How to use Gratitude in Your Business

You've heard the saying, "The customer is always right." Often, this is hard for entrepreneurs to hear, and quite often, it can be something you have to deal with as soon as you turn on that OPEN sign. The truth is there are times when customers are right, and entrepreneurs are wrong. Customer dissatisfaction can make or break your business. If you can't please the people, they'll find another place to shop for the services or products they want.

Customers will appreciate that you treat them with respect and gratitude, which will definitely lower the number of customers who would ordinarily find a reason to complain. In addition, they will be more likely to leave positive feedback and recommendations, which may lead to more sales. Treat your customers well; they'll stay loyal and tell their friends about your business.

Gratitude is like a double rainbow, something everyone should experience, and we are more likely to be grateful when we are experiencing gratitude. However, it's impossible not to be affected by it.

As an entrepreneur, you should project gratitude as often as possible because it creates a positive environment around you and your business.

If you want to make sure that your customers and employees love and appreciate you, then make sure that you give them many reasons to do the same to you! The attitude of gratitude is contagious.

Genuine gratitude is part of a positive mental attitude and is what you strive for. My goal for you today in reading this blog post is to learn to be intentional (and genuine) in using gratitude and appreciation for your potential and current customers, colleagues, and team/employees. This will not only help you in your business growth but will also help you in many other areas of personal growth as well.

Here are some Fabbo ways to use gratitude to grow your business. I've separated them into 3 parts, you as an entrepreneur, then your customers and employees/team.

As An Entrepreneur:

 Be Grateful That You Are Your Boss

Being an entrepreneur is a lot of scary times of doubt mixed in with being a superhero that makes things happen. But, as the boss, you hold most of the power. What services or products you create and how your business is built is up to you.

Practicing gratitude is a superpower you can use every day. With it, you can serve others in many different ways. For example, taking steps in your business to be more grateful and kind are great ways to give your employees and customers a positive boost, and they will enjoy working with you. As a result, they will continue to support you and your business. You're the secret sauce that sets your business apart, and your attitude of gratitude plays a huge role in your success. So embrace what makes you fabbo.

Owning a business is not for everyone; it comes with many responsibilities. It's not always easy. You'll need to learn to make yourself a priority. Think about your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. Practicing gratitude daily can help you professionally and personally.

Be Grateful For The Freedom Of Being An Entrepreneur

When you have a job that requires you to punch in and out, and you don't even want to do said job, you'll be grateful for the freedom being an entrepreneur brings even more so. No one is watching what you're working on if you are late or have to ask to leave early so you can attend your kid's sporting event or be there to help a family or friend in need.

As an entrepreneur, you are free from that strict working environment and dealing with things out of your control to get to the job. With the "CEO" freedom you enjoy, you pick your workday's start and stop times.

It is up to you if you want to work 12 hours one day and only 4 the next. You also have the freedom to work on what you want. That means if you focus on creativity for several days and marketing after that, you can because you are in control. If you need to reach a financial goal for the week or month, you can give your energy to that task. Be grateful for this fabbo freedom.

Be Grateful You Can Follow Your Path

As an entrepreneur, be grateful for being able to start your journey and then change the path you want to follow. You do not need to ask permission to build your business and go as slowly or fast as you want. You can change your mind anytime and define success on your terms.

Be Grateful For the Ability to Work From Anywhere

This is a fabbo benefit for entrepreneurs, especially creative ones. If you don't need a permanent storefront, you can work remotely. It's easier now than ever to rent an office for a few hours, days, or weeks or I have several friends that travel in an RV or stay a few months in an Air BnB, so they travel and work simultaneously. However, if you do want to have a traditional brick-and-mortar, you can still have the freedom to choose a city where you would like to live and work in.

Be Grateful You Can Give Back to Your Community

When you give back to your community, you show gratitude and receive it back in many ways. If someone wants to recognize you for your contributions, let them know that you appreciate the recognition, but serving the community is supporting its growth and yours so that you can continue to give back. When we do well, we can and should do good, bringing joy and happiness to all involved.

For Your Customers:

No one ever said owning your own business would be easy and without struggle, but if you believe in yourself and the products or services you offer, knowing they will serve others by solving a problem or bringing them joy, then showing those clients that support you from day one to day 1000 will make growing your business so much easier. Customer appreciation is one of the best ways to leave a positive impression on your customers and attract new customers.

Show your customers lots of gratitude and appreciation by using innovative methods of thank-you messaging. Here are a few examples you can incorporate into your messaging or follow-up.

 Create Personal Thank You Videos 

As entrepreneurs, we need to be creative in many ways to help us stand out from other businesses. Want to wow your customers and leave them feeling more fabbo about doing business with you? Send a personal thank you video or audio. There are many apps or programs to help with this, such as Loom, and Videoform, then insert them into your emails or audio if you're using a text messaging service they opt into or even dropping into their DM's with a quick audio thank you!

You cannot always show gratitude in person but using software like this helps to create the critical "know, like, and trust." In addition, customers will be able to see you and hear you show your appreciation. This means you can use the tone of your voice and a friendly smile to say a few words of thanks and show your gratitude for their continued support.

Trust me, you have just made your customer's day, and they will remember you for saying thank you.

Send Thank You Cards/Messages Throughout The Year

How fabbo would it be if you got a handwritten card or message by phone, on Facebook, or through email from someone grateful for you and doing business with them? Pretty fabbo, right? Take this step with your customers often during the year, not after a sale or for a referral but just because. Taking time out of your busy schedule to thank different customers will positively affect them and you. It is a win-win-win-win situation.

Give Away A Bonus or Something Unique To Show Appreciation

Depending on your business, you may have inventory from which you can pull freebies and turn them into a loyalty bonus. If not, consider purchasing small but meaningful gifts you can send to your best customers.

We all like to be rewarded for loyalty, and being on the receiving end of a gift will bring your customers great joy. In addition, they will tell their family and friends about you and your business and how much you care for your customers.

As an entrepreneur, the best way to use personalized gifts is to send them when a customer least expects them. These gifts can be anything with your logo, from more excellent shirts and hats to wine or home décor. If your brand stands for something like sustainability or support of a charity, send these kinds of logo gifts that serve a dual purpose of support. Choose a personalized gift that is not unique but, in some way, will remind the customer of your business, even if your company name is not on it.

When you plan for the year, be sure to budget for giving out bonuses or gifts to customers you feel grateful for.

Social Media Shoutout For Your Customers

Social media allows you to express your gratitude to your customers truly. By giving them a shout-out on social media, you can thank your customers for their loyalty. Learn what they do, their hobbies or charities, and what their favorite sports team is.

"Want to acknowledge Kelly Anderson for being such a fabbo customer. She is running in the Find a Cure for Cancer Marathon this weekend; let's cheer her on"

 You can also celebrate your customer's recent success, especially if you follow them on social media or when they share with you when they place an order in person or by phone. This is a great way to show gratitude and that you care about and are cheering their success or their family's success. So again, do this social shout-out on your customer's life events if you have the kind of business that makes following each other part of the relationship building that allows continuous working together or collaborating in support of your business that provides support of other essential areas of their lives.

 Referring New Potential Customers to Your Customers

Customer acquisition is always tricky, so keeping your current customers happy and letting them know you are grateful for them will help you gain new customers. In addition, knowing and understanding your existing customers and where they work or their careers, especially if they also own a small business, will allow you to give them strategic referrals.

For example, if you have a customer who owns a mobile pet grooming van or is in real estate, you can refer them to your friends and customers who have pets and are looking for a new home or business location.

When you can help your customers grow their business with referrals that benefit them, making connections is an excellent way of showing gratitude. You will feel great for doing it, and they will appreciate the type of person you are—another win-win situation for all.

Host Customer Appreciation Events/Parties

Holding customer appreciation events shows customers that you're grateful for their business and how much you value them. You can organize the event in just one day or over several days.

Choose A Charity Of You Customers And Be An Active Sponsor

You can choose a different charity each month or several times a year or pick a new one each year that represents some of your customers and one with whom you have a special connection. Volunteering and giving your time and energy to a charity and those who need support and attention will always have you walking away with more than you give. You will be grateful when you show gratitude, especially on this scale.

While its fabbo to sponsor a charity financially, when you volunteer, get in there and roll up your sleeves and give your time and energy and share your talents with a charity and those who need support and some attention, trust me, friends, you will always walk away with more than you give. The amount of abundance you give out will come back to you in the most fabbo way.

For Your Employees/Team:

Many ways to show gratitude for your customers can also be used with your employees or team and colleagues.

Tell Them They Are Doing Fabbo

Employees always like to hear thank you for doing the work. Even if there were some mistakes or mishaps along the way, it's better for everyone, yourself included, to let them know they are appreciated for showing up and giving their best. The more they know they are valued, the more they will want to be part of the team to take your business to the next level.

As an ambitious entrepreneur, you hired some fabbo people to work with you, and as much as you would like it, not all your employees will stay with you forever. Some will leave for different career paths, and some might even go to start their own business. When this happens, they will look for ways to collaborate with you and create fantastic opportunities because they know the value of continuous growth and not doing it alone. When they speak of you and all they learned while working with you, it will come from a place of respect and gratitude because you cared about and treated them fairly and continue to want the best for them.

Think of monetary bonuses, especially on different holidays or when an extra challenging goal was achieved quickly. Let this be an unexpected bonus and not one written into an employment contract. Remember that while financial bonuses are well received and good ideas, even greater ideas and performance from your team will come when you show your sincere gratitude from your heart and not just your checkbook.

Pop-up lunches or partial days outside the office with team-building activities are fabbo ways to show appreciation for everyone's hard work.

Another great idea is employee wellness—a healthy and happy team with a growth mindset. If you bring people that teach yoga, meditation, stress management, and some other small clinic that feeds your team's soul, it will impact their productivity and show them you know how hard they are working. That time for some self-care needs to be a priority, even if it happens while on the job.

As mentioned, plan this out in your calendar and your budgeting well ahead of time, so it is not planned in crisis mode or when funds might be too tight. Build employee appreciation into your goals, and you will see a fabbo ROI.

Celebrate Wins Big & Small and Reaching Objectives With Employees

• Pick ideas that match the success they may have had on a particular project or reached a sales quota.
• Celebrate with rewards that are not just financial
• Special gift cards for a hotel night stay
• Tickets to the theater or sporting event
• Pay for a sitter so that parents can have a date night
• Offer a family day at a local museum or theme park

Talk them up on your social media accounts and even give them a press release local newspaper or tv station.

Create A Culture Of Gratitude At or When Working

As an entrepreneur, you can step up and create a culture of gratitude in your workplace. Studies have shown that everything improves when gratitude is in abundance at work. But, sadly, the workplace has never really had that particular attitude of gratitude.

Lead by example and improve gratitude in your workplace. For example, when you start mentioning to others how well Tim is doing, or Kim just booked a venue you wanted to work at, they will also begin praising other team members.

You could pick a team leader as the chief of gratitude if you have a large team. When you have regular team meetings, you can ask them to say thanks and appreciation for all their accomplishments. Don't be afraid to ask this person to drop some special thank you emails or notes to those who are going above and beyond, especially if customers are giving reviews or mentioning certain team members that made their experience with the business a fabbo one.

Being creative in your business is a pillar of your success. So again, ensure you show your employees creative ways to be grateful. Let your gratitude spread through the office or the onsite job or event you're working on, and your employees will follow your lead and show gratitude to each other and anyone else they come in contact with at the office or project.

Employee's Appreciation Days or Parties

When you hit milestones in your business from the work of your employees or team, celebrate with them.

Take Them Out For Lunch or Dinner, And Don't Discuss Work

Pay to do something or activity they love outside of work and let them lead you in that and no work talk. Celebrate who they are and their win.

Ask if they have a particular charity, and then find out if there is a way that you can help that charity.

Include their family or significant other in the appreciation. Show gratitude to them as well for their ongoing support.

I have shared many ways you can use gratitude in your business and touched on the benefits. There are so many benefits to practicing gratitude as an entrepreneur, it helps us stay mentally and physically healthy, and health leads to wealth for not just us and our business but for those team members that help keep it running, so customers can invest in our business so it can grow. It takes all of us to make an impact; that impact cannot happen without gratitude.

Using these gratitude ideas will bring you more sales and customers. In addition, you will be seen as someone reliable, trustworthy, and liked. That known, like, and trust factor is significant to you as an entrepreneur. It would help if you had it to have happy employees, partners, customers, and maybe one day even investors.

I'll leave you with encouragement or a challenge to create a master plan for daily building your gratitude. Consider using a mind map to chart all the areas you want to work on and how you will grow your business and life with gratitude.

If you are thinking about starting to journal, I have an E-book, Start Your Journaling Journey, that be a fabbo resource for you. 

In this 25-page E-book, you'll learn about different types of journals and 10 powerful tips on achieving growth and success through journaling so you can confidently start your journaling journey.

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