Just about every good mother and father teach their children two phrases just as soon as they can talk. Say them with me… “Please and thank you.”
Awesome. That means this blog is read by wonderful parents (or soon to be parents). But here’s the thing. As nearly any parent will tell you, we get tired of hearing “please.” “Please can I go to friend’s house?” “Can I stay up later, please?” “Please can I have just one more?” On the other hand, we never get tired of hearing “thank you.” That simple sign of appreciation is much more rare. And even if it’s not, it’s never annoying.
We appreciate the appreciation.
Our clients and prospects and employees feel the same way. As business owners, sales people, and leaders, we spend a lot of time asking people for something. We ask employees for their effort. We ask customers for their money. We ask both of them for their time. We ask…a lot. But how often do you really spend time saying “thank you?” Not just the basic “hey thanks” you say in passing or the automatic email that says “thanks for your purchase.” Those are fine…I guess. But they don’t take effort and are not really sincere.
How often do you stop by a customer’s office just to thank them for their business? How often do you pick up the phone to do the same? How often do you schedule a meeting with a person in your organization just to take the time to applaud their efforts? If you are like most of us (me included), the answer is probably “not enough.” So here are 3 ways to fix the “appreciation gap” in your business.
Just “Thanks:”
Go to your clients or your employees with a simple “thanks meeting.” If it’s a client, let them know you are only there to say “thank you for their business.” If it’s an employee schedule a quick meeting. Both will probably give you quizzical looks because they are not used to this sort of meeting. But both will appreciate it.
Send a Card
Yes…we are going old school. Take the time and send out a simple greeting card showing your appreciation. The fact is, most of the mail we get these days is a bill. This will stand out!
Appreciation Program
This is for your best clients. Most businesses have a rule that 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients. This is for that 20%. Create a quarterly program where you get a simple gift for your best clients…just to say “thanks.” It’s simple and it’s easy.
Whether you want to create a blog post or a company, a video or a presentation, we all have to overcome the same thing. “That voice.”
It’s the voice that is in each of our head that tells us that we are “not good enough,” or “not smart enough,” or that “no one will care.” We all have to hear that inner voice that asks “why would anyone care what you have to say?” Or even the one that tells us “this will make you look stupid.”
In addition, I think we look at people who regularly put out content, or start businesses, or speak in public and think “they must not have that voice.” They must be so confident. They are not insecure. It must be easy for them.
Here is a good news/bad news moment. They have that voice too. We all have that voice. (Actually here is an awesome podcast about Bill Petrie-amazing content creator-who says the same thing).
My hope is this is good news for you. If you are thinking of putting yourself out there, you are not alone. We all have that voice to overcome. Every time I post a blog, or a video, or get ready to make a sales call, I have the voice that tells me I am about to make a mistake. But here’s the thing…I do it anyway. And you can too.
Yes there are times that a blog post will have a typo (at least mine do). There will likely be a time that a sales prospect will be a jerk. And it’s certainly possible that you will try something and it will not work. But if you keep showing up, you can and will get better. But in order to get better…to overcome the voice…you have to act. You have to create.
I would love to tell you that if you continue to do this you will silence the voice. But you won’t. It will always be there. But you have a cool story to tell. You have something unique to give. No one else can give it for you. You just have to overcome the voice.
We have all been there. You have an event or promotion coming up, and someone in your organization runs up to you frantically and says “We need something to hand out!”
It’s the last minute! So you scramble to find the number of people that are going to attend (hopefully) and a budget and find things that fit in that box. You get “something” that fills the need, but frankly, does not delight. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that workin for ya?”
So how do you create a Promotional campaign that makes a real impact? How do you create the campaign that has your customers talking and keeps them coming back for more? The answer is “better questions.” When you are starting your discussions, you need to think deeper. Of course you want to know the budget. Yes you need to understand that number of prospects and customers you want to reach. And yes it would be super helpful to know the logo, the number of colors, and the messaging. These are all good…but they are basic.
Here are 5 questions to consider if you want to take your Promo to Pro Level.
How do you want your customers/prospects to feel?
I absolutely love this question. It really makes you consider the impact you are trying to make. Do you want customers to feel appreciated? Do you want them to be shocked? Do you want them to laugh? By getting introspective on this question you have a real opportunity to consider what premium will be the perfect item to get inside that emotion.
What action do you want your customers to take?
Studies will tell you that adding Promotional Premiums to a campaign increases the chances that a prospect or customer will take action. So what do you want them to do? Does this item or items increase the chance (in your mind) that it will happen?
What is the overall theme of the event?
This can be basic, but I am amazed at how many people ignore the theme of an event. It can give you a place to jump off from when it comes to creative. Or you can create a theme of your own! What do you want customers to remember?
Who EXACTLY are you trying to reach?
Dig in here and be specific. Maybe you don’t want to reach everyone at the event. If not, maybe you should create a VIP gift that you only give to legitimate prospects. Either way, do it on purpose.
Where do you envision your customers using the item?
I find this is a great way to narrow down what is a perfect item. If you want to reach an audience that sits at a desk all day, then picture what they see all day. What would make their life easier or more fulfilled. Do that. These are just a few important questions that you need to ask yourself before creating a campaign or purchasing any item. They don’t take long to consider and they will make a huge difference in your next event!
Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are officially upon us. And as the Black Friday Sales start (on Thursday, no less) it is extremely easy to get sucked into the stress of the holiday season. We can get too focused on the gifts and less on the meaning. We get focused on the tasks on the to-do list and less on the point of the exercise. I know I am guilty of it. So on this day of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take just a moment to outline a few of the things I am thankful for here at Hasseman Marketing.
The Team
I really am excited and thankful for the team I get to work with every day. From different backgrounds and different parts of the country, the inside employees and the outside sales team are what make us go. They are who “Deliver Marketing Joy.” Thanks to the Hasseman Marketing Team!
Our Customers
Nothing happens until there is a sale. That is true of any business, and certainly ours. We so appreciate the faith and trust our customers place in us every day. Thanks to each and every one of you!
Our Communities
Our Corporate headquarters is in Coshocton, Ohio and we love that area. We #ChooseCoshocton. We are proud of it. We want to have an impact. But with the nature of our business, we have team members in other communities too. Yes, we have people in Ohio. But we also represent communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and California as well. We are thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in each.
Our Suppliers and Partners
As with most any business, we are not in it alone. We have a host of fantastic suppliers and partners that help us do what we do. These suppliers are manufacturers, printers, designers and software developers…and more. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with each. So thank you! If you are reading this, you are likely in one of these camps.
All of us at Hasseman Marketing would like to take this chance to give Thanksgiving…for you!
Please allow me a “proud dad” post here. But I think you might get some value out of it as well.
My oldest daughter Skylar Hasseman is an aspiring dancer. She just finished her Freshman year at Kent State University (and did very well) but it struggling with the idea of whether to return. Like many young people (and not so young people) she is trying to decide which is the best path for her to reach her dreams and goals. So in working to build her own personal brand, she has decided to create dance videos that showcase her dancing and her choreography skills. (You can subscribe to the channel here).
Her first video went up last night and (again proud dad here) I think it looks great. You can check it out here.
But what does this all mean to you? Great question. I think she is battling with what many of us work on. How do we work toward our goals? How do we stand out in a loud world? What if no one likes what we are doing? You understand. If you are like me, you have heard those voices in your head.
So here are 3 Lessons you can learn from my daughter and her video.
1. She Chose Herself: Dance is something where you can wait your whole life waiting for someone to “choose” you. You go to auditions. You are judged at competitions. You wait to get chosen. She decided to take a different (or maybe just an additional) path. She created an opportunity to showcase her skills on her own.
2. She Took Action: How many times have you said, “I have an idea…” only to let it go because it might be too hard? It’s those ideas that you need to take action on if you want to stand out.
3. She “Shipped:” The project is never done until it’s out there. She could have waited to get one more shot. She could have continued to work and edit and wait until it was perfect. Instead, she pushed it out into the world. I am proud of that. This first project can be deemed a success. That’s great stuff. Now, if she wants to really take this path, she needs to create more and more consistent content to build her brand. Whether or not she does that is up to her. But what’s cool, is that she knows that now.
It’s Monday (as I am writing this) and that means it’s time for the WIG meeting at Hasseman Marketing. You might be asking, “What’s a WIG meeting?” It stands for the “Wildly Important Goal” and the concept comes from the book 4 Disciplines of Execution. We have a weekly WIG meeting each Monday to keep each other accountable and to try and push the company forward.
Quickly, here are the 4 Disciplines…
1. Set a Wildly Important Goal: In each organization, there are constantly things that have to get done. These are the every day tasks that tend to take up your day. When you try to role out a new strategy or initiative, these every day tasks (the whirlwind) get in the way. By setting just one wildly important goal, it helps to focus the team.
2. Create Lead Measures: I love this part. I am a huge believer in goals, but by the time you can measure if you accomplished them, they are in the past. So 4 Disciplines tells you to set “lead measures” for your goals. These are the things that you have control over (no one can stop you) and will lead toward your goal (if done consistently). For example, if the WIG is to lose weight, the lead measures might be eating a healthy diet and exercising. These lead to where you want to go!
3. Keep a Scoreboard: If you come across a group of kids playing basketball, can you tell if they are keeping score. Yes…you can. The intensity picks up. They start playing defense. They start high-fiving after baskets. The same is true for your team. We have created a Google Doc that allows us to keep an eye on how we are doing…all of the time.
4. Accountability Meeting: Which leads nicely to our Monday WIG meeting. We get together on Monday (online) for a 10 minute check in meeting. We discuss what 1 thing we wanted to do last week (that moves us toward our goal), how we did on that goal, and what we are going to do this week.
I really like this system. If you have spent the time to set a Wildly Important Goal, focusing on Lead Measures is a more productive way to schedule my week. These are things I can accomplish…no one gets in my way. And if I don’t do it, it’s on me. From a leadership perspective, I like it because…
It’s helps me keep in touch with my team: At a glance I can look at the scoreboard and see how they are doing. Yes, the activity is tracked by the honor system. They could be padding their numbers, but most of the time I think the numbers are accurate. Either way, it gives me a sense.
Creates Competition: With the right team, your team starts to compete on their own.
Helps You Notice Patterns: When your team is busy, the pro-active measures take a back seat. You notice that with this system. And if you are paying attention, you can point it out. Better yet, your team will notice it on their own. Also, we all have patterns in activity…I noticed that my activity starts to trail off toward the end of the week. I had no idea…until I saw it on the scoreboard!
Re-Focus on the Goal: Each week we get together and re-focus on the goal. This reminder and accountability can have powerful benefits. If you want to dig in further, check out the book! But if you want to chat about how to implement this into your team, let me know. I will gladly do my best to help.
