The Power Of Thanks In Sales

This week’s affirmation is I look for opportunities to thank people.  This week I will thank someone who rarely gets thanked.

My affirmation this week is easy to do, and yet most business owners and salespeople either forget to do it, don’t do it well, or write it off as too touchy feely….and wonder why they’re not getting the repeat and/or referral business they would like.

Beyond “Thanks” At The Time Of Buying

One of the secrets to long term sales success is to thank our clients for buying from us.

Oh sure, of course it isn’t really a secret – it’s just one of those ‘things’ that everybody says they know, however few put into practice, so that’s why I still think it’s kind of a secret.

Let’s take a moment of ‘real play’.

If I was your sales coach and I asked you to answer this question I wonder what your truthful answer would be….here’s the question:

What are 5 ways that you are currently thanking your clients for buying from you?

If you can answer that truthfully, quickly and with certain ease, then congratulations because you are part of a rare breed of business owner or sales professional who have the genuine intention of  truly appreciating  their clients.

And further, my guess is that you’re also very successful and gaining unsolicited repeat and referral business.

But if you, like most business owners and salespeople, have struggled to come up with 5 ways that you are currently thanking your clients for buying from you, then you may be missing opportunities to build your repeat and referral sales.

Of course the obvious way is to thank them at the time of purchase.  O.K., that’s one.  How else?

The Power Of “Personalised Process”

Let me give you an example of another way, where we have created a process that is then personalised.

When we have a corporate client who is on monthly invoicing, once they have paid their invoice, we send a thank you letter.  But every letter is different.  I went about creating 36 short letters of thanks that included different quotes, metaphors, and comments that all relate to success, and I link the quote, metaphor or comment to the client to genuinely praise them for their commitment to developing their salespeople.

We send these by traditional mail (as well as a copy via email), and I always add a personal hand written note at the bottom of every thank you letter.

It’s these ‘moments of truth’ that can create significant and positive impact on our clients.  But here’s the thing….if you don’t enjoy thanking your clients…..if your intention isn’t one of genuine thanks, then all you’ve got is a process that clients will probably be impressed with, but no where near as much as if they truly get that you do value their business and are genuine with your thanks.

Look for the opportunities to thank clients beyond the time of purchase

So look for opportunities to thank your clients, to thank your colleagues, to thank your suppliers….not just with letters, but notes of encouragement, send something of value to them, call them with a valuable intention (not just because it comes up in your diary) – find a reason, something of value for them, and then call them to say thanks.

Remember, sometimes it’s the little things we do that make big and postivitely lasting impressions…..oh….and thanks for taking the time to digest these ideas, and I trust you’re finding value.