Random Acts of Kindness –Appreciation Marketing or Not?

Say you are walking through the grocery aisle and someone asks you where something is located.  Do you wonder why you were singled out, or if you look like someone who works there, or why this always happens to you?  Do you even look like someone who really cares?

Did you ever think that this is a golden opportunity to practice some Appreciation Marketing?  Why not help the person find what they are searching for (assuming that you actually know), or let them know, in a polite manner, that you just cannot help them, but perhaps you can give them the general location.

What have you just accomplished?  You have provided a random act of kindness, something that maybe they will pass on to others.  What if this person happens to see you again in a business environment?  Would they remember you for your kindness or would they remember you as the jerk who ignored their need for assistance?

Which one of the above will the person remember when someone may need what you have to market?  Which one of the above will they introduce with glowing comments to someone else at a networking meeting?  I think that you can see the possibilities here.

I am not saying that we should all prowl the aisles of stores looking for opportunities to assist the lost and confused.  I am saying that we should treat our fellow humans as humans, the way that we all would like to be treated.  It just makes good sense.

I heard the best customer service and etiquette consultant, Jodi Blackwood, say that you never know who someone that you meet may know.  That is so true, and you never know who they may refer to you, if they believe that you are professional, passionate, and yet personable in your business dealings.

So the next time that you can perform a random act of kindness, take the opportunity and try to do something nice for someone who you may never see again, or someone who may become your biggest fan.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691, so we can discuss them.  I will continue to honor your information as I honor all my networking partners’ comments and questions.  Thank you for your interest and input.

Appreciation of Prospects – How Does Appreciation Marketing Apply?

Last week, we mentioned prospects and said that we would discuss how appreciation marketing would apply to them.  How can you show appreciation to someone to whom you have never sold anything?

 A prospect is someone who has never been your customer.  When you first met them, send them a note to thank them for the contact and let them know that you want to meet them and get to know them better.  Then, follow up with them and meet them for a chat to establish a relationship.  They should remember you when you contact them; they are not a cold call; they are someone who should recognize you if you call them to meet.  Then you meet them, exchange some information, and establish a networking relationship.  Afterwards, you send them a thank you for the meeting and information, reassure them that you value the relationship, and indicate that you will be glad to exchange any referrals that may come forth.

This is the important aspect of dealing with prospects.  You treat them with respect and courtesy.  You follow up with them each step of the way and establish the relationship in a non-threatening manner.  Then you follow up some more, referring any prospects that you can to them, and thanking them for any referrals that they send to you.  We have previously discussed referrals from our customers.  These referrals from prospects are more valuable.  If a prospect provides you with lots of referrals, it means that the prospect trusts you.  People who trust you will eventually do business with you.  If you can legally, depending on your industry, reward anyone who gives you a referral, but at the very least thank them, in private and in public, for their referral.  Why do you thank them?  It shows appreciation for their trust in you.  Why do you do it in private?  Your referring party needs the pat on the head.  Why do you do it in public?  It shows everyone else what a professional networking partner the referring party is and what a professional you are to gain the trust of the referring party.  This thanking process applies equally to referrals from customers.

Once at a networking meeting, I said that I would not pressure anyone at the meeting to be my customer.  I said that I wanted their referrals; I wanted all their family members, their neighbors, their banker, their grocer, their mechanic, their co-workers, everybody in their lives.  The intent was that if they referred all those people to me, they would trust me enough to do business with me themselves.  I eventually obtained orders from almost the entire group.  Why?  I gained their trust, I showed my appreciation for their referrals, and I did what I said that I would do, provide the best customer service that was possible.

Previously, we discussed how to show continuing appreciation for both current customers and customers that you have lost.  Prospects are no different.  You cannot thank them for their order since they have not placed one with you yet.  You do thank them for the first contact, you thank them for meeting again, you thank them for their referrals, and you thank them for the continuing relationship.  In addition, birthdays, anniversaries, and other holidays/events give you additional opportunities to show appreciation for the relationship.  It is this type of marketing that will establish you with your prospects as a professional in the business world.  Of course, when they do become customers, you already know how to show appreciation for their business.

Appreciation Marketing is an important aspect to your business dealings.  While it may not always gain you a customer, it will help you retain your relationship with your prospects, the same prospects who should be a source of valuable referrals.  Use appreciation marketing to foster a relationship with everyone that you meet.  You never know who will be a source of business for you.

Again, if you have questions or comments, please email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691, so we can discuss them.  I will honor your information as I honor all my networking partners’ comments and questions.  As always, thank you for your interest and input.

Appreciation of Non-Customers – How Does Appreciation Marketing Apply?

There are two types of non-customers.  First, there is someone who was a customer at one time, but they ceased doing business with you.  Second, there is someone who has never been your customer.

Previously, I said that when you lose a customer (and we all do), you should send them your thank you for their business and tell them how sorry you are that you will not have the pleasure of serving them in the future.  If you do not know why they have ended their relationship with you, ask them if there was something that you did that resulted in their decision to stop doing business with you.  Also ask if there was something that you did not do that you should have done.  Sometimes someone ceases doing business with you for no reason that you can rectify.  You literally did nothing wrong; the situation just changed.  You should always attempt to discover why you lose a customer’s business.  Even if you did not do anything wrong or there was not anything else that you could have done to please them, you still need to know.

If you did something wrong, fix it, tell the former customer how sorry that you are, and assure them that the problem is fixed.  If you omitted doing something that you should have done, assure them that the situation is now changed for the better.  Then, thank them for their business and indicate that you plan to contact them in the future for a possible resurrection of their business.  In both of these cases, contact the former customer in the future and ask them to reconsider their relationship with you.

Let us say that the former customer refuses to tell you why they cancelled their relationship with you.  Again, thank them for their business and reassure them that you still would like to know what the problem was so that you can attempt to address it.  If they do not let you know, move on to future follow up.

In either situation, don’t fail to include both these former customers in your future “appreciation” networking efforts.  Keep sending them greetings on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions.  Keep referring business to these former customers, just like you did prior to their first order with you.  Do not fail to have faith in this theory of networking; it shows that you are interested in relationships that last, no matter what the basis.  It is not that we make mistakes, or not (everyone does sometimes), that defines us; it is how we deal with our mistakes that lets others know what type of business people we are.

Finally, what about those non-customers who have never ordered from you?  They are prospects, and we will discuss them next time.  Just remember that all types of non-customers are possible sources of referrals, assuming that they consider you professional, passionate about your business, and personable in your dealing with others, even the ones who ceased being your direct customers.  You do want referrals from all of them don’t you?

Appreciation Marketing is an important aspect to your business dealings.  While it may not always save a customer, it will help you retain most of them.  Use it to restore a relationship with those that you do lose.

Again, if you have questions or comments, please email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691, so we can discuss them.  I will honor your information as I honor all my networking partners’ comments and questions.  As always, thank you for your interest and input.

Appreciation of Customers – A Basis for Appreciation Marketing

For anyone who has a business, one of the most valued parts of that business is our customer base.  We spend a sizable amount of time, effort, and expense in acquiring our customers.  It is much easier, requires less time, and costs less money for us to retain those customers rather than go looking for new ones.  (I am not saying that Appreciation Marketing cannot help obtain new customers, but that is a topic for another blog.)

How do we keep customers happy; how do we get them to appreciate us as businesses as much as we should appreciate them as customers?  We do this by showing them that we appreciate them for being customers.  Does that mean giving away our product or service?  No, it also does not mean under-pricing whatever we sell, nor does it mean that we have to “give” them anything that we don’t “give” to everyone.  It means treating them in a professional, personable, and polite manner.

Everyone likes to be noticed; don’t you like it?  As a child, we liked a pat on the head or shoulder; we liked to be recognized for whatever we did.  Maybe we did things to get that recognition that were not always good.  Our customers are no different.  Customers who believe that we care about them keep doing business with us, and they refer business to us.

First, when you sign a new customer, thank them for doing business with you, welcome them into your customer base, and tell them that you want their feedback on your product or service.  You can do this in person, by email, by telephone, or you can send them a card with the message in your own words.  Do not, and I repeat, do not ask them to buy anything else, or upgrade, at the same time.  Thank them, and don’t ask for anything in return, but their possible feedback.

Second, thank them periodically for continuing to be your customer; do not let them think that the fact that they continue to do business with you means never being recognized or thanked again.  Remember, do not include any offers for additional products or services.  What if your product or service is truly a one time buy; it never wears out, or it never needs to be purchased again?  Do you really want the customer think that you still don’t care about them?  This brings us to the third step.

Happy customers will refer business to you.  You want, and need, referrals.  This is unpaid advertising.  Thank everyone who refers anyone else to you, even if you do not close the deal.  The next referral from that customer might be the biggest deal you ever write.  Always ask a new customer how they knew of you or who, if anyone, referred them.  This will show that you care about your customers, including when they refer someone to you.

In addition, capture your customers’ date of birth and anniversary, along with their spouses’ date of birth.  Never ask for the year, just the month and day.  Then send them a birthday card and an anniversary card.  Make sure that you include both spouses in the anniversary card, and never send both spouses the same birthday card or message in the same year.  Also, make note of other holidays, Christmas, New Years, Independence Day.  Even Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Presidents Day can provide an opportunity for you to brighten a customer’s day.  Another opportunity to touch someone – send a veteran a card on Veteran’s Day to show appreciation for their service, no matter when they served, the branch, or the position.

Finally, when you lose a customer (and we all do), send them your thank you for their business, and tell them how sorry you are that you will not have the pleasure of serving them in the future.  If you do not know why they have left you, ask them if there was something that you did, or if there was something that you did not do that you should have.  (It does not mean that you will change anything.  You should always know why you lose a customer, even if you did nothing wrong or there was nothing else you could do to please them.)

Customer Appreciation Marketing – it is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to retain your customer base.  It sure is a lot easier than listening to the door slam as they leave you.  It also can lead to more customers through the referrals your customers will send to you.

If you have questions or comments, please email or call me, so we can discuss them.  Want to meet for a chat?  We can do that.  Want to discuss your business and how you practice appreciation marketing?  We can do that.  Thank you for your interest and input.