Appreciation Marketing

You have heard of internet marketing, network marketing, direct marketing, referral marketing. But, have you ever heard of appreciation marketing? If you haven’t yet, listen up and pay attention. It could drastically change your business.

Let’s face it, if you own a network marketing or home based business you most likely have customers, right?  Without customers you wouldn’t have much of a business.

Would you agree, that it is much easier to keep the customers you already have, versus having to go out and getting new ones? As a matter of fact, it’s 11 times easier.

Would you also agree, that in our world today, and especially with the birth of the internet, competition is at an all-time high?

So, what do you do to keep your customers from going elsewhere? How do you set yourself apart from the competition?

The solution … “Appreciation Marketing.”

What is Appreciation Marketing?

It’s the glue that holds your business together. It’s the magic touch … the personal touch … you are giving your customers that they don’t get anywhere else. It’s THAT personal touch that keeps them coming back to you again and again.

Now let me ask you this, …when was the last time you acknowledged a business transaction and sent a personal heartfelt thank you note to your customers through the mail? Yes, I mean snail mail. Have you ever?

If you haven’t done so yet, you really should try it next time. You would be amazed at the power of a little “thank you” found in the mailbox.

Just think about it. When we open our mailbox, usually what do we find? Junk mail and bills. Am I right?

I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely elated when I find a personal greeting card in my mailbox. It puts a huge smile on my face and I feel great the rest of the day. Don’t you think it would do the same for your customers?

Maya Angelou says it best … “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.”

Just like brick and mortar store customers, the people who buy products from you online or use your services are real customers and they deserve your appreciation. As a matter of fact, a little “thank you” can go a long ways.

Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics understood the importance of gratitude and built a $1.2 billion dollar cosmetic empire because of it. Her personal philosophy was to send out three hand-written thank you notes every night before going to bed and she taught this same philosophy to her sales force. Is it surprising then, that today Mary Kay Cosmetics has a sales force of 1.5 million in 32 countries? Hardly!

If you do the right thing and teach others to do the same people will recognize it.

Appreciation Marketing: The Law of Gratitude is a very powerful force!

Without realizing it, I had been applying the principles of appreciation marketing to my business for years.

From the beginning, I had made it a point, to send out hand-written thank you notes to my customers every time they placed an order with me. I also sent birthday cards and holiday cards. As a result, these customers have remained with me for over 6 years now. Some have become very dear friends.

Do they have to buy from me? Uhm no! There probably is a sales rep for my company right there closer to their neighborhood. As a matter of fact, I know this to be true for at least one of my customers. So why does he keep buying his products from me?

Because he knows I appreciate his business. I tell him so every single time he places an order under me. I sent him a card on his birthday and I remember him at Christmas. He knows me, likes me and trusts me. He knows my husband as he has talked to him on the phone before. Heck, he even knows my dog. Over the years, I have built a great relationship with him and I always take great care of him. He’s not going anywhere.

Another one of my customers, who used to be local, moved clear to the East Coast. Yet she remained loyal to me. Again, because she knows I appreciate her and we have built that relationship of know, like, trust.

If you apply the principles of appreciation marketing, customer loyalty will follow.

People like to be appreciated. Just look at yourself. Don’t you like to hear a “thank you” every once in a while?

Of course you do and so do I.

Over the years, as my customer base grew, it had become a challenge to keep up with everyone. But knowing the importance of customer appreciation, I recently implemented an appreciation marketing system that helps me keep on top of everything. It lets me manage my contacts, sends me reminders, and even automates keeping in touch without losing that all-important personal touch. What I like most about it is, that I can create personalized greeting cards for my customers that I can customize so that they are unique to them, for a fraction of what I would pay at the store.

Are you using appreciation marketing in your business? Share with us what tools you use to keep top of mind with your customers and have them keep coming back to you. By the way, this is a dofollow blog so you will receive some link love.

To Your Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you like the idea of  “Appreciation Marketing”, pick up the book “Appreciation Marketing How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude.” You can find it at Amazon.com

P.S. S. Be sweet retweet!