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Month: August 2021

The Benefit of Thanking Your Customers

Posted on by Ilan Mann

Gratitude. It’s such a simple word to say. In reality, it has so much meaning. And it means different things to different people. It can even anchor your business strategy. One thing about gratitude, though, is that it takes practice. The more you practice offering thanks to those you interact with, the happier and better satisfied you (and the recipient) become. That’s good for your business – and you.

Showing gratitude to others is one way you can make them feel appreciated, which is something that offers surprising rewards if you’re willing to initiate. In fact, the art of thanking others can be what sets you apart and builds loyalty among customers, donors, and employees alike. Here’s what you need to know about thanking others, the psychology behind it, and how to maximize its value for your business.

How You Benefit From Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t just about your customers, it can offer big benefits for you. Thanking someone is a small thing that breeds enormous results. The more frequently you practice thanking others, the more thankful you feel about your own life, at least according to Harvard Medical School.

As you take on a grateful mindset, you’ll begin feeling thankful for more and more things. If you have trouble verbalizing gratitude, you might begin by creating a gratitude journal or writing thank-you cards to people in your circle. The more you practice these actions, the easier it will be to offer your thanks to your customers and tell people around you that you are thankful for them.

In business, this isn’t only for customer appreciation. You can show appreciation for employees or even individuals (even vendors) who have given their money, time, and talent to support your business.

Psychology Of A Thank You

Thanking your customers will make a huge difference to your bottom line if you leverage the power of expressing gratitude. in addition to the personal benefits that practicing gratitude and thanking others offer, you’ll enjoy the benefit of more loyal customers.

Why? One big factor is that offering and receiving thanks is actually less common than you’d think. According to a recent study published in Psychological Science, most people underestimate the value of saying thank you – so they don’t do it.

Researchers discovered that when people thank someone, they underestimate the positive sentiments that their statement of appreciation elicits. That might explain why some individuals don’t express their gratitude more frequently.

In several experiments, participants picked someone who positively influenced them and anticipated how the recipient would react to receiving a letter of thanks. The researchers sent letters to the recipients of the thank-you letter and asked them to evaluate the individual thanking them.

According to the survey results, those expressing gratitude significantly underestimated how positively the recipient would rate them. They notably underestimated the competency rating, indicating that looking silly or inept might be a significant barrier to expressing thanks.

What Does Cultivating Gratitude Mean for Businesses?

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop.

When you thank your customers, employees, and others you come in contact with, it makes them FEEL good. If you do it consistently, those good feelings become something they associate with you and your business. They will seek out those experiences over interactions with other people because of how your company makes them feel.

In other words, it creates loyalty.

People will often turn down higher-paying jobs if they feel appreciated and valued in their current jobs. The same holds for customers. They will drive out of their way and across town to do business with a shop or store that makes them feel appreciated rather than going to one nearby that does not.

Even with e-commerce businesses, customers will return time and again to websites that make them feel appreciated rather than going to those that make them feel like a nameless, faceless number instead of a valued customer. The way you make people feel matters. Thanking them is a crucial method for making them feel valued and appreciated by you and your business.

Practicing Gratitude in Business

When you make people associated with your business feel appreciated, they will be much more loyal to your business than those who do not. This means expressing gratitude is an incredible way to build loyalty for your business.

Here are a few ideas on how to make your customers feel appreciated:

  • Add bonus items or small extras to packages when delivering items.
  • Offer free products or samples to customers.
  • Start a loyalty program that provides discounted or free items with repeat purchases.
  • Provide discounts on future purchases.
  • Offer employee appreciation benefits.
  • Spotlight customers, employees, etc. in weekly newsletters or social posts.

Another easy way to express gratitude is with a handwritten thank-you card. It may seem like a simple gesture, but it makes an impression on your audience. In fact, a handwritten thank-you note carries far more weight than you may realize because:

  • People don’t deliberately say thanks all that often.
  • A handwritten thank-you card is more likely to stand out in the mail.
  • Handwritten cards are more likely to be read and remembered.
  • The fact that someone wrote the information makes gratitude appear more authentic.
  • It’s an easy method to show customer appreciation.

Because you practice gratitude, show appreciation, and give thanks, you continue to enjoy the mental health and physical benefits that being grateful provides. Plus, you enjoy the benefits of loyalty from your customers and employees. It’s a real win for businesses and individuals from all walks of life.

Of course, you can thank your customers and employees in many ways. But the most important thing is to actually thank them. More importantly, show them you are grateful for their business and be thankful for things each day as they happen. Do this consistently enough, and over time you will enjoy greater customer loyalty as your business grows.

How to keep customers engaged with your business

Posted on by Ilan Mann

We live in an increasingly “instant” society. From drive-thru restaurants to Amazon Prime, people rely on prompt service – often at the expense of the deep relationships businesses once had with their customers. It makes it difficult to engage the way businesses once did. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your customers engaged with your business, using approaches that weren’t always available to the businesses of yesteryear.

The great news is that these are key components of outstanding customer service that will work for e-commerce and in-store sales – giving you greater opportunities for customer engagement than ever before. Here are a few key things you can do to improve customer engagement with your business and ensure greater customer loyalty – long after a purchase or transaction.

Create Value

The value you create for your customers doesn’t just stop at the service or product you provide. By serving as a resource for them, you establish a relationship of mutual value with them. They will see you as an important asset to have in their lives, and they’ll want to remain connected with your business.

You can do this by sharing whitepapers, guides, infographics, and even ebooks detailing information that your customers will find of value, even if it isn’t directly related to your product. You can also provide tips that will help customers use your products or services more effectively. Lastly, you share success stories of how other people use your products or services to achieve great results and inspire your target audience.

Get Social to Build Relationships

Social media is a boon for businesses of all sizes. Of course, it is only what you make of it. If you don’t invest your time and attention toward creating a strong social media presence, it can’t really pay off for your business.

However, social media offers small businesses a free platform to reach out to their customers for various reasons. You can use social media to ask for customer feedback, announce new products and services, showcase your team members, and engage in conversations that are relevant in the communities where your business operates.

The more social media platforms you use to engage your customers, the greater your engagement is likely to be. Some of the top platforms you might want to consider for your business include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Another popular option that requires a little more planning and work on your part is YouTube. Here you can make videos about practically anything related to your business and post them for current and future engagement with your customers.

The idea is to post frequently and respond to customer questions and complaints as they arise. Believe it or not, how you respond to complaints made on social media can have a massive impact on how customers view your business and your brand.

Have Contests

Contests and competitions, especially those where prizes are involved, build engagement and deepen customer loyalty. They are incredible tools for keeping your customers on the edge of their collective seats to see who wins.

The type of competition or prizes awarded isn’t nearly as important as casting a wide net among your audience for interest. In other words, the prizes do need to be meaningful enough that a large section of your audience is on board to participate. When this happens, they’ll spread the word for you.

You don’t have to offer daily prizes or even monthly contests to win customer loyalty. But hosting different contests throughout the year can make a significant difference to your customer engagement, participation, and, ultimately, sales.

Create a Loyalty Club with Special Offers

Customer loyalty programs are another great way to increase engagement. They are great tools for creating repeat business by offering freebies and discounts. For instance, old-fashioned punch cards can be great for food services. Every ten punches on the card result in a free sandwich, coffee, dessert, etc. People will come in day after day, as long as you provide good service and products so that they can get the free product down the road. It’s a small price to pay to encourage customer loyalty. One that is often well rewarded with loyal paying customers who frequent your business regularly.

Ask for Their Opinions

Surveys are incredible tools you can use to get feedback and opinions from your customers. Surveys are cost-effective tools you can use to ask a wide range of questions and solicit commentary from your customers.
Participation can also be fun for customers. It gives them a voice in future products your company creates, the level of customer service you offer, and how you interact with them regularly.

Thank Them for Their Patronage

Finally, don’t forget to thank your customers. While telling them “thank you!” is terrific, there are more meaningful ways to thank them that will stay with them much longer while increasing engagement at the same time. One way is with handwritten thank-you cards and notes.

This is an underrated method of building customer engagement that often flies under the radar in our highly technological society. However, it is a method that can generate fantastic results when it comes to loyalty and engagement from your customers. Handwritten letters and handwritten notes make your customers feel appreciated and wanted.

We live in a world where so much communication is handled by email that it stands out and makes an impression when you send an actual handwritten letter by mail.

The Key Is To Get Started

The more your business uses these methods to improve customer engagement, the better the results are likely to be for your business. However, it’s up to you to implement them. If you run a business, ensure that your customer engagement efforts are a daily and ongoing part of your operations.

Don’t wait until you have a significant problem to start talking to your customers. Don’t forget that it is vital for any business owner or entrepreneur to know how valuable their customers are.

How to Make a Thank-You Note More Memorable

Posted on by Ilan Mann

Thank-you cards are a straightforward concept: they convey gratitude for a kind deed, statement, or gift. For the writer, the formality of a handwritten thank you might be overwhelming. Many individuals underestimate the impact of a handwritten thank-you note. With so many new forms of communication, it seems like a hassle to do anything more than send an email, text message or phone call.

A handwritten thank you note, on the other hand, conveys far more. It says that you took the time to sit down and say thanks to those who did something that helped you out. A handwritten thank-you card is the perfect way to express gratitude to someone, regardless of the context.

We understand that many individuals struggle with deciding what to put in a thank-you note. Many folks think that the wording must be flawless before it is signed, sealed, and sent, which might lead to procrastination on the part of the writer. However, a poorly-worded letter brimming with sincere passion is preferable to one that was never written in the first place.

We know that people often struggle with what to put in a thank-you card. In an attempt to make the process of writing personal notes easier, we’ve compiled a short list of instructions to make sure you get it right with your thank-you note – even if you use a handwritten letter service to write them at scale.

Use a Friendly Tone

As previously said, writing a thank-you note creates a more personal connection with your recipient than sending an email or text. However, if you use the wrong tone, you can harm the relationship you are trying to create.

If you write in a formal manner, you run the risk of creating separation between yourself and your customer. Instead, try and maintain a friendly and approachable tone. Forget about formalities, even if you’re writing on behalf of a company or to a business contact. Consider how you would express yourself if the receiver were present and conversing with you in person. Use ordinary turns of phrase rather than overly complicated or advanced jargon simply because it sounds impressive.

Remember to be genuine. Even if you maintain your tongue firmly in cheek in your note, humour might get lost in the written word. If you don’t know the receiver well, forgo humour and communicate from the heart. Don’t go overboard, since gushing might come across as insincere; but write with genuine thanks.

Maintain a Positive Approach

Some gestures, no matter how noble the intent, might fall flat at times. You know you should thank them for what they’ve done for you, but something didn’t seem quite right. For example, the customer wasn’t all that polite, or a donor gave less than you had hoped. Perhaps an employee or volunteer worked extra hours, but you did not receive the desired outcome. A thank-you note is not the appropriate venue for conveying what went wrong. Instead, concentrate on what you liked about the gesture.

For what it’s worth, there may never be a good time to express your displeasure with the gesture. It is frequently preferable to think long game and maintain excellent relationships as a result. Criticize individuals for their efforts, and they will be less willing to volunteer for you in the future.

Leave Out Any Sales Pitch

The purpose of a thank-you message is to express your thanks. Refrain from turning your message into a sales pitch. When drafting thank-you cards for professional objectives, this step might be quite challenging. We know that communicating with customers is often about marketing or promoting, but you’re better off resisting the urge.

When you include any kind of a sales pitch in your thank-you card, it contradicts your original goal and makes your note appear disingenuous. Sales pitches should be reserved for marketing campaigns. They have no place in thank-you notes or cards.

Mention Specifics

To personalise each thank-you card, it is critical that you include precise information in your expression of gratitude. Do you want to say what this individual has done to deserve this gratitude? You want to personalize their acts as much as possible, to avoid your thank-you coming off as generic or cookie-cutter in nature. Mention a specific transaction or the circumstance. Reference as many details as possible and why they are important. It is rewarding to know that someone appreciates you.

Remember: the impact they had may not be apparent to them, so it is critical you get specific so they can connect the dots. Examples of how to add detail include: “You really went above and beyond during our latest fundraising drive” or “I appreciate you referring XXXXX to me.”

End Your Note Warmly

Make sure the way you conclude your thank-you note makes a good impression. Your closing remarks should be friendly and personal. Both “Warmest regards” and “With gratitude” are safe bets. Try “With love,” or “Love and appreciation” if you’re extremely close to the recipient. If you’re communicating in a religious context, “God bless you” or “Blessings” may be appropriate.

Reduce the number of official sign-offs to a bare minimum. While “With Regards” and “Yours Truly” are appropriate business letter closings, they will seem cold and uncaring on a thank-you note.

Write Your Thank-You Note Today

Your thank-you note should be short, sweet and sincere. Long messages sound like a burden to read and might seem insincere. Don’t write lengthy stories in these notes; simply convey your gratitude without fanfare or fuss.

After all, the purpose of a thank-you note is to express your gratitude. Keep your message short and personalized, limit the sales pitch if at all possible, use specific and clear details, end with a warm sign off. If you keep these proven approaches in mind, before you know it you will be a total pro when it comes to writing thank-you notes.