Think. Thank. Thrive.

One of the key factors in building a business and keeping it on the constant path?of growth is ensuring that your?know/like/trust?factors are in place.

When potential clients and customers get to know you, they are given the chance to like you, and ultimately they decide if they can trust you. Once the 3-prong litmus test is passed, and you earned their trust, they will most likely remain your clients for the long haul.

Of course, you, as a business owner or service provider, must work hard to retain that trust after it was earned, as it can just as easily be lost if you are not careful,?or if you take that trust for granted.

It is important to remember:

“The Path to Trust is Through the Road of Thanks”

?(Go ahead, print out the quote and hang it on your wall!)

Seriously, many business owners, service providers, retailers and others are so focused on making money and finding new clients that they often?forget to focus on the clients they already have and to express thanks to the customers who are already in the bag.

Ask yourself,?“What have I done lately to express my appreciation to my existing customers?”

If you have to rack your brain to come up with a semi-acceptable answer,?it’s time to rethink your thanking.

Consider some of these simple, yet effective items, which make a big difference in the short and long term of your relationship with your clients and customers.

1)?????Send a random “Thanks for your business” email to your clients, just because. Do not include any sales pitches or any other requests. Just a simple “Hey, just wanted to say thanks!”.

2)?????Did a client of yours reach a milestone or accomplish something worthwhile? Spread the good news to your other clients, and express?your pride in your clients to others.

3)?????Everybody sends holiday greetings and gifts. How about sending a random gift at a slow time of year? Just to say “ Thinking about you, and appreciate the opportunity to work with you”.

4)?????Need an opinion about something? Call your customer and ask if you can “bounce something off them”.?Show them that you value their opinion, even if it isn’t related to the usual topics you discuss with them.

5)?????Somebody said/posted something negative about your customer? Come to their defense! Stand up for those who put their trust in you and show them that you are in their corner.

6)?????Hand-written notes, in place of emails, go a long way in showing your clients that you care. Try it every now and then.

7)?????Will you be in your client’s neighborhood for another reason? Stop in to their office for a quick hello, or invite them to a quick lunch. Do not discuss business matters at these visits, just?show that you value spending time with them.

8)?????Where appropriate, add your clients to your guest-list for bar mitzvahs, chasunos and other occasions, to express your friendship to them beyond the realm of business.

9)?????If you attend an expo and?come across a promotional item or literature that your client would appreciate, take it and send /deliver it to them as a thoughtful gesture that they were on your mind.

10)??Of course, if your customer does something for you?or gives you something that warrants a Thank You, don’t forget to say it and mean it! Sometimes accepting something from someone – even if you really don’t need or want it – is the highest form of giving!

A little thinking and a little (or a lot) of thanking ?really does go a long way to ensuring that your relationships with your clients and customers thrives!

Who would’ve thunk!

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