When you hear of expressing Gratitude, you think about family, friends, or someone often considered within personal relations. In the same sentence, you will hardly find people using ‘gratitude’ and ‘business.’ Expressing Gratitude can build on your connections and your professional ties. Expressing Gratitude can cultivate a healthy work environment and also a productive one. A simple “thank you” by your boss can keep your spirits high throughout the day, and so goes to the people working with you or for you. When your presence is being valued in the workplace, you feel more confident, which results in your performance and your attendance. But Gratitude should always be with intent; otherwise, it is not counted. Along with counterparts and colleagues, expressing Gratitude also goes a long way when it comes to clients and customers.
5 tips to express gratitude and why it helps
1. Keeping a Gratitude Inventory List
You do not need a particular day to express your Gratitude, and it can be done on any given day at any given point of the day. But keeping a list with your client’s contact details, such as email address and contact number, can prove very useful to send them an email or text to express how valued they are to your business.
Maybe it is the first anniversary of your business, and you still have the contact details of the first-ever customer at your shop. You can send them an email to express how grateful you are to them for giving you their business. As the first customer to your business, you can express your Gratitude with some offer that would hardly cost anything to your business, but it will significantly impact them. It might also land you new business opportunities when they tell their friends.
2. Being Grateful in the Moment
You do not have to put great effort into being thankful or grateful, a simple “thank you” goes a long way as long as you are bringing this to the table with intent, and it shows. Consumer power is an ever-growing power lately, and with social media being the most powerful tool these days, they are the ones making or changing your business. They will know when they are being valued, and “word of mouth” publicity (in this case, social media) can go a long way as well.
3. Handwritten Notes and Simple Gestures
Imagine you walking into a coffee shop to pick your coffee, and this is the place that you visit every day, today when you walk out you see that there is a note in the parcel and it says nothing much but a simple “The way is tough, but so are you.” And this is what you need to hear, maybe. Getting this note not only makes you feel happy, but you now also have a special place for this coffee corner.
You do not need to put enormous effort, but a simple handwritten note or small, thoughtful gifts, when given with intent, can be the perfect way to express Gratitude.
4. Share the Result with the Team.
When you express Gratitude, there will sure be results, and remember that this is very important for your team to know. Have a team meeting to celebrate the results. Readout, or point out the positives. This practice will motivate the team and, in return, be very effective for the company. Remember, what you focus on expands. Hence, concentrating on the goodwill particular bring good.
5. A Grateful Team is a Successful Team.
There are two ways to reach the results you anticipate: constantly pointing out where your team is lacking and asking them to come up with something new and innovative. Or praising them and reminding them of the ideas they have brought to the table to date and that you believe they can still do it. Always choose the latter.
