Do Companies REALLY Give Thanks For You??? HELL NO…
That’s right. I said it. Hell, I have helped companies push out this type of content. At this time of year, marketing is full of noise around how companies care so much for you. That’s BS. It is a rare company that truly gives thanks to its customers. Those companies show it all year. They don’t wait til the end of November. I vow Pig & Rooster will not help a client push out this noise unless they show in their values and vision of their DNA that they care and demonstrate that caring through actions all year.
How does a company truly show thanks to its customers? I believe there are 3 key ways a company can work into its DNA and its processes to demonstrate true thanks.
GIVE BACK – The company gives its time, service, and money to those that need it the most. They do not do it as part of their marketing campaign like we have seen lately with DTC companies doing the “buy one, we will give one” campaigns. That is YOU giving back. No. I mean companies like @Brandfuel that have given back to the community as part of their fiber. They do not promote it. They do not push it out to the market as a “look at us” ploy. They do it because they humbly know that it is the community that has afforded them a company and they simply believe they should give back.
TELL YOUR CUSTOMER THANKS DIRECTLY – Write them handwritten notes thanking them for every purchase. Send a personal email (not from an email automation system) saying how much you value their business. “But Jeff, we have hundreds of customers a day.” Well – lucky you that this is your problem. Suck it up and have everyone in your organization kick in. Every time I walk into my Food Lion near my home, John greets me and tells me how polite my kids are (not sure whom he is talking about lol). He thanks me for coming in. EVERYTIME. He knows my name. He has hundreds of customers a day. He can do it. You can too. Turn one hour of internal BS meetings you have into a “give thanks” meeting a week and you will see profits move.
SERVE – I covered giving back. The difference here is to serve YOUR CUSTOMER. Ask them what you can do better. Ask them what they need. Ask them what is keeping them up at night in your sphere of influence. You might not be able to directly help, but you probably know someone in your network that could. I have recommended my HV/AC company to as many people as I can because they refused to come out and install a smart thermostat for me. Their rate would be higher than this 22-year-old kid that all he worked on was smart home installs. They introduced me and turned down my business. I guarantee that service has given them at least 20 new customers directly from me.
What other ways can companies actually show empathy and demonstrate thanksgiving? Saying it is easy. Showing it takes guts, vision, and a determination that the company will stand for more than profits.
I can’t wait to hear other examples from you. What company that you deal with is showing real thanksgiving?