Build Your Business & Your Brand With Gratitude

When I’m not spending my time teaching, training or networking, you can usually find me at my flower shop, Bishop’s Flowers, fulfilling orders of happiness, sadness, humor and even promotion.As any retailer will attest to, a retailer is inundated with weekly requests for donations of some kind. And, being a trained networker and active participant in the community, I am aware of the need to “give back to the community.” I’m always happy to contribute what I can; hoping that my God-given talents changes someone’s life in some positive way.

This blog is not meant in any way to be an attempt to persuade business owners to not contribute to the community or non-profit organizations. It is, however, written with the intent to give a wake up call to those who are making the phone calls soliciting donations.

My flower shop, Bishop’s Flowers,  donates virtually to each and every non-profit organization that contacts us. And, especially these days, it can become a financial burden on a small business trying to keep up with all of the non-profits that are continually knocking on your door asking for more and more. After all, they are also getting crunched with the slowing economy. But, you have to bite the bullet and be thankful for what you have and be willing to “give back” and hope it makes a difference in someone’s life. After all a Givers Gain mentality is always the best option.

But, as the purse strings of local businesses tighten more and more every day, I’d like to offer one bit of advice: a simple sign of gratitude will make you stand out from all the others. Whether it’s a handwritten note, a phone call, or just a simple “thank you so much,” please take the time and make an effort to show that you appreciate their contributions, you appreciate their time or you appreciate their business.

Everyone loves to be appreciated.  Think about how you felt the last time you bought somone a graduation gift and they never “thanked you.” Yeah, everyone has experienced that at least once.

I’d like to challenge you to take the time today to say “thank you” to someone who has made a difference in your life recently. And then, come back and leave us a comment and tell us how they reacted. A simple “thank you” is an essential relationship building tool for successful businesses.

Want to read more about why you should show appreciation to your customers or referral partners? Patrick Finley has a great blog on this subject. Go check it out. http://pjfinley.blogspot.com/2009/04/am-i-being-petty.html