Eat Your Broccoli And Don't Forget To Say "Thank You"

"Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness."
                                Steve Marabol

Either as parents or through the observation of others, many of us may recall instances where a young child is being coaxed to state their gratitude.  I am sure you can picture the brief exchange that may go something like this:

Parent: "Now Johnny, what do you say to the nice person for being so kind?..."

Child:   "Alright....Thank you..."

Of course, this is done as part of the child's socialization process.  A process that helps ensure the foundation of a civilized society remains in tact; that people generally treat each other with a degree of respect that helps define the parameters of human decency.  Teaching "Johnny" to say "thank you" instills within him the importance of appreciation; a concept that sometimes is not displayed to the extent it should be.

People like and want to be appreciated. This is especially true when customers make a choice between competing alternatives.  Each buy decision customers make opens the door for businesses to leverage the concept of appreciation to their advantage.  By plugging into the emotional connection and fully capitalizing on opportunities to say "thank you", businesses can solidify their customer base while also creating opportunities for expansion within its target market.

I recently had my car serviced by a company that understands the power of "thank you" when it comes to #CustomerService.  I was in the market for a new repair shop and researched several in my area.  After evaluating various decision criteria, I chose Revolution Mercedes-Benz Specialists.  This decision was primarily based upon the positive customer satisfaction reviews posted on their website and other places.

I was pleased with the overall #CustomerExperience, from the efficiency of their customer engagement to the quality of their work.  When I picked up my car, I was given a standard "thank you" by the service desk attendant.  This showed the customary level of gratitude most businesses demonstrate to their customers. What differentiated Revolution from a gratitude perspective was the item received in my mailbox several days ago.  To my surprise, I received a very nice, handwritten thank you card.  The card's message was personalized, proving that someone actually took time to craft the message.

By use of a handwritten note, Revolution walked through the door opened by our transaction and fully leveraged their opportunity to thank me.  They struck an emotional chord.  Until proven otherwise, I will believe they truly value my business. Any guess as to where my next service will be performed and to whom I will be referring other potential customers?

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
                                                                  John F. Kennedy

Thanks for reading.  Please share your comments and viewpoints below, especially if you have a different perspective.  To receive notice of my future blog posts, you can follow me via Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, Goggle+, Pinterest, or my website.

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