Say Thanks Throughout The Year

Now that the end of the year holiday season is a distant memory, many of us are finished with acts of appreciation until the holidays come around again. But acts of gratitude for your clients into your business can boost your business all year long, strengthen your relationships and raise your self-esteem.

There have been studies that indicate that people who practice gratitude are happier, less stressed, more satisfied with their relationships and have higher levels of control of their environment. Grateful people have more positive ways of dealing with problems, and sleep better. Studies have shown that if you think more positive thoughts before going to sleep you will sleep better.

Although there are many emotions and traits that are important elements of a satisfying life, gratitude is a uniquely important element. Gratitude has been demonstrated to explain well being more that any other of the most commonly studied personality traits.

All the ways that we touch our clients, our family members and our friends remind them how important they are to us and in the case of business, of the services that we provide. Showing appreciation to our clients can increase loyalty, improve client retention and referrals, and build relationships.

Greeting cards for special occasions like birthdays and a new baby is tried and true. Making them hand-written, personal and sent by snail mail sends a stronger message about how much you care.

Here’s some other ways to express your thanks:

-One of my clients had a “Client Appreciation Party”. She used a venue owned by one of her clients, so he got some business and exposure, and one of her employees made jam with wine make by another client. Everyone went home after a very pleasant couple of hours with a jar of jam with her business name and logo on it.

-Nothing gets a person’s attention more then a gift out of the blue for no particular occasion. A simple hand written note or a small gift card will make a big impression and be very meaningful.

-Strengthen your relationship with your top clients by inviting them out for a meal. You will get to know them better and be better able to serve them.

-If you see an article or other resource that you think someone will benefit from, send it to him or her. Another terrific way to communicate that you appreciate someone and that you are thinking of him or her.

-Connecting others to resources is a way of showing gratitude that also demonstrates that you have others best interest in mind and are aware of their needs. This goes for anything from a special recipe, to a car repair shop or a great groomer for your pet.

There are so many ways to express gratitude, large and small; a gratitude letter or visit, a note in your child’s lunch box, a hot cup of coffee in the morning. There are hundreds more! Don’t forget to make it part of your life. It’s an easy thing to do that can be low cost in terms of money and time and pays big dividends.