I just finished an informative and interesting new book called Appreciation Marketing — How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude, written by Tommy Wyatt and Curtis Lewsey. Tommy and Curtis show how important it is to use appreciation in your life and in your business. One illustration is particularly descriptive.
According to Tommy and Curtis, Psychology Today stated that by the age of 21, everybody knows on average 2,000 people on a first name basis. If true, it suggests you have at least 2,000 people you know and who know you. That may seem high to some, so Tommy and Curtis ratchet it down to 200. That probably seems more reasonable.
Now, as Tommy and Curtis tell us, lets assume the 200 people you know like you because you understand the value of counting your blessings, so you appreciate the people you know and you express your appreciation on a regular basis. Let’s also assume you are in a business that relies on referrals, like realtors, and that the average person purchases a new house every six years. This is what Tommy and Curtis say:
“If you have 200 people in your ‘circle,’ let’s say that 150 are local and 50 are married couples. That leaves you with 100 people who are ready, willing and able to sell their house through you when the time comes. If you sell houses for 100 people over six years, that would average out to 16 houses per year. Not too bad. And you were able to accomplish this without taking newspaper ads, or doing any advertising. You were able to make this happen because you are a Master [of Appreciation Marketing].
But as good as that is, it’s not enough. Your goal is to sell five homes per month, not 16 per year.
If you have 200 people in your circle of influence, then . . . they each know . . . 200. Question: If you know 200 people and those people know you, like you, and think of you fondly every time your product or service is mentioned, would it be a stretch to say that they’d refer you to the 200 people they know when your product or service comes up in their conversations? Please realize that if this occurred you would potentially have 40,000 people who may be interested in doing business with you . . . all because you made a decision to be a Master of Appreciation.
Ok, so 40,000 people might seem a little farfetched. So let’s scale it back even further. What if you took care of your 200 people and they each spread the good word to only the top 20 people in their networks. That would still result in 4,000 warm connections. Nice!”
It makes good human sense to feel and show appreciation for your clients, customers and other referral sources. It also makes good business sense. So what can you do? Every day, make one phone call to one client just to say “Hi”, see how he or she is doing or to let him or her know you appreciate their business. Send an unexpected note or card or even a gift without soliciting any business. Have a “Client Appreciation Day” once a year.
Good service will get you referrals. There is no mistake about that. But whether you are a realtor or an accountant or an attorney, you have a lot of competition. Set yourself apart from your competition so that your competition is no competition. Your clients will care about you if they perceive you care about them. Good luck!
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