Building Better Business Relationships Through Appreciation Marketing

May 31, 2024 | Listen

Building Better Business Relationships Through Appreciation Marketing

If your business is struggling to build genuine connections with your customers, consider implementing an Appreciation Marketing approach.

Not connecting with your audience is a common problem in many growing businesses. Beyond the competition, you may have limited time, are focused on making sales or just not sure how to go about building these relationships without coming across as fake.

The sad reality is though when companies fail to show genuine appreciation, they can alienate their customers and miss the chance to grow a loyal following. Even worse, the competition can quickly take over and leave them behind. 

This is where Appreciation Marketing comes in. It’s a strategy that helps businesses create lasting connections by expressing gratitude and showing they care.

By practicing appreciation marketing, you can strengthen ties with your customers, partners, and other important groups.

So, what is Appreciation Marketing exactly? How does it work? How can you put it into practice? And how do you sustain it in your business over time?

Curtis Lewsey: Appreciation Marketing Strategies

In this episode, Curtis Lewsey and I discuss Appreciation Marketing and its role in building strong connections with your customers, partners, and stakeholders. We examine what it is, how to use it effectively, and how it can benefit your business in the long run.



Timestamps for this week’s episode

02:35 What is Appreciation Marketing

03:43 The financial impact of Appreciation Marketing

13:57 Appreciation Marketing as a better approach to making sales

16:35  Building meaningful relationships through personalization

37:32 Actionable steps to take to implement Appreciation Marketing


What is Appreciation Marketing

Appreciation Marketing is a customer-centric approach to business that focuses on expressing gratitude and building strong relationships. Unlike traditional marketing which centers around immediate return on investment, leads, and sales, appreciation marketing emphasizes taking care of customers through thoughtful gestures such as sending birthday cards or reaching out in kindness without expecting anything in return.

Appreciation marketing is figuring out ways that you might be able to add value to somebody, and then the law of reciprocity, it does it kick in. People will want to try to do something and go out of their way to try to help you.

The financial impact of Appreciation Marketing

Translating Appreciation Marketing into financial gains means prioritizing existing clients to drive long-term success. It’s much cheaper to retain clients than to acquire new ones, so nurturing relationships pays off. By expressing genuine appreciation through personalized gestures and consistent communication, you can boost loyalty and encourage repeat business and referrals. Investing a small portion of your revenue back into your clients builds stronger connections and can lead to higher returns over time.

“People think the fortune is in the follow-up…but the real fortune in the follow-up lies after the sale.” -Curtis Lewsey

Appreciation Marketing as a better approach to making sales

Appreciation marketing is about showing gratitude and nurturing connections with clients and partners. Personalized gestures like thank-you notes, sending small congratulations gifts, or giving special offers can go a long way in building trust and loyalty. By prioritizing genuine connections and showing appreciation for their clients and customers, your sales team can increase repeat business and referrals, which leads to increased revenue and long-term success.

I think that one of the biggest things is being intentional and slowing down. Sometimes you really need to slow down in order to speed up.

Building meaningful relationships through personalization

Personalization in business is when you go beyond the sales call or other transactional processes and really get to know your customers. You can do this by paying attention to their interests, keeping an eye out on their milestones, and taking proactive steps to celebrate them. By doing this, your business can cultivate loyalty. These gestures build trust and goodwill, turning customers into advocates and driving long-term success.

Actionable steps to take to implement Appreciation Marketing

You can start Appreciation Marketing by dedicating 30 minutes weekly to recognize, appreciate, or congratulate someone. Compile a running list of opportunities to express gratitude or celebrate milestones to your customers. It might be a wedding anniversary, birthday or a son’s graduation. 

During your scheduled time, choose from your list and take action. This could be sending them cards or dropping some encouraging words.  Aim to perform five gestures per week, and in one year, that’s over 250 meaningful interactions in a year. 

If you’re consistent, this habit of spreading joy and positivity will strengthen relationships along the way.

Summary

  • Appreciation Marketing is expressing gratitude to clients through personalized gestures like thank-you notes and more without expectation of trying to get something in return.

  • Investing in existing clients through personalized gestures and consistent communication fosters loyalty, encourages repeat business, and ultimately drives higher returns over time.

  • Prioritizing genuine appreciation boosts repeat business and referrals, driving long-term success for your sales team.

  • Personalization in business involves going beyond transactional processes to understand customers’ interests and milestones, building trust, and cultivating loyalty, turning them into advocates for long-term success.

  • Start Appreciation Marketing by dedicating 30 minutes weekly to send 5 cards or messages to clients and partners to strengthen relationships and foster positivity.

Transcript

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About guest – Curtis Lewsey

Author of Appreciation Marketing ® and

Founder of AMcards.com

With over 15 years of experience in the sales and marketing industry, Curtis Lewsey has carved a remarkable path by understanding the true essence of relationships. Starting as a cold caller, he quickly realized the value of building genuine connections and earning referrals. This shift in focus, combined with a profound belief in the power of gratitude, led to Curtis co-authoring the national best-selling book, Appreciation Marketing® – How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude.

The success of the book opened doors to a global stage, where Curtis had the privilege of educating teams worldwide on the profound impact of implementing an Appreciation Marketing® strategy. The message was clear: in a world driven by technology, personal connections are the true currency of life. Inspired by this philosophy, Curtis founded AMcards, a groundbreaking business tool designed to create, strengthen, and nurture relationships in a tech-savvy world.

Although appreciation & gratitude seems like common sense, Curtis recognized that it’s not common practice in the business world. Customers often feel the love during a transaction, but when business is completed, there is often little to no follow-up after the sale. AMcards helps businesses implement an automated Appreciation Marketing® Strategy- a simple, inexpensive, and highly effective system for long-term follow-up with real greeting cards.

Website – https://amcards.com/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/clewsey/

Email – Curtis@AMCards.com

Sign up for a free card at https://amcards.com/

Get your Free Audiobook from Curtis – appreciationmarketing.com/audiobook

Author: Appreciation Marketing, How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude


About host – Kathy Svetina

Kathy Svetina is a Fractional CFO for growing small businesses with $10M+ in annual revenue.

Clients hire her when they’re unsure about what’s going on in their finances, are stressed out by making financial decisions, or need to structure their finances to keep up with their growth.

She solves their nagging money mysteries and builds a financial structure with a tailored financial strategy. That way they can grow in a financially healthy and sustainable way.

Kathy is based in Chicago, IL and works with clients all over the US.

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