To all our highly valued clients and acquaintances:
This month, we are focusing on optimizing your client appreciation communications as we move past the upcoming elections and then into The Thanksgiving Holiday Season.
As the expression goes, when we take care of business, business takes care of us.
This starts with us taking great care of ourselves, so we have the clarity of mind and the necessary energy to not only get our key priorities vividly clear, but also to execute well.
A colleague once said to me, when you exercise, your body will “thank you”. It’s in a similar thought vein that when you take care of business, business will take care of you.
To support you in this area, you can visit 21 Goals in 90 Days Sheet & Exercise to Energize Sheet.
Always Be Curious and Always Be Innovating
I heard a fantastic phrase from one of my most innovative clients this week. They basically said that their team is constantly curious about what’s now possible here.
They are working very much in the spirit of the George Bernard Shaw quote. They are being incredibly resourceful within their firm, in this economic environment, for their clients, and as a result, for themselves – a win-win situation, all the way around.
They continue to generate tremendous team dynamics and combustion, differentiated thought leadership, and cutting-edge services, with a lot of humanity, as they confront and move past challenges that would normally stop most other professional advisors.
They are a blessing and a privilege for me to creatively collaborate with and to serve.
The focus of this issue is to go beyond our current contributions to show even more appreciation and deliver even more value for our clients to experience.
If you want to enhance appreciation for your client, maybe consider these two things:
- How can you anticipate the needs of your clients and then act accordingly?
- Where can you clear away any obstacles to speed delivery for your clients?
Put your focus and attention there, and you’ll likely have greater insight into ways to create new solution focused possibilities to keep expanding your value for your clients.
All communications are best focused on whether mutual value can be created.
We are paid to think, create, innovate, and execute. To paraphrase Peter Drucker: “learn to innovate, or you will not survive.” Value must be manifested and expressed.
All that matters is that you’re helpful, in real time. Who is your appreciation directed at? What gives them the most joy and makes them happy? What really floats their boat?
Are you improving your client’s conditions and experience? How do you manage to keep your own energy vibrant and radiant as you do so? We have to be adding value all the time and being a plus, as we encourage people to respond to our positive intent.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
~ R. Buckminster Fuller – architect, author, inventor, and futurist.
Keep Creating New Possibilities, Regardless of Obstacles, Setbacks or Surprises.
To achieve milestones and breakthroughs you’ve never achieved before, you may have to become someone you have never been before. Who will you now be and become?
Answer these questions to Create New Possibilities, for appreciating your clients.
- What is important now that was not before? What is no longer important?
- Knowing what you now know, what do you most need to accomplish ASAP?
Now I ask you, Are You Continuing to Create New Appreciation Possibilities?
Invest a few minutes jotting down your responses to:
- What am I exceptional at? What is my value for my clients?
- What real problems am I solving for the greater marketplace?
- What needs do people have that they will gladly pay me to address?
- Where can I make the biggest positive difference for the people I serve?
Are you all in? Are you doing it full out? Is this as good as you can get it to be?
Embrace Your Response-Abilities & Keep Creating New Possibilities
We’re challenged today, individually, and beyond, to respond in innovative ways.
Are your long-term client appreciation plans fundamentally solid? What can be your Vital Metrics? How about the next 90 days? How will you ensure that the best practices and habits are in place for all the opportunities and commitments that are calling to you?
Ask if you consistently deliver value and show appreciation to your clients:
- Do you really know and understand what your ideal clients want and need?
- How do you bring them the plus? What are you adding to their equations?
- What have your best clients said is valuable and how best to replicate it?
- What services can you now deliver and how can you enjoy the process?
If you got something great to offer and people see other clients enjoying all those benefits, they’re going want to have whatever those clients are having. How are you generating value for yourself on a consistent basis and how can you provide greater experiences for your clients to have that for themselves? People keep coming back for more, new, or better as you continue to provide that extraordinary and stellar value.
DEVELOP and DELIVER A ‘WOW CLIENT JOURNEY’
KEY AIM: For your clients to have exceptional experiences whenever they are with you.
What could you add that would make client’s visits with you truly OUTSTANDING – an experience they continue to talk about with many other people, for a long time to come?
For you to thrive, it is essential that your clients experience a Culture of Appreciation.
Your Aim:
- Your clients feel appreciated – by you and your team.
- Your team feels appreciated – by you, their peers, and the clients.
- You also feel appreciated – by your team and your clients. It’s reciprocal!!
Client Flow – THROUGH YOUR BUSINESS
Key Points: Is the appreciation experience ‘seamless’ for the client every time?
Is there a handshake, warm smile, introduction, eye contact, good communication?
POST-VISIT (Measure and track yourself for your score [1-10] for client flow)
What does the client receive by way of follow-up? A follow up letter or a courtesy call?
What do you need to score a ten? Make a list. Who will do what by when to create 10’s?
What must happen for your clients’ experience to be CONSISTENTLY outstanding?
Considering what you now have access to and knowing what you now know, what better choices and decisions can you make to go forward, for better results?
I have found that for this time of year, Personalized Thanksgiving Cards, hand addressed and with beautiful commemorative stamps are a great way to stay ahead of the holiday greeting card rush that typically takes place in December. It’s another way for you to stay ahead of the curve and differentiate yourself, in terms of appreciating your clients, which is obviously aligned with what The Thanksgiving Holiday Season means for most people and their loved ones. I highly recommend it and do it myself.
I have found that early cards often end up displayed on fireplace mantels and tables.
From an inadvertent marketing perspective, it probably goes without saying that you’ll get more visibility mileage out of your pre-Thanksgiving Card for your clients and any visiting guests if it’s part of the early Holiday Card Parade. I’ve heard people comment, after seeing a nice card on a string of other cards, with a curious, “who’s that from?”
We are committed to supporting you for a powerful new lease on your business, with an exceptionally strong finish to ‘22 and an indisputably banner year for ‘23.
This seems like a lot of core basics, and we want to do whatever we can to make sure you are able to keep yourself working on your business and stronger in the end. We will continue to work to keep the energy, the resiliency, and the productive idea levels up.
We will vigilantly be on the lookout for innovative ways to go beyond our environment’s current challenges and bring to you even more timely strategies in our December Issue.
As we head further into the Holiday Season, may you move with increasing initiative and resourcefulness during these historically unique and trying times.
For those with whom we haven’t spoken in a while, let’s talk – i.e., you speak, I listen!!
Let me know what you are up to and what you might be up against. I look forward to strengthening our relationship and our creative efforts together into Year 2023.
A final thought: “Decide what you stand for. And then stand for it all the time.”
– Clayton Christensen, author – How Will You Measure Your Life?
Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving in the weeks ahead.
With sincere and deep appreciation,
Don,
