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As our friends in the US celebrate their Thanksgiving today, I’ve been reflecting this week on the power of gratitude and appreciation to create success. I believe, and have experienced greatly, that every facet of our lives is intertwined – there is no separation – and have adopted an attitude of gratitude for every single facet (even the aspects that are “bad”). Let me share with you how you can improve your business success by showing gratitude and appreciation in the 6 pillars of your business:
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- Clients– Without clients and customers, you have no revenues. When you look at most business models, they put their clients at the top – excellence in client service is their #1 goal. As a service provider, I constantly strive to improve what and how I deliver to my clients…I want them to not only feel but KNOW they are appreciated. It can be as simple as a thoughtful thank-you, or a client appreciation gift or special VIP treatment. It’s not just the what you do to show appreciation, but the how often as well. Having regular points of contact will increase the client’s experience with you. No doubt, as a client, I like to feel appreciated and that I’m getting the best product or service for my investment. As a client, when I feel appreciated, I’m more likely to do more business with you and contribute to your cash flow. It’s easier to produce revenues from a few appreciated clients than it is to make cold sales.
- Employees (and contractors)– If you want to grow your business, you will have a team to support you, either a team of employees or a team of contracted support workers. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to do your business effectively, and your client’s experience would then suffer. It’s a fact that happy employees are more productive and loyal employees. It’s easy to give feedback when things aren’t going right, but what’s necessary is to give gratitude and appreciation to your team when thing ARE going right. When employees feel appreciated, they will be even more committed to producing better results for you.
- Suppliers– We know that client and employee appreciation are key to driving your revenues, but what about your suppliers? I find that when I’m engaged with my suppliers, and show my gratitude for them with thank you’s and referrals, I’m more likely to get even better service from them. It instils more trust in the relationship with them, and reduces my stress levels because I can trust that I’m going to get great results, and not “waste” my time having to do it over again myself (or have to pay to get someone to do it right). Showing supplier appreciation can help get things done right the first time, and they may give you even more than what you paid for.
- Referral Network– I have to say that most of my clients have come from referrals. Without my referral network to support me when I started my business, I would have struggled and worked a lot harder to have those clients enter my world. It goes without saying that I feel a world of gratitude to my referral network, but I could do a lot more to show that appreciation. Other than one-on-one time, I’m now working on implementing a formal referral appreciation program. It doesn’t have to be big, but I think showing your gratitude to referrals goes a long way in getting even more business and improving your business success.
- Family and Friends– Where would you be without the support of family and friends? When you’re so busy in your business, it’s easy to take family and friends for granted. However, this group is likely your biggest fan base, and wants to see you succeed and celebrate in your success. It’s important to stay connected and spend quality time building and maintaining your personal relationships and showing your appreciation. Speaking first hand, I know this is an area I struggle with – sometimes it’s easier to appreciate strangers than it is to show your family and friends how much you love and appreciate them. But, without support at home, the stress in your home relationships will spill over to create more stress in your business, and both will suffer.
- You– YOU are your business…As a small business owner or solopreneur, chances are, without you, your business would not operate. Therefore, it’s important for the success of your business that you appreciate you – take care of your body, mind and soul. Take time-outs every day, and take those vacations where you un-plug for at lease one day a week. Appreciating you also comes in the form of valuing your time. So many people struggle with this, especially women – we tend to undercharge and over-deliver for our services, mostly because we are nurturers and want to make sure everyone is taken care of (usually at the expense of not taking care of ourselves). When you value and appreciate yourself, you are more likely to attract the types of clients, team, and suppliers who will also value and appreciate you, and you will be more likely to value and appreciate your support network (family, friends, referrals, etc). And THAT is great for business success!
To sum it all up, when you truly appreciate all of these pillars, and give no one more importance over the other, true success happens. The trick is finding and giving balance to create harmony amongst them. As we near the end of 2015 celebrating the holidays, now’s the time to reflect on each of your 6 pillars and decide where you will take inspired action to improve those relationships heading into 2016. In my experience, when you value and appreciate each of the 6 pillars, business success WILL follow, and so will greater freedom to give and receive even more appreciation.
Having an attitude of gratitude is a key to success…and I am eternally grateful to you – my readers. Without you, I have no reason to share 🙂
If you would like to learn more about how to create value in your business, sign up for a complimentary Business Clarity Session
In celebration of this weekend of gratitude and thanksgiving, I’d also invite you to take advantage of a special APPRECIATION discount on my upcoming workshop on December 11th: Build Your 3P’s of Success: Profits, Packages & Pricing (happening at the Club at North Halton in Georgetown, ON). Use promotional code PROMO40 to receive 40% off registration (you pay $197+HST instead of $297+HST). This Appreciation discount expires on November 30th.
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