Gratitude & Business

• Marketing is all about relationships and at the core of relationships is emotion which feeds attitudes. 
• An attitude of gratitude unleashes the power of genuine marketing communication.
• So we’ve come full circle……Gratitude fuels prosperity and growth. 

• Your customers and/or employees.

Identifying and meeting the needs of your customers is a foundational building block of effective marketing, leading to business growth. 

In the darkest days of struggle, gratitude is very illusive. However, gratitude eventually emerges when aggressively pursued.  

It seems bitter people just can’t stand grateful, joyful people. Many times they aggressively enlist you to join their pity parties.

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” Alphonse Karr

“Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain” Lily Tomlin

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

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

Customers can spot disingenuousness a mile away. Sending a “canned” thank you may be worse than sending no thanks at all. Doing so risks the perception of being manipulative. 

Permeate your team culture with an “Attitude of Gratitude”. Talk it up frequently. Show it frequently. Measure customer loyalty then charge your sales force to creatively find actionable moments to express gratitude. 

Let gratitude thoroughly infiltrate your brand. Your positive, grateful spirit will come through loud. The reverse is equally true. Negativity, arrogance and taking customers for granted will drown out any contrived gratitude you express in your marketing.

Life is a constant series of transitions. We don’t much like change but change and the new beginnings that result are inevitable.  In his book Transitions―Making Sense of Life’s Changes, William Bridges says every successful transition has three successive parts: the ending, the neutral zone, and the new beginning.  

1. To move forward you must accept that your old life has ended. If you evaluate your old life with GRATITUDE and draw inspiration from it, your transition will flourish. Avoid the trap of anger at this ending. 
2. The neutral zone is a time of reorientation. Don’t rush this to jump into your new beginning. Find a time and place to be alone. Reflect on GRATITUDES that are a part of your present, here and now.
3. The new beginning is the final stage of transition. Pay attention to the external signs and inner signals that will guide you regarding the launch of your new beginning.  These signs and signals also will point you in the direction of your new beginning. GRATITUDE for the new resources and new relationships will provide you enthusiasm and courage as you march out into your “new frontier”.

Gratitude is most effective when expressed at the least expected time.

Here is a tip for you married guys: Get your wife roses on ANY OTHER DAY except Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget Valentine’s Day, but shock her with some off-calendar expression of love.

You know, we seem to be afraid of expressing emotion in the business world but it shouldn’t be that way. That said, emotion must be properly managed in a professional context. 

However, don’t be afraid to EXPRESS gratitude, EXPRESS emotion.

Tell others how you feel. This cements relationships and relationships are at the heart of every successful business.