How Do You Show Gratitude In Business?
‘Tis the season for thankfulness, and we’re nothing if not timely here at Spring Insight.
But while you’re likely sharing your gratitude for health and happiness at the family dinner table, everyone has things to be thankful for in their professional life as well. And although gratitude should be a part of your business year-round, it’s never too late to start – and what better time than during Thanksgiving?
There are many reasons to feel gratitude in business dealings – customers, team members, and even failures can be causes for gratitude. But gratitude is a two-way street. So while you’re thankful for your clients and coworkers, those same people are likely grateful for you, too.
It may be opportunist for us to say, but gratitude and marketing go hand in hand. Have you ever heard of word-of-mouth marketing? That’s gratitude in action, and it’s one of the most effective ways for business owners to gain new clients.
Think of the last time you purchased something from Amazon. You checked the reviews first, right? Of course, you did. We see if our fellow humans like the product before we buy it. Regarding testimonials, we tend to trust a company that receives public, unsolicited thanks. That’s the power of gratitude.
Practicing Gratitude in Business
If a successful business is thankful for one thing, it’s its clients. Because without clients, you wouldn’t have a business in the first place. If you want to start practicing gratitude this season, your clients are a great place to start. Thank them personally or make a post showing appreciation for the relationship you’ve built with them, and it’s sure to go a long way.
Chances are you’re also thankful for at least one business your company partners with. Maybe it’s your suppliers, your office cleaning crew, or a certain marketing agency you’ve hired to create your content (hint, hint). But no matter who you’re grateful for, don’t keep those feelings a secret!
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for showing gratitude. If you’re working with a company – especially a small business – that frequently goes above and beyond, why not post about it? That company is likely to share that post to their own page, helping their business and giving you some publicity in the process.
If you want to take it a step further, consider leaving them a review on Google or Facebook with your company name. This can help businesses tremendously, and there’s a possibility that they will leave you a review in return. (In our next post, we’ll take a deeper dive into testimonials because, trust me, there’s a whole lot to cover there.)
Utilizing Your Clients’ Gratitude
Having long-term or returning customers is a sure sign that your clients are grateful for you. But you’ve also likely received emails thanking you and your team members for the work you do. So whenever those come in, ask if you can share their praise publicly and share a link to your Google Business or Facebook Profile with them. After all, they’ve just given you a potent marketing tool.
If you’ve been working with a client for a while and know they’re happy with your work, there’s no shame in asking them directly for a testimonial. First, let them know they’re a valued client (another way for you to show gratitude in business) and that you’d like to publicly share the work you’ve done for their organization. Then ask if they’ll provide some feedback to go along with it.
Encourage your client to specifically mention the product or service you provided them and any team members they worked with by name. This will make the review more valuable to potential clients looking for a similar product or service.
Expressing Gratitude Internally
Gratitude is critical in B2B and B2C relationships, but showing gratitude should start internally. A grateful and upbuilding working environment leads to a successful business. Studies show that employees who receive expressions of appreciation at work regularly tend to perform better and have a stronger sense of belonging.
Planning a schedule around gratitude is an excellent way for business owners to ensure team members feel appreciated. Whether through team lunches, happy hours, or employee appreciation days, a little gratitude can go a long way. And if you notice an employee continually going above and beyond (or consistently receiving positive feedback from clients), find a way to express your gratitude to them personally.
Grateful business owners = higher employee retention = more satisfied clients. That’s what we call a win, win, win.
Express Gratitude In Business All Year Long
As you can see, the benefits of expressing gratitude in business go beyond just celebrating the season. In addition, studies show that practicing gratitude is also good for your mental health.
So now that we’ve mapped out all the ways gratitude can benefit your business, it’s time for the next step: figuring out what to do with it all. After all, receiving gratitude is one thing, but putting it to good use is a whole different ball game. Check out our next blog for an in-depth guide on how to make testimonials work for you.
And in the meantime, contact us to discuss how our business can help yours grow. (We’ll be eternally grateful.)