As we gather around the table on Thursday surrounded by family and friends to give thanks for all of our blessings in our personal lives, it’s important to remember the essential role that our advertising clients play in our professional lives.
With the plethora of marketing options available today, it’s crucial to show our clients how much we appreciate their decision to invest their time and money with us. Create a strategy to make your clients feel special and cared for year round. Regularly take clients out for coffee. Send articles or other content that can help them with their business. Strike up a conversation without making a sales pitch and asking for something. Show your clients that you appreciate the relationship and are thinking about them, which will make your clients more inclined to think about you.
And of course, find yourself saying “thank you” often. Two magic words that can make or break any sales relationship! Saying thank you acknowledges that you value your client’s time. Saying thank you makes you stand out from your competition. Saying thank you gives you a reason to stay in contact. Saying thank you shows that you understand how busy they are. Finally, saying thank you is polite and makes the engagement memorable.
There are many different ways to say “thank you” verbally but words sometimes do not say as much as a gesture. We can all shake hands at the end of a sale and say, “Thank you very much, we appreciate your business” — but how many times have you heard that? Even though the words are sincere, they may have less impact than an act of appreciation. If you want to leave an impression that will truly help to build a good relationship long after the sale is complete, then get creative with how you say “thank you!”
We live in a world filled with technology. Sending emails and text messages saying “thank you” seems to be the norm, but I still believe that nothing has more impact than a handwritten thank you note. It’s inexpensive, takes just a moment, and is very effective. Your message does not have to be long…just sincere. Try this and don’t be surprised if that card you send ends up being displayed on your client’s desk or pinned up on a bulletin board. Think about it — when was the last time you received a holiday card, read the message and then immediately threw it in the recycling bin? My guess is that those cards you receive are displayed on your countertop or on your refrigerator to be admired until long after the holiday season has passed.
So, hand write your thank you notes more often, and build relationships with your clients that will last a lifetime.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday,
Dan
If there are specific topics you’d like to see discussed in a future issue of The Sales Cycle, please contact me at 612-278-0223 or dan@mna.org