?? 5 Love Languages applied to Business
PJS #022: ?? 5 Love Languages applied to Business
Take care of your people.
Duh - but do we really? Both our team & our clients? Does it really matter? Most certainly. Without them, we have either no business or a drastically worse one, right?
February is the month of love (per Hallmark, of course) where we focus on communicating love to those we care about.
According to Chapman, the 5 primary Love Languages are:
?? Words of Affirmation
?? Acts of Service
?? Receiving Gifts
?? Quality Time
?? Physical Touch
But can this same concept be applied to business? Yep.
I read some articles, pondered it against my own experiences…and here’s what I came up with:
Why Love Languages Matter for Business
By recognizing your team member’s & client's love language, you’ll be able to:
? show them you care in the way they want to receive it.
You’ll be speaking their language. Golden Rule here - treat them as they want to be treated.
? better understand and connect with them
? experience their increased satisfaction & loyalty
3 Ways to Know their Love Language:
1. Ask them - - many people know Chapman’s book & use it personally; they can just tell you if you start a conversation
2. Observation:
?How does this person treat others?
?What do they complain about?
?What do they request?
You might not get it right immediately, but purposeful observation is a great teacher.
3. Ask them to take the 5 Love Language quiz (not all will be up for this - just sayin' so be ready to default to observation)
Applying the 5 Love Languages in Business
Since it feels a little weird to say "love" languages in business, perhaps rethink them as "appreciation" languages. We all have a need to feel loved and appreciated.
Words of Affirmation (feedback & mentorship)
? Verbal acknowledgments:
"I’m really thankful to have you on our team."
"Your presentation to the client today was great."
"This is a difficult project & I can see how much you're putting into it."
"We love working with you as a client."
"Your business is really valuable to us."
? Including shout-outs as part of team meetings (from you & others)
? Shout-out team members & clients on social media, as appropriate
? Private or public feedback - based on what works for the person receiving
? Thank you notes
Acts of Service (support & care)
? Offer your help on a difficult project
? Do something small to help - like offer to make a cup of coffee for a team member
? "Just checking in" email to a team member or client
? Ask how you can help & then make it happen
? Go the extra mile for a client doing something you know will help them, but unexpected
? Ask your clients how you can help them
? Offer exceptional client service
Receiving Gifts (gifts & opportunities)
? Unexpected coffee/cookies/lunch just because – for your team or your client
? Send a helpful resource (or even a tip) to a team member or client
? New office supplies for the office supply lover
? Give a higher level opportunity to someone who is working hard to advance
? A free service
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? Send personalized gifts to top clients
? Refer clients to others (my fave to receive - I get amazing clients through referrals!)
? Gift on a work anniversary or working together anniversary with a client
? Celebratory day off
? Offer mentorship to a junior team member
? Money - always a happy bonus for a team member :)
Quality Time (workplace bonding)
? Ask about a team member’s or client’s outside interests/hobbies AND LISTEN!
? Celebrations for wins & anniversaries
? Taking time for 1:1 meetings & lunches
? Team meetings & lunches
? Offer workshops on topics your team and clients care about
? Schedule in person face to face time - unexpected these days
? Put your phone & other distractions away and give your undivided attention
Physical Touch (encouragement & touchpoints)
? Great eye contact & smiling at someone when speaking or praising them
? Firm handshake
? Fist-bump or high-five
? Upgrade their physical space with aromatherapy, candle, music, etc
(Yep this one is the hardest to translate to work!)
- - - - -
TL;DR:
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman shows us how to express love to a person in the way they want to receive it.
1. Love languages apply in business as appreciation to team members and clients.
2. Learn your team member's & client's love language (ask, observe & have them take the quiz )
3. 5 Appreciation/Love Languages can be applied in business
[Words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, receiving gifts, physical touch]
By applying the love languages to your business, you can show your team members & clients that you appreciate and value them.
Wowza. Aren't all these examples of ways to apply this so simple?
And yet can't you see how they might work in showing appreciation?
So why not give it a try and see how the love languages can benefit your business? Let's do it, my friend!
- - - - -
Your turn!
? What’s your love language?
[Mine is quality time followed by acts of service.]
? What’s another cool idea you have for expressing your appreciation in the business world? I’d love to hear.
Comment below or send me a DM on LinkedIn to let me know!
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See ya next week, my friend!
Joyfully,
Christie ??
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1 年Christie Varner ??! Great post! I've read The 5 Love Languages as well and found it to be incredibly useful in not just my personal relationships but also in the workplace. Thanks for sharing your insights on how to apply them to business. #gftpl GREAT FUTURE TECHNOLOGY PRIVATE LIMITED #mobileappdevelopment
Professional Marketing & Branding Strategist | Targeted Lead Generation Specialist | Turning Followers Into High Paying Clients | On A mission To Create Sustainable Brands
1 年What a LOVELY post! Christie ? I believe it takes "0" to spread LOVE and KINDNESS to others. ??
CFO who leads Insurance Agencies to sustainable profitability, continuous growth & resilient organization design ?? 5AM Club ?? Founder of modernizedcfo.com
1 年Quality time and acts of service ???? I love the 5 languages and love implementing it with teams I work with.
Fueling the success of service and trade businesses with digital marketing expertise. Founder, Dreamworx Marketing
1 年This post has made me want to read that book now, Christie. You bring great positivity to my feed everyday.
Killer B2B Fintech copywriting and marketing strategies (I generate new leads and revenue for B2B Fintech companies)
1 年Quality time is my number one. Then words of affirmation second.