Perseverance and a Sense of Urgency

It’s another beautiful autumn day in the Washington, DC area – blue skies and crisp temperatures. As I thought about topics for today’s post, my mind returned to a day similar to this one back in 2006. I had recently been introduced to the person who would become my first contract baker, the first person to whom I would entrust with the job of producing The Gratitude Cookie for me.

At the time, I was living in south Florida and after exhausting options for finding a baker anywhere in that state, a mutual contact recommended I connect with Harvey Christie, legendarily known by all in Virginia and West Virginia as Chef Harv.

It was on a day like today that he met me at BWI airport and we headed to Baltimore to meet up with Irwin, a broker from whom I would end up buying the cookie machine that would automate the process of making the cookies. Chef Harv and I hit it off right away. I felt really comfortable working with him and optimistic about growth potential.

The cookie machine was manufactured in Germany, so we had to wait weeks for its delivery. Once it arrived, the die that shaped the cookies wasn’t exactly right. So we had to wait longer to have that corrected. I kept pushing Irwin to call the German company and get them to expedite matters; it was getting closer and closer to the busy holiday season. Irwin was an elderly gentleman and he basically suggested I chill out and not get so worked up about this, else I die young.

Chef Harv and the unexpected
I’ve always had a strong sense of urgency, so pushing Irwin to get that cookie die delivered didn’t seem out of character or particularly prescient. When it finally arrived, I went back up to West Virginia and Chef Harv, his crew and I figured out how to run this machine (it did not come with a detailed instruction manual).

We hadn’t actually signed a contract yet when he ran the first “real” batch of 5,000 cookies the week of Thanksgiving. (And thinking about this point now, I’m reminded of how I clearly did not learn my lesson on this topic, but that is another blog post.)

And then on the morning of December 1st, Chef Harv was killed in a car accident. It still brings tears to my eyes to think about how even though I’d known him only a few months, I felt that I’d lost an amazing friend. The fear over what would happen to my business came second.

To the credit of Chef Harv’s team, they pulled off the incredible feat of carrying on, fulfilling all of Zen Rabbit’s holiday orders that season. My clients had no idea what was going on behind the scenes as all their thank you and holiday gifts for customers were shipped and delivered on time.

Postscript
In the end, Chef Harv’s wife decided to continue the business and we did end up signing a contract. I’ve since moved on to a much better baking partner arrangement, however I’ll always be grateful for this overall experience because of the lessons it taught. For all the business owners reading this, keep on, keep the faith. At some point or another, we all face challenges that seem insurmountable. Prove to yourself and everyone that you DO want and deserve success. And eventually it starts to come to you.

Saying Thank You to Customers in September

September is a great time to say thank you to customers. Unlike in December and even November, you clients are not inundated with cards, gift baskets and goodies this month. That means your goodwill gesture will stand out, make a bigger impression and create more buzz.

There are plenty of special holidays or reasons to show appreciation and say thanks for business this month. September is Apple Month, Fall Hat Month, Honey Month, Self Improvement Month, Skin Care Awareness Month, Guide Dog Month, National Preparedness Month.

Also in September:

• Cheese Pizza Day – send a gift certificate for a local pizza place
• Read a Book Day – share a copy of your favorite business or inspirational book
• Teddy Bear Day – who doesn’t love a cute Teddy Bear?
• Chocolate Milkshake Day – a gift card is probably the way to go here
• Play Doh Day – send a mini jar of this childhood favorite. Who’s not going to play with it?!
• Talk Like a Pirate Day – find a translation guide to send
• Elephant Appreciation Day – write a note on a card with a picture of an elephant
• Comic Book Day – get really creative and make your own
• Pancake Day – pancake mix and a bottle of syrup
• Chewing Gum Day – easy enough to mail or drop off a pack of gum
• Most appropriately, September 27 is National Thank You Day.

Pick one of these fun holidays and use it as a reason to send your customers a note or gift. Remember, if you improve your customer retention rate by just 5%, you can expect to see an increase in profits of 25-100%. Seems like a worthwhile investment to me.

Need help coming up with creative gift ideas to reward loyal customers? Reach me at lori @ zenrabbit.com and let’s brainstorm.

Invitation to Connect & Building Strong Relationships

Yet again I have received a LinkedIn invitation to connect from someone who did not bother to include a personal note. Does this oversight drive you crazy or is it just my own personal issue? If the purpose of connecting on a social networking site is to build relationships (which it IS), then why on EARTH would you not do the most important thing for building relationships and TALK to the other person?!

Start a conversation. No matter if you think the person knows who you are, you need to include a short note with your connection request. “It was nice meeting you at the breakfast yesterday…” Everyone is busy and meets lots of people every day. Maybe you are so extraordinarily memorable or maybe you just think you are. Even if I’m sending a request to someone I’ve known for a while, I’ll send a note such as, “how are we not connected here after all these months of phone calls and collaboration…”

Don’t even get me started on the requests that come from random people you don’t recall ever meeting and who aren’t even in a common group with you. Why? Why do you want to connect with me? Tell me. Where are your manners, like shaking hands with someone you meet in person? You would never just walk up to someone, say nothing, hand him your business card and walk away. You don’t “win” by having the most connections if those relationships are meaningless or non-existent. No one needs a giant database full of names of people they don’t know and don’t have anything in common with unless they are up to no good, also known as spamming.

Being successful is about building strong relationships. Relationships require communication. Therefore it only makes sense to start or continue a conversation here. Do I really need to remind you what happens when you assume?

Yes, this note serves the purpose of jogging someone’s memory of how you know each other. It also acknowledges her as an individual. It shows you are reaching out to connect with someone personally, as opposed to giving her reason to think you’re simply sending mass emails to reach a goal of having 7,500 connections. The personal touch here is just as important as the concept of customer thank you notes or thank you gifts; it makes someone feel good about their relationship with you.

When someone feels good about his relationship with you, he’s far more likely to think of ways to help you, work with you or send you referrals. In my social media world, it’s about developing advocate relationships. If that’s not what you’re doing, please, don’t send me a request to connect.

Why Gratitude is Good for Business

Right on is what I said when I saw this article posted by Fortune magazine on CNNMoney. It’s always a good thing when people are talking about the importance of gratitude in business, even if they’re not quoting me. Ha ha.

In fact, two of the people they did quote, Kristina Bouweiri/Reston Limousine and Heidi Kallett/The Dandelion Patch, are strong business women in my local circle of contacts. How cool is that?!

The article totally supports what Zen Rabbit is all about – building appreciation into a business’ daily and weekly plans and strategies and doing it year-round instead of just for the December holidays. Of course these business people are seeing benefits to this approach in terms of more engaged workers and more loyal customers.

See the whole article here, at http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/11/23/why-gratitude-is-good-for-business-year-round/

It’s Easy to Make More Money from the Clients You Already Have

Looking for a way to increase your client retention? How would you like to double how long clients stay with you? Zen Rabbit client Jim Palmer, known worldwide as The Newsletter Guru, recently created a program called Double My Retention. In it he shares how he dramatically increased his business, keeping clients for more than twice as long and boosting the lifetime value of a client from $423.75 to $1569.00.

One of the key strategies he implemented is Zen Rabbit’s Gratitude Program. And I’m excited he’s talking about how he works with Zen Rabbit in his program! Jim is regularly sending Gratitude Cookies to his clients and to the people who send him referrals. Showing appreciation throughout the year (not just in December) for their support of his business is more than just good manners, it’s netting him profitable returns.

If you pay attention to your business stats, you know at what point clients drift away from using your company. One thing you can do to proactively prevent that from happening is reach out to them a month or so before that time and let them know how much you value their business. Send them a token of your appreciation. Now you’ve given them a reason to feel indebted to you. See if they continue working with you longer. I can pretty much guarantee they will.

Of course Jim’s not the only one getting these great results. Zen Rabbit has a long list of enthusiastic fans. And pretty soon everyone who listens to the Double My Retention audio and implements Jim’s strategies will benefit too. So ask yourself, what would it be worth to you if you could double the retention of your customers?

To see more about Jim Palmer’s Double My Retention program, just click here or go to http://tinyurl.com/DoubleMyRetention.

Client Appreciation as a Marketing Strategy

A few months ago I was interviewed by an internationally-known marketing guru. We talked about how you can incorporate client appreciation into your marketing strategy. If you’re a member of the “inner circle,” you would have gotten the interview on CD. Have you heard the recording yet? If you’re like me, and you throw them on a pile to listen to later and months later you finally get around to popping the CD in the player, maybe you haven’t heard it yet.

Incorporating Client Appreciation Into Your Marketing Strategy

I’m sharing a short clip of it here (click on the above text) because it’s so powerful, a new client signed up for the Gratitude Program yesterday after listening to just the first five minutes. Stay tuned for more short clips to come in the next few weeks.

May it be powerful enough to prompt you into action as well!

The Pain of Writing

Gloria Steinem said, “I do not like to write – I like to have written.”
I’m right there with you sister. I’m in the midst of writing two important works (by important, I mean I know there are people who want and need this information; I get emails and phone calls with questions about it all the time). One is an e-book, the genesis of which goes back almost two years! And yet I have to make myself set aside the time to do it. And then when the appointed time comes, I have to force myself to stay off Facebook and Twitter and actually do the writing. It’s too easy to get lost in “doing research” and avoid composing original thoughts.

What is up with that? It’s not just me. Do you struggle with this challenge too? You’re not alone. I know plenty of writers who struggle with this issue. Is it a fear of not having anything to say? Or conveying the message in an imperfect way? Sometimes it feels like the right words (or any words) are just out of reach.

“There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ~Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

One of the strategies I’ve found helpful is to do a short, ten or fifteen minute, meditation to clear the head. There are some good ones at Meditation Oasis. I particularly like podcast #29, Enhance Your Creativity, for helping focus my thoughts before writing. Podcast # 37, Accessing Intuition, works well too. Take a look at the list – they’re all free – and see if there’s something that resonates with you.

Another good approach comes from Nike. Just do it. Close your email. Go offline. Put on the Pandora “spa” channel. Attach blinders. Sit your butt in the chair and start writing. Even if you think it’s crap, keep writing. You’ll edit later. For now, write, write, write. I’ve heard it gets easier the more you do it. Personally, I’ve not gotten to that point yet – something to look forward to. In the meantime, I’ll use a bit of personal discipline and get to work. Someone is waiting. Someone needs to read exactly what it is I’ve got to say.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Clients

Many business people traditionally send holiday gifts as their way of showing appreciation for clients, customers, partners, etc. For those who like the idea of concierge service, gourmet food treats and making a great impression, this video offers some nice gift ideas. Look for the special offer at the end!

Why Bad Manners are Good for Business

You might have lots of stories in which you are the recipient of poor treatment and bad manners. I wouldn’t be surprised, as it seems like common courtesies have gone the way of the mimeograph. Maybe you can even laugh at some of those instances now. But is it possible for bad manners to be good news for your business?

The answer is YES and here’s how. Since so few people are using good manners these days, they’ve become a great way to differentiate yourself in business (and life in general). Showing appreciation and saying thank you when people do something nice for you helps you stand out. It puts you head and shoulders above the competition.

Everyone likes to be acknowledged and feel valued. It’s a basic human need and no one gets too much. So if you can provide it – in addition to whatever product or service you’re in business to deliver – you are sure to attract more business. The more customers who love you, the more word-of-mouth and referrals you get and it becomes a beautiful cycle of growth.

Remember the last time you made an effort to say thank you to someone? I mean a sincere effort, not a quickly sent off, one line email. What did you do? Mail a handwritten thank you note? Deliver a bouquet of flowers? Send a gourmet care package or basket?

What kind of response did you get? First of all, YOU probably felt pretty good because doing a good deed benefits your well-being too. And then you probably got a phone call or some type of excited or grateful thank you for saying thank you. Even if you didn’t, it’s a safe bet to say you made a positive impact on the recipient.

Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

So go ahead world, be rude! We’ll just use your lack of manners to our own advantage.

Holiday Gift Giving for Small Businesses

Congratulations to the 47% of small business owners who intend to give gifts to customers this holiday season. And even more kudos to the 10% who say they are increasing their gift giving this year, in part to use this as an opportunity to win over more customers.

Regardless of what’s going on “in the economy,” your customers want reassurance that you still value their business and that your company is still around and functioning. Now is not the time to cut back on client appreciation; now is the time it’s more important than ever!

Among business owners who are giving gifts, one in four said they’ll continue to give holiday gifts to customers because they have done it for so long it would seem strange to stop now. The top reasons business owners will give gifts to clients, include:

• To say thank you (82%)
• To celebrate the season (38%)
• To stand out from the competition (25%)

While all three of these reasons are great, from a marketing standpoint, the third is significant. Since so many people have decided the can’t or don’t want to recognize their clients this year with holiday gifts, the ones who DO choose to make the effort will certainly stand out from their competition. That is a move that will pay off down the road. Customers will remember who was still reaching out to them in 2009, when others were retreating in fear.

Of course you want to be sensitive to the times; lavish and pretentious is so 2006. But gift cards, plants, and making a donation to a charity on a client’s behalf are very acceptable this year. And food gifts are always a good choice because while some people may not drink wine or liquor, everyone can enjoy either eating or sharing a gourmet package. Tie in the gratitude theme, as the Cookies and Chocolate Sauce package does, and you’re good to go!

The statistics shared here come from the American Express OPEN Small Business Holiday Monitor, an annual survey of business owners conducted since 2002.