| Growth &
Thankfulness -- Hand in Hand By Craig A.
Steffen
Thanksgiving
is my favorite holiday. Other than the vast
amount of food purchased and consumed, it really is a holiday mostly untouched by the
merchandisers. The idea is to reflect on the
goodness you’ve experienced over the course of the past year and simply count your
blessings.
As
businesspersons, we often reduce our enterprise down to revenues, expenses and profits. Though this is a necessary part of running a
successful business, there is always the danger that we will start to have a
“relationship” with the numbers instead of the people who ARE our business.
This
is a great time of the year to focus your reflection and thankful spirit. When was the last time you looked beyond the
customer ID number and considered the people who make the decisions at your client’s
companies? How long has it been since you
evaluated what you’re truly thankful for at your own place of work?
If
you read this column regularly, you know that I believe Marketing is all about
Relationships. During the holiday season I’d like to encourage you to step away from
the year-end financial reports and do some very practical and unexpected things to
solidify your business for next year.
Here’s
what I want you to do. Harness the spirit of
Thanksgiving and make a list of all the PEOPLE for whom you are thankful. Start with your family; you’d be nowhere
without them. Then move on to your friends,
your faith community and the mentors and advisors in your life. Now, move into your business. List the people down the hall that make your job
easier; as well as the folks in other departments who perform a vital function. And finally, think about your customers; some of
them have been loyal even when your company didn’t earn it.
I
hope you have a nice long list. But
that’s just the first part of the assignment. Now,
I want you to get on the phone and start calling everyone you’ve listed. You don’t need to talk for hours, but you
have to tell them how thankful you are for their contribution. Say something like, “no one ever accomplishes
anything all by themselves. I’ve been
reflecting on the people who have helped me and you came to my mind. I just wanted to call you today and thank you for
________.
Don’t
ask them for anything; just be thankful. There’s
no way to measure the impact this simple project will have on your soul, your family and
your business.
By
the way, thank YOU for reading this website!
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