Appreciation Marketing – It’s Marketing After All

Sometimes when we discuss Appreciation Marketing, we leave out the “marketing” part.  After discussing all the ways to show our appreciation for others, what we are also doing is marketing ourselves and what we have for others, whether it is our product, our services, or our ideas.  We still have to get others to hear us, understand us, and see the value in what we say.  The “appreciation” part is just the overall manner in which our message gets out to others.

You may be looking for a new career which means you are marketing the product that you should know the best.  Or else, you may be trying to market a fantastic product or service that you developed.  Again, you should know your product or service better than anyone else.  There is also the possibility that you are representing a company as their marketing representative, with no personal part in the development of the product or service in question.

Previously, we have covered various ways for you to show your appreciation for your customers, prospects, even casual acquaintances.  How do you market your product or service and yourself to those people?  People do business with companies because of the people with which they do business.  I believe that people base their buying decision 80% on the basis of the person with whom they are dealing rather than the company itself.

People may do business with a person in spite of the company that they represent if the representative is considered to be professional, passionate, and personable.  You must present yourself in that manner in order for people to see you that way.  You must make anyone with whom you meet, communicate, or otherwise interrelate know that you are professional, passionate, and personable.  If you do, relationships will come into your business and personal lives, and referrals and business will flow to you.

You must represent yourself as honest, valid, ethical, trustworthy, and caring about others.  Be a giver to others, and put the interests of others before your own.  Make sure that you listen to others and discover their needs before you try to solve them.  Make your personal and business lives reflections of each other.  You friends should want to be your customers; your customers and friends should become your honest, enthusiastic marketing representatives.  Make karma your watchword.

Of course, you should spell check, grammar check, and proofread every word, sentence, paragraph that you produce, whether it is email, letter, essay, text, publication, or other communication.  If you heard your voice mail announcement for the first time would you leave a message or want to do business with you?  If you met yourself in the grocery store, would you refer business to you?  If you appear to be professional, passionate, and personal, you will be considered to have those traits.  If people perceive you to be all those things, they will do business with you, and they will refer business to you.

How do you feel about your marketing efforts?  Do you “appreciate” your clients, prospects, or anyone else that you contact?  How does your “marketing” look, read, or sound?  Are you professional, passionate, and personable?  You can leave me your comments, email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.  You are the most important part of your communication efforts; how you perform those efforts is what impacts those that see, hear, read, or even feel what you put forth.  Make it good karma, and the results will please everyone.