Got Sales? Want More? Reward That Behavior! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 12 of 15)

I'm on a roll this week: Here's another thank-you note to a client after the sale  ...

Unlike yesterday, I didn't include a gift with this note ... because I sent that special "Thank you for your order!" gift separately, as I do with all first-time buyers of my copywriting and consulting services.

(What was that other gift? I'll keep it under wraps for now -- it's a trade secret with me :-)

Why thank one client two ways, with a gift and a thank-you note delivered separately?

Here's why. As Machiavelli taught (I think), when you have bad news to deliver, do it all at once so you get it over and done with. But when you have good news, dribble it out over time, so you can maximize the positive effect it has on people.

In this case, my new client Casey got a nice gift couriered to his office today -- within 3 hours of his order. But he will also get this thank-you note by mail in a couple of days, which will make him remember the gift he got today and reinforce the good feelings he has about me.

Remember: You get more of any behavior that you reinforce. And that includes sales.

Now. Before you accuse me of being Machiavellian in this approach, please realize something. Yes, it's good for business when clients get good news/gifts from me several times in one week. But I really do this because it's FUN to play Santa 365 days a year and send nice things to my clients. They like it, I like it, it's good for everyone. It might be good to try in your business, too.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands.

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Want More Clients? Thank Them! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 11 of 15)

Here's everyone's favorite thank-you note to write: a "thank you" for the order.

See below ...

Wait. If everyone loves to write a thank-you note to a client after the sale, why do so few people do it?

Lots of good reasons: "not enough time" ... "couldn't find a stamp" ... "email is just as good as snail mail" ...

Wait, sorry. Those are all fake, bonehead, lazy, STUPID reasons.

Truth is, there is NO good reason not to invest 2 minutes and 46 cents in doing something tangible to thank your clients for trusting you with their money. No. Good. Reason.

And if you're thanking a client for a repeat purchase (as I do all the time), it pays to invest a bit more in your thank-you note. In this case, I invested in two $5 Starbucks cards -- the universal currency of business -- as a way to show a little extra appreciation.

Remember: You get more of any behavior that you reinforce. Want more people buying from you? Reinforce that behavior. A thank-you note does that every time.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Want More Clients? Don't Forget Them! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 10 of 15)

The human memory is an incredible thing.

It's incredible how much it can suck. At least my memory -- I seem to forget everything.

Case in point: I forgot to mail a Christmas card to one of my best new clients, Jim. The only reason I remembered was because I regularly run reports in Quickbooks and my client database, looking for patterns.

When I did that today, Jim's name popped out. So I mailed him this thank-you note ...

Moral: You may think you're taking great care of all your clients. But you're not. Not unless your business has fewer than 10 paying clients. If you have any more than that, you MUST invest in two things:

1) MONEY in a good CRM package. I use and recommend Infusionsoft and SalesForce.com

2) TIME to spend a few hours a month looking for relationship opportunities in your CRM

The opportunities you're looking for don't have to involve selling. You can just pick out a few clients to send heartfelt greetings to each week. Sales will follow, if you've earned them.

Fact: In a world where almost any product or service can be copied, digitized, or done by someone in the Philippines for less money than you, the ONE thing that can't be commoditized is you and your personal relationship with clients. An investment in building that is one of the best you can make.

And a thank-you note is an easy, VERY cost-effective way to make that investment.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Got Great Partners? Thank Them! How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 9 of 15)

Here's the kind of thank-you note I love writing, in recognition for a job well done.

This note went out to Damon Lacey, an ace graphic designer. He sets himself apart from other designers by always going the extra mile ...

I use Damon for design work and send my clients to him because I know he's going to take good care of the people I refer.

Today he went above and beyond to find and purchase the license to use a graphic for a direct-mail project, saving my client about $500. He made me look very good. So "Thanks" are definitely in order.

Yesterday I wrote that you get more of what you reinforce. A handwritten thank-you note is a powerful bit of positive reinforcement, so if someone sends you a referral and you want more, send them a thank-you note.

Similarly, if a partner on a project comes through for you in spades, like Damon did for me, you can get more of that good behavior by reinforcing it. Send them a thank-you note.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

The Easiest Sale to Make: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 8 of 15)

One of the easiest sales to make is to a referral, especially one from a client.

Referral selling expert Joanne Black writes:

Wouldn’t it be great if you had loads of people generating new leads for you and even making sales on your behalf? They would consistently put you in touch with your ideal clients, who would in turn become sources of even more business.

Great news: You have just such a hidden, powerful sales team already at your disposal. They’re your clients, colleagues, business associates, friends, and family. And every one of them could be a great referral source -- if you have a proactive, disciplined, measurable referral system that delivers every time.

Now, I've got about a half dozen referral systems in my marketing business. But my MOST effective system is the simplest. It's this: Reward every referral, every time.

When I tell this to most people, the typical response is: "Duh. I knew that."

Then I ask, "You may know it, but are you doing it? Do you reward every referral, every time, without fail?"

The answer, if they're honest, is often silence. Because most of us could do a better job at this.

But, really, it couldn't be easier. Here's a look at my simple "referral rewards system" below ...

My client Greg sent me a nice referral opportunity to help one of his friends with my profit recovery service. So I rewarded him with a handwritten thank-you note that went out in today's mail.

Note: The only reward here is a heartfelt thanks from me. No money or gifts need be sent, although I do send gifts for referrals that turn into sales, depending on the situation.

Modern psychology and life in general teach us that you get more of any behavior that you positively reinforce. (This other side of this coin is punishment, which is why your Mom broke a yardstick over your butt when you flushed your brother's homework down the toilet. Or maybe that was just me.)

But don't make this complicated. It's not.

If you want more referrals, reward the behavior that produces them. By showing your sincere gratitude in the form of a personal, handwritten thank-you note, you can do that. Do it every time and you'll have a simple referral systems that works wonders for your business.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

The Right People Produce The Right Results: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 7 of 15)

Get the right people on your team and your strategies and tactics will largely take care of themselves.

That's a fact I've proven to myself and seen in others, over and over.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins writes:  

"We expected that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy. We found instead that they first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats -- and then they figured out where to drive it. The old adage 'People are your most important asset' turns out to be wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are."

With the right people on your "bus" (business team) you'll pick the right destination for your company -- and be more likely to reach it.

Despite the best efforts of the imbeciles in Washington to drive our U.S. economy off a cliff, 2013 has been a good year for me. Revenues are up more than 75% over last year, which was a very good year.

I credit most of my success to the people I have on my team. One of those people is Mark, a personal friend and mentor. 

Thanks to Mark, my head has been on the right track for most of this year. As a result, so has my business. You can see my combination Christmas/thank-you card to him below ...

Not to go all froo-froo on you, but wherever you go (in business and in life), there you are. Wherever you are, your head is. If your head is full of trash, your results will stink. If your head is clear and focused, your results will be, too.

Thanks to the support of great people like Mark, my head is clear, my strategy and tactics are focused (if not yet perfect!) and 2014 looks very bright.

Are the right people on your team? If so, be thankful. And take a moment today to show your appreciation to them. If you don't have the right people, now's the time to start looking for replacements.

Right people, right results. Right? 

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

A Millionaire in Money is Nothing Compared to This: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 6 of 15)

Here's a change of pace for you -- a combination Christmas/thank-you card to my good friend, Jim Bear.

Bonus: You get to see Jim's card before he does. But I don't think he'll mind :-)

As I wrote in the card, Jim's given me a bunch of great ideas and support this past year. Specifically, his referral partners idea has been worth upwards of $80,000 to me in the past 18 or so months. That's at least how much new business I've brought in via referrals thanks to what I learned from Jim.

So, really, sending Jim a Christmas card is the least I could do to show my appreciation.

As William H. Danforth wrote in I Dare You:  

A millionaire in money is nothing compared to being a millionaire in friends, and everyone can be this, provided you keep these friends when you make them. And thoughtfulness in little things is the best way I know to keep them.

I've made several millions in money over the years, but the real riches come from having friends like Jim.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

The Backwards Thank-You Note: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 5 of 15)

There are two kinds of people who love to feel appreciated: men and women.

With that in mind, the more appreciation you can deliver to clients, prospects, and referral partners, the more likely they are to favor your business over the competition.

And as you might expect, I'm a fan of mailing thank-you notes as gestures of appreciation.

Case in point: Here's a note I mailed today to thank a past client for scheduling a call with me. We're going to discuss a possible joint venture ...

Now. It may seem odd to mail a thank-you note BEFORE a deal gets done ...

... until you remember that all people everywhere love to feel appreciated. If that's so, why wait on delivering that? A gesture of appreciation before a meeting -- as long as it's genuine, not fake -- will boost your chances of a favorable outcome. A thank-you note can do that. Text? Email? Tweet? No way.

But still. If you think it's backwards to mail a thank-you note before a meeting, consider Elias Howe.

By putting the eye of the needle in backwards, at the point instead of the head, he invented the sewing machine. His incredible invention would have been impossible any other way.

Breakthroughs are like that sometimes.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Thank You For The Challenge: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 4 of 15)

I remember college (most of it, anyway).

Before enrolling and choosing my classes as a freshman at Michigan State, I was recruited for the Honors College. (It had something with my fluky PSAT score and NOTHING to do with my high school GPA).

And I remember a very short conversation that went like this ...

Me: "Is there more homework in the Honors College?"

Honors Student: "Well, we like to challenge ourselves. We work harder and we get better."

Me: "So, to confirm, there IS more homework?

Honors Student: "Of course."

Me: "No, thanks."

To this day, I regret that immature decision to skip the Honors College. Yes, I managed to get an excellent education. But I can't help wondering what might have been if had only challenged myself more ...

Which brings us to today's topic: Challenge.

As you may have figured out, I am now a fan of challenges -- mental, physical, all kinds.

And that led me to write the thank-you note that I mailed today. Take a look ...

Tim is one of my favorite clients because he's such a master implementer. He gets an idea at breakfast and has me writing a sales letter to promote it by lunch. 

Today, after a particularly challenging letter (that I wrote in about an hour of frenzied activity), I wanted to thank him for forcing my brain to stretch in new directions. I'm a better writer now than I was yesterday as a result of Tim, and I hope he will be a little more profitable tomorrow as a result of working with me.

Either way, this is a perfect occasion to say (and mail), "Thank you."

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

Thanks For The Speaker Booking: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 3 of 15)

Here's my thank-you note for the day, written and mailed to Kit Welchlin to thank him for booking me to speak at an upcoming Sales and Marketing Executives event.

Why mail a thank-you note for something like this?

Several reasons ...

First, it's the right thing to do.

Sales and Marketing Executives are among the best prospects for my copywriting and "profit recovery" services. And Kit just gave me a venue to position myself as an expert in a roomful of my ideal prospects. So a thank-you note is definitely in order.

Second, I just gave Kit one less thing to worry about.

Because, if I'm conscientious enough to handle a "little thing" like writing and mailing a thank-you right after we spoke on the phone, it proves that I can handle the big things. As a result, Kit won't have to worry about me showing up an hour late, or at the wrong address or drunk, or otherwise making him look bad as the event planner.

Thank-you notes are old school, sure. They're also impossible to get caught in a spam filter, which makes them infinitely more effective than a thank-you email.

Writing and mailing thank-you notes to prospects, clients, and referral partners can help make your business 100% referral-driven. It's done that for my business, in less than 3 years.
 
Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

The 166-Year-Old Facebook Trick: How to Grow Your Business With Gratitude (Day 2 of 15)

Here's a fun one. I just wrote the thank-you note below to Mark Guerrettaz, in gratitude for a story he shared with me yesterday ...

It seems that Mark is smart. You see, he writes and mails thank-you notes to every client and prospective client who visits his Revolution Fitness Club. Everyone who gets his handwritten notes appreciate them.

But one woman took her appreciation to a new level.

She posted a photo of Mark's thank-you note on her Facebook account, with the comments: "Best. Personal Trainer. Ever!" Take a look ...

What happened next? I'll let Mark tell you ...

"... it got 68 likes with 6 comments. Oh, and it got me 7 calls within the next few days and 3 new clients just from this."

It's funny. By sending his note of appreciation via U.S. Mail (which first issued stamps 166 years ago, in 1847), Mark got a ton of new social media love ... and 3 new clients. In later conversations, he shared that this was worth $10,800 in new business to him.

Not bad, eh?

Important: Do NOT mail thank-you notes to clients and prospects because you expect more money to flow into your bank account. Do this because it's the right thing to do.

When you do right by the people who matter -- your clients and prospects -- they will remember you today. And do right by you tomorrow.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.

15 Days of Growing Your Business With Gratitude - Day 1

Here's the first of 15 straight blog posts in a new series, Growing Your Business with Gratitude, aka "Thank-You Marketing."

The concept is simple: Writing and mailing thank-you notes to prospects, clients, and referral partners can help make your business 100% referral-driven. It's done that for my business, in less than 3 years.

What am I going to write about on this topic for 15 days in a row?

I have no idea.

But one thing will happen every day in this series: I will post a picture of the thank-you note that I mailed out that day, as a way to force myself to do it.

Below is example 1 of 15 -- a thank-you note I just mailed to my #1 Referral Partner, whom we'll call, "CC." He has sent me more than $65,000 worth of copywriting projects over the past few months.

CC likes what I do, and I do it pretty well. So he refers somebody to me almost every week.

But I'm convinced that CC refers people to me for one more reason. Beyond that fact that I'm professionally very good, he knows that personally I'm going to take good care of the people he sends my way. And I prove that by mailing him a thank-you note after every referral, whether or not it turns into a project.

You see, it's one thing to claim that your service is tops and that you'll go "above and beyond" or whatever. But it's another thing to prove that you deliver remarkable service. And that's what a thank-you note in the mail can do.

Meanwhile, if you want to put an end to "feast or famine" syndrome in your business, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. 

Grab your free copy now, while they last.