
Don’t get too hung up on the WHAT to send or how much to spend. It’s not as much about what you’re sending as it is the concept of sending something that expresses your gratitude. A few ideas include bamboo arrangements or money trees, coffee or tea assortments, goat milk soaps, picture frames, books, the list goes on. And none of these will send anyone into anaphylactic shock or cause a celiac issue.
Ask yourself, how much is a client worth to you? Do you like working so hard? Or would you rather get more business and more referrals from the clients and the network you already have?
Expressing your gratitude in business can be a long-term play. But it’s definitely worth the effort.
Did you enjoy this article? Become a Kuel Life Member today to support our ad-free Community. Sign-up for our Sunday newsletter and get your expert content delivered straight to your inbox.
About the Author:
Lori Saitz loves sharing the power of gratitude and meditation with entrepreneurial professionals who hire her to help them boost business success and achieve life goals faster – without working harder. She is the CEO of Zen Rabbit, host of the podcast “FINE is a 4-Letter Word,” and a sought-after speaker. When she’s not working, you can find Lori in the weight room at the gym, because she also loves baking and eating. See more at the Zen Rabbit website and connect with her on LinkedIn.
