The Appreciation Factor
Showing appreciation will create a positive ripple effect.
The holidays are a time when we think about how we value others. The traditions of Thanksgiving through the Christmas holidays are defined through gift-giving. Our culture embraces sharing, connections, and demonstrating our appreciation of our friends, family, and co-workers. The Christmas tradition revolves around spreading joy and giving to those in need. 31% of donations to charity happen in December and 12% of that is on the last three days of the year (although perhaps for donors to get the tax benefit for that year).
Appreciation, though a high focus from Thanksgiving through December, is better served as a year-round concept.
What if we were as deliberate in our gratitude 12 months a year rather than 6 weeks?
In an article in Forbes on the impact of gratitude in business, contributor Eric Mosley asserts that “The act of expressing gratitude makes us vulnerable and authentic, creating a powerful, human connection between the giver and the receiver. Saying “what you did had a positive impact on me” is a profound message to give to another human being and it puts both of you in a happier, more grateful frame of mind.
In its in-depth 2019 Global Happiness and Well-Being Policy Report, the Global Happiness Council estimated that “a meaningful increase in well-being” yields, on average, about a 10% increase in productivity.
Exercising appreciation and gratitude can increase performance, improve well-being, increase collaboration and innovation, provide higher job satisfaction by creating a positive work environment, and showing appreciation will create a positive ripple effect. These all result in a stronger company culture that will make finding and recruiting people who also reflect those values easier.
We all want our people to feel engaged, motivated, and loyal. Here are some ideas from Indeed.com:
Acknowledge accomplishment right away
Write a Thank you note
Publicly thank people
Celebrate traditions or start a new one!
Ignore small mistakes, don’t sweat the small stuff
Buy lunch or dinner for your team
The act of appreciation doesn't have to apply only to internal staff though. Indie retailers especially can connect with customers on a more personal level through appreciation than big box stores and they can flex that muscle in a variety of ways:
A simple "thank you" from the sales staff to anyone who walks out the door (whether they purchased something or not)
Drop a thank you note in all post-sale carry-out bags or e-com shipping boxes letting them know why you appreciate their business (you can tie this back to your core mission statement and values).
Customer appreciation posts on social media
SMS appreciation communications (whether post-sale or simply inserted into existing nurturing campaigns)
For more insights on customer-focused sales training, view my interview with Kim Pagano of Publik Image, a highly talented retail consultant who has worked successfully with many of our clients to boost sales through a variety of engagement and retention practices.
The saying that “nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, is an equally important message to your people, not just during the holidays but all year round.
Onwards, and Upwards,
Marc Weiss - Co-founder, Management One