Best of the Best - Part 2 Ria-Jaine Lincoln

Kindness Karma is real and this can apply in business too. Sometimes it is not enough to have marketing material on rotate, especially when you are up against the marketing campaigns of bigger corporations and competitors. I feel as a small business owner you need to find a way to leave your mark by using other ways to speak to your market sector.

There is a quote by Maya Angelou ?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.? and this could never be truer, it is something that I think of often. Sending branded cookies is a great thing to do and branded stationery too but if you can find something to really connect with the recipient on an emotional level than that will ensure that they remember not only your brand but how you made them feel. Chances are when they find themselves needing a service that you provide it is only natural that they come to you as you are now connected on a positive and emotional level. Not only is this great to make others feel good but it works both ways as it really does make you feel good too, and I know this first hand.

I stumbled across a very small business offering hand made jewelry and they had posted a token that they had created on a Facebook post, this token (see picture) spoke to me as soon as I saw it, initially I had been looking at sourcing florists to help with my kindness karma mission but as soon as I saw the token I knew right then that it was the gift that I was going to send to a selection of contacts and it also coincided well with blue Monday. The designer worked with me to locate the font for one of my logos and engraved this on the back of the token so now this was a branded gift. I now had a promotional gift, with a meaningful message that I could post in time for Blue Monday. 

Don't forget about the finer details too, a handwritten note is such a nice touch and shows that you have taken time to sit down and think about what you are sending and most importantly who you are sending it too.  

Marketing Psychology covers lots of different concepts but one that springs to mind with this kindness karma is the concept of reciprocity, businesses do factor this concept into their marketing a lot these days, giving something away for free such as an e-book, branded clothing etc to establish reciprocity often before they ask for something in return. 

There is a real opportunity for business owners to make an impact with not only the material that they send to prospects but the timing is also relevant. I love to seek out small independent business owners to help me with a kindness karma mission as this also builds connections and the ripple effect often goes further than one may believe. One thing that we can all do as business owners is to really analyze our market and seek out these opportunities for kindness karma and make an impact before sales contact.

Thank you to Ria-Jaine Lincoln, accountant to the beauty industry, for sharing an idea on business growth. The best of the best will be an ongoing series that will share great ideas that have helped businesspeople on their journey.

Feeling overwhelmed? Accounting Tech and customer experience causing you headaches? Looking for a cure to the above issues and then grow your firm, whilst spinning all these plates.I am currently working with ambitious Accountants, looking to develop to become a “Smart Digital Practice”. Ideas to help your clients grow.

I have worked in the accountancy software sector since May 1996. I worked at IRIS ( Corporate Sales Director: 1996 – 2006) and Thomson Reuters Digita (Sales Director: 2008 – 2011). Since working for myself, 2011, I have consulted with Nomisma, onkho and PANALITIX, amongst working with many firms directly.

I can be contacted via LinkedIn, or [email protected]