Appreciation Marketing – It Applies to Employees Also

Previously we discussed the theory that Appreciation Marketing helps any business build their client base through showing networking partners that you care about their success and well being. Appreciation Marketing teaches us that keeping your current clients is cheaper in time and money than only looking for new ones to replace those whom you lose due to their perception that you have been ignoring them and their contribution to your success.

In other words, show your clients, prospects, acquaintances, and everyone that you meet your appreciation for what they do for you, and for others, and you will gain their loyalty. You will also gain their referrals of others, even if they themselves may not be clients. It is just good business and helps everyone involved.

There is another group of people whom we need to include in Appreciation Marketing, your employees. These are the people whom you trust with the interworking of your business, either on site or in remote locations. They may be your only coworker, or they may be thousands in locations that you very seldom visit. They are as much a part of your business’s success as anything else that you do or say. Your clients contribute to your bottom line, and your employees make that happen.

Do you have a program to recognize personal events in the lives of your employees? What about their birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, children’s events, or even their illnesses? Do you recognize the referrals, either for new clients or new employees, that your current workers have helped bring aboard? We have in the past said that your clients’ anniversaries of becoming a client should be recognized; how about recognizing an employee’s anniversary of employment?

I spoke once with a realtor who indicated to me that she never expressed appreciation for anyone. I asked her about the receptionist in her office who made sure that callers’ messages reached her when she was not in the office to answer their calls. I asked her if she ever thanked her for being there when people called and for delivering their messages. Her response was: “That’s her job”. Yes, it is, but I believe that everyone should be recognized and appreciated for what they do.

Employees should be shown appreciation, not for the fear that they might sabotage our business, but because it is the right thing to do. Just like our clients, prospects, and others that are “outside” our business, we need to recognize those that work towards its success from within. Without them, you would not be the successful owner that you are, or can be.

The most valuable assets of any business are your clients, your inventory, your facilities, but also include your employees. Like your clients, and prospects, your employees are people, just like you. Treat them as you would yourself, even your family, perhaps even better. After all, Appreciation Marketing starts at home, and that includes in your business.

Please leave me your comments about appreciating employees. You can also call me at 360-314-8691, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com. Appreciation Marketing applies to everyone; employees are a part of everyone and can affect our business’s bottom line just as much as clients, prospects, or anyone else. Treat them well, and they will treat you well.