Tapping Into Your Network Partners

Once I needed a plumber, and I was amazed that I did not have a plumber in my network. I have dozens of contacts of almost every type of profession, but I did not have a plumber. So I called one of my network partners in hopes that she could give me a referral.

She gave me the name of someone with her strong recommendation, and I talked with the plumber’s wife on the phone who was very professional and efficient. We scheduled the appointment for a mutually appropriate time and date, and I waited for when my problem would be solved.

During the appointment, he fixed one problem without the need for extended work, and he installed a new faucet for me with care and speed. In addition, he told me what he was doing and why. In short, I received excellent service, gained information, and was not charged an excessive amount of money.

Before he left my house, I told him to use me as a reference and gave him permission to provide my name and contact information to anyone who wanted assurance of his work. I told him that he did not have to contact me before sharing my contact information for the reference.

After the work was done, I sent a card to my network partner thanking her for the referral and telling her how pleased I was. I told her that I would be glad to refer him to anyone else that needed his service. I also sent a card to him thanking him for the service and telling him again how I would be glad to refer him to others.

A few days later, my new plumber called me to thank me for the card, stating that a customer had never sent him a card thanking him for his service. He said that he was touched by my gesture, and wanted to tell me how much it meant to him. I told him how much his call touched me also.

Gratitude Marketing means that we thank a person for their business, their gestures, their advice, or whatever they do that impacts our lives. It doesn’t matter how great or how small, they have done something that made our day better. Perhaps it was good service or a good product for a fair price, perhaps it was a gesture that wasn’t expected, or perhaps it was just a smile.

Your thank you gesture can be a card, a telephone call, or a polite thank you when you see them. Nike’s slogan implores us to take action, “Just Do It”!!! You never know whose day you can make better, or how their reaction may make yours better also. You never know who might need some Gratitude Marketing.

So let’s all start doing the right thing. Thank others for their service, products, and gestures. Their response may also make your day better. Make someone else’s day better; just do the right thing. Then share your comments here, or call me at 360-314-8691, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com. We could start a whole new movement, or restart an old one.